The current paper presents the results of evaluation of the influence of selected measures within Rural Development Programme (RDP), such as spatial development, afforestation, land consolidation, water management, village renewal and agri-environmental programmes on rural areas in Poland.The data used in the study cover the years 2004-2015, and were collected from the reports of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Polish Agency for Restructuring and Modernisation of Agriculture (ARMA), Polish Central Statistical Office (CSO), with special consideration given to normative acts concerning the Rural Development Plan 2007-2013 and 2014-2020, and the results of a study on different aspects of rural development conducted at the Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation - State Research Institute in Puławy (IUNG-PIB). Our study clearly shows that aforementioned measures differ significantly in terms of the level of implementation in Poland. Thus, the spatial development operation, one of the most important activities in relation to the sustainable development of rural areas, has not been introduced in RDP as s separately task. Additionally, the initiatives regarding water retention were also not fully implemented under the RDP 2007-2013 because of the shortage of time. The process of land consolidation has contributed only to very little change in ...
The aim of this article is to formulate guidelines for locating benches in rural public spaces. It is a summary of the results of a qualitative research involving 67 users of urban benches, conducted with the application of individual in-depth interviews, and the results of a literature review on the manner in which rural public spaces are equipped. The obtained results pertain to the use of benches in rural public spaces in the context of their integration and semantic potential (symbolic values). The conclusions are presented in the form of general guidelines. Public consultation should be an important element in deciding how to equip rural common space with benches. Local communities ought to be included in the decision-making process, from the stage of the assumptions of the design concepts to the stage of realization. It is advisable to adjust the form of benches, their number, orientation and location to the nature of public space and expectations of their future users. At the same time, the overall structure of public space and its main functions should be taken into account. Properly selected and placed benches can support the process of community structuring and may be a part of the equipment of ...
