ZRÓWNOWAŻONY ROZWÓJ W STRATEGIACH MAŁOPOLSKICH GMIN – WYBRANE ASPEKTY

Abstract

Local government plays a pivotal role in launching and making activities to promote sustainable development. Adjusting local skills to the needs of the communities; environmental conservation to minimise the consumption of natural resources, waste generation, and pollution; the participation of local agents in programming and decision-making processes; general access to basic services, and respect to cultural heritage are but a few sustainable development areas. The above areas have been included in sustainable development strategies for communes in the Malopolska region. The paper sets out to present the determinants of sustainable development on the local level based on the analysis of selected sustainable development strategies for communes in Malopolska. Local authorities have tools that are suitable for promoting sustainable development, including strategic documents, and target funds as well as the ability to cooperate with other units and local communities. This implies the following research question: are these tools being deployed in a way that is effective enough to bring satisfactory results considering both sustainable development indicators and the residents of a given local government unit?