Sustainable rural development is vital to the economic, social and environmental viability of nations. In many countries today, built environment strategies to address sustainability tend to focus on large-scale programmes in areas such as renewable energy and energy efficiency. While this approach can improve national environmental indicators such as carbon emissions profiles, it appears unlikely to achieve sustainability (Gampfer, 2012). Furthermore, most of these programmes focus on the teaching and learning aspects of sustainability to more urban se[ngs relegating rural areas to mere desUnaUons for project implementation. This is unfortunate because a narrow focus on urban centres is counterproductive since the negative impacts of rural practices inadvertently affect urban centres. This paper argues that rural universities can provide a more comprehensive approach to long-term social, environmental and economic development in rural communities. Neighbourhood-scale development interventions, which enhance day-to-day living pa^erns, are more sustainable in the long run. Further, teaching methods suited for interdisciplinary or intercultural cooperation are a key element of built environment characteristics, which support sustainability. In this paper, these are referred to as ‘Neighbourhood-scale’ approaches, which are envisaged to ensure the transfer of technology, improvement of construction skills, innovative use of available materials and a comprehensive concern for the environment.