Diversification of Rural Development in Poland: Considerations in the Context of Sustainable Development

A change in the understanding of rural policy took place in the 1980s when there was a transition from a sectoral to a territorial perception of rural areas. Rural areas are no longer identified only with agriculture. There has been a recent decentralization of rural policy to the regional and local levels, which requires the recognition of the diversity of rural areas and the changes taking place in them. Therefore, it is important to recognize the state of sustainable development and disparities at the local level so that the targeted support is appropriate. The aim of the research is to measure sustainable development, including spatial diversification. The measurement of sustainable development was carried out using synthetical measures, and measures for economic, social, and environmental domains were constructed. The Jenks method was applied to group entities into classes characterized by similar levels of development. The results of the research proved the significance of the differences in the scope of balanced development for each of the domains. The resulting spatial systems are characterized by the line of the center–periphery. The obtained research results are valuable for central and local authorities in the process of planning local and regional development.