The establishment of strategies and mechanisms to promote economic and social development that reconcile the fundamental principles of sustainability is a contemporary challenge for researchers and public managers at the three levels of government. The network of social relations is essential for local sustainability adopting endogenous practices that restore the spirit of the place and the feeling of belonging. The Brazilian rural area has undergone changes, mainly in the relations and forms of work, enabling farmers to increase family income through new activities such as tourism, aiming at improving the quality of life in the countryside. An example of this is the Agroturismo Acolhida na Colônia Association, in the mountain region of the state of Santa Catarina, which aims to include rural areas, previously excluded from the development process and based on principles of employment and income generation in rural areas. The purpose of this article is to analyse the principles of the Association, within the language of standards adopted by researcher Christopher Alexander. The methodology used is exploratory and descriptive research. The main results pointed to the identification of principles that could be incorporated into the municipal master plans.