Central and Eastern European Countries are undergoing a difficult transition process with consequences for spatial development. Europe needs a more bal anced, polycentric system of cities, a new urban-rural relationship, parity of ac cess to infrastructure and knowledge as well as prudent management and devel opment of the natural and cultural heritage. Dealing with these complex challenges and the need for sustainable develop ment politicians requires qualified advice from experts. To this end, the German Ministry for Regional Planning, Construction and Urban Development initiated the Network of Spatial Research Institutes in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE Net) in 1992. Exchange of knowledge and an open dialogue at all levels are pre conditions for the cooperative development of visions and strategies serving spa tial development in Europe. The annual conferences of the network have been a first steps towards closer cooperation. The high interest shown in these confer ences by academics and government representatives and the fact that several re search projects have already crystallised out of the debates they engendered indi cate that the network is meeting a need for exchange and cooperation. Decisions on spatial development do not stop at national borders and the dis cussion on spatial development in any European region has therefore to take the European context into consideration. A special advantage of this publication is that, as well as focusing on spatial development and research in CEE regions, it also discusses Central and Eastern Europe in a European context.

The experiences of these countries in wrestling with issues of sustainability may serve also as examples for both developed and developing countries worldwide."--Jacket.

The deterioration of the environment in Central and Eastern Europe during the past fifty years has very often been linked to the communist regimes then in place. Indeed, in the region, the ideologically led attempts of governments to achieve industrial development and to glorify the role of work and the worker alike left little room for environmental considerations. The authorities effectively refrained from enforcing existing environmental legislative norms, because they were portrayed as a barrier to development. As the former regimes collapsed, there was much hope for the emergence of economic development that would respect both environmental and social concerns. The implementation of legal and political reforms and the adoption of a market economy, however, have imposed new constraints on the state and have altered the very fabric of society and citizens' expectations. Against this background, environmental protection seems once again to be perceived as second to economic growth. The aim of the paper is to examine, in the light of the Central and Eastern European experience, whether and how environmental protection and social justice can be reconciled with economic development. The paper concludes that this can only be achieved by fostering civil society and environmental justice and adhering to principles of good governance, in addition to adopting legislative reforms.

With the enlargement of the European Union, the accession countries are coming under pressure to develop and meet EU standards for environmental protection and sustainable development. In this ongoing process, global economic liberalization, regulatory policy, conservation, and lifestyle issues are all involved, and creative solutions will have to be found. Historians, geographers, economists, ecologists, business management experts, public policy specialists, and community organizers have come together in this volume and examine, for the first time, environmental issues ranging from national and regional policy and macroeconomics to local studies in community regeneration. The evidence suggests that, far from being mere passive recipients of instruction and assistance from outside, the people of Central and East Central Europe have been engaged actively in working out solutions to these problems. Several promising cases illustrate opportunities to overcome crisis situations and offer examples of good practices, while others pose warnings. The experiences of these countries in wrestling with issues of sustainability continue to be of importance to policy development within the EU and may serve also as examples for both developed and developing countries worldwide.