In Line with Sustainable Regional Development: Economy, Society, Environment and Optimal Governance based on the Example of Polish Regions

This article examines the problems related to the concept of sustainable development at the regional level based on the sample of Polish regions in the period of 2011-2005. The first part presents the theoretical aspects of sustainable regional development, raises the problems of the primary phenomena that hinder this development, and explains the definitions of sustainable development, the role of creativity, the importance of non-governmental organizations, and the optimal governance of the regional space. The next part of the article presents the characteristics of sustainable development indicators selected for analysis in accordance with the approach adopted by the Central Statistical Office in Poland to measure the level of regional sustainable development. The composite measure of development represents an applied research method that provides a basis for ranking and identifying the position of specific regions of Poland. The research results are the core of this study, because they show the index values in the analyzed years. In the framework of considerations and final conclusions, it has been emphasized that in none of the studied areas, in terms of the implementation of sustainable development standards, the situation cannot be evaluated as favorable or very favorable, and the reasons for such a situation are also provided. Despite the relatively unfavorable results, a gradual improvement of the situation was observed during these years. It has been pointed out that one of the main obstacles to the implementation of sustainable development standards is the lack of knowledge and understanding of the concept of development in question.