Abstract
This article examines the role of Polish unions of municipalities after the reform of territorial self-government in 1999. Before the reform, unions of municipalities used to substitute missing regional level of self-government. After the reform they were likely to disappear because regional and district levels of self-government were introduced. Contrary to these expectations this article suggests that unions of municipalities in Poland still play important role in dealing with some environmental problems.
Highlights
Variety of links contacts and interrelations between towns and villages had developed throughout the world long before the term „urban networking” was adopted in order to cover these complex phenomena with one phrase. environmental factors have always influenced the attractiveness of land for settlement
Environmental factors have always influenced the attractiveness of land for settlement
Human settlements developed in places where environmental assets overweighed environmental disadvantages
Summary
Variety of links contacts and interrelations between towns and villages had developed throughout the world long before the term „urban networking” was adopted in order to cover these complex phenomena with one phrase. Due to political economic and social transformation after 1989 different aspects of local government as well as urban development[8] in Central Europe have been a subject of regional, national and international studies [5] as well as of comparisons between western and eastern European countries [6] Currently Polish local authorities in cities, towns and villages have to cope with a lot of environmental problems and simultaneously they try to make the best use of scarce environmental assets. The role of voluntary unions or associations of local authorities has been different in each stage In the beginning they developed to some extent as a substitute of missing higher levels of territorial self-governments. To what extent features of physical environment and the existence of environmental problems influenced the territorial shape and the activity of Polish unions of municipalities?
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