In this article, the risk of agricultural farmland abandonment was assessed with the use of a synthetic measure of socioeconomic problems as challenges to the quality of life in rural areas in the European Union. To determine the direction and dynamics of changes in farmland abandonment in the EU countries, variables based on EUROSTAT and FADN data were analyzed using Hellwig’s method, and data for 2010, 2013, 2016, and 2019 were compared. The EUROSTAT methodology for the agri-environmental indicator “risk of land abandonment” was adapted for the needs of this study. Agricultural land is abandoned for many reasons, including conversion to other uses, but also abandonment of farming. The results of the analysis indicate that the risk of farmland abandonment was highest in countries with difficult farming conditions, such as Greece, Spain, Portugal, Romania, and Finland. In turn, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands, i.e., the most economically developed countries, were most resilient to this risk. An analysis of the factors that contribute to farmland abandonment demonstrated that the likelihood of this risk decreases with a rise in agricultural investments, farm income, population density, prices of agricultural land, road quality, and density. A high proportion of ageing farm owners was the only factor that increased the risk of agricultural land abandonment.

Cittaslow International promotes harmonious development of small towns based on sustainable relationships between economic growth, protection of local traditions, cultural heritage and the environment, and an improvement in the quality of local life. The aim of this study was to analyze and evaluate the differences and similarities in the spatial structure of Cittaslow towns in the Italian regions of Tuscany and Umbria and the Polish region of Warmia and Mazury. The study examined historical towns which are situated in different parts of Europe and have evolved in different cultural and natural environments. The presented research attempts to determine whether the spatial structure of historical towns established in different European regions promotes the dissemination of the Cittaslow philosophy and the adoption of sustainable development principles. The urban design, architectural features and the composition of urban and architectural factors which are largely responsible for perceptions of multi-dimensional space were evaluated. These goals were achieved with the use of a self-designed research method which supported a subjective evaluation of spatial structure defined by historical urban planning and architectural solutions. The study demonstrated that Medieval urban layouts can be successfully incorporated into the modern urban fabric to promote sustainable development and slow living.

Sustainable development is a multi-dimensional phenomenon, and its assessment is not easy and cannot be measured and expressed by one characteristic. The authors made an attempt at designing a synthetic measure thanks to which changes in sixteen regions of Poland between 2003 and 2013 are presented with respect to the level of sustainability based on three components: social, economic, and environmental order. This enabled an analysis of the structure of sustainable development using the shift-share method. The force of impact of the internal structure was defined, along with external determinants of individual regions, which have influenced the level of sustainable development. The performed analysis showed that the indicators of sustainable development, both for individual regions and for the whole of Poland, had not changed significantly in the determined two moments of time (2003 and 2013). However, the increase in indicators for individual regions is greatly diversified, and in the majority of provinces has a negative character with a slight value. In several regions, positive values can be noticed, whereas the increase in their values is high. This diversity testifies to the uneven development of Polish regions.

The Corine Land Cover (CLC) data is a collection of information about land cover, which was created during the program that was implemented by the EU. In this article authors proposes new index of space fragmentation, which is based on the analysis of the length of the boundaries of the various forms of land use-Ex. This papers contains the procedure of designation the new index and two examples of its use for the two regions in the northeastern part of Poland. These regions are characterized by a particularly high environmental values. Therefore, especially for these areas it is extremely important to study the fragmentation of landscapes as monitoring the increase of anthropopression. For visualization and spatial analysis authors used GIS technology.

Agricultural land accounts for approximately 40% of the total Natura 2000 (N2K) network area. Therefore, many habitats and species protected under the Habitats and Birds Directives are dependent on or linked to agricultural practices. This implies that sustaining agriculture of a high natural value is a priority in achieving the aim of halting the loss of biodiversity in the European Union (EU). However, extensive agriculture is unprofitable in many regions of the EU, which results in it being either abandoned or intensified in the absence of financial support. Hence, organic farming (OF), which is most often supported with public funds, can be an alternative to conventional agriculture in N2K areas. This article is an empirical study of the differences in perceiving the possibilities of farm functioning in a protected area (PA) by organic and conventional farm owners. It was examined whether this could be the actual path to improving farmers’ living conditions in the context of legal protection of naturally valuable areas. The study material comprises the results of a survey conducted at the turn of 2016 and 2017, which addressed a total of 292 farmers, including 152 organic farm operators and 140 conventional farm operators, whose areas under cultivation were located within the N2K “Dolina Biebrzy” (“Biebrza Valley”) PLH200008 area in Poland. For the analysis of the data collected using structured questionnaires, a variety of statistical methods and techniques were applied. The study results indicated that in terms of satisfaction with the economic performance of their farms, there is no major difference between the opinions expressed by organic and conventional farm owners. However, organic farming could be an alternative livelihood strategy from the environmental policy perspective.

Regional development is a complex process that can be analysed in various contexts, including environmental, social and economic factors. Variations in the levels of development are naturally observed across countries and regions, but they play a special role in trans-border regions. The aim of this study is to investigate differences in the level of development of two Polish voivodships (Warmia and Mazury, and Podlasie) and two Lithuanian counties (Marijampolė and Alytus) which are trans-border regions (NUTS 4 level). The study was conducted by analysing three subordinate criteria, namely environmental, social and economic factors, as well as the overall development of the evaluated regions with the use of the analytical hierarchy process and technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution methods. The evaluated trans-border regions are characterised by a predominance of rural areas and considerable variations in development. The entire area is characterised by high natural value. This is an important observation because the condition of the natural environment is a key determinant of well-being, and it directly influences the quality of life. The analysis revealed considerable demographic problems, mainly in Lithuanian regions, resulting from low population growth and a negative net migration rate which influence population structure. Disproportions in regional development call for regional policies that are adapted to local needs and resources.