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third one includes the roles that should be played by social groups in the process of
implementation of Agenda 21, and the fourth indicates the means of implementation.
It is worth noting that the document includes not only general solutions aimed at
improving the environment at global level, but, at the same time, offers inspiration on
how to approach local issues with relation to the global situation.
In accordance with the formulated recommendations for the implementation of
Agenda 21, since 1996 local authorities along with the inhabitants have been expected to
take steps to draw up the so-called Local Agenda 21, i.e. local environmental programmes.
The representatives of the local community will be able to take an active part in the
formulation of the programme, and ultimately in its implementation.
The recommendations of Agenda 21 provided a basis for the formulation of the
Fifth Environmental Action Programme covering the environmental agenda, sustainability
issues and several EU directives. Moreover, Agenda 21 underpins the OECD Sustainable
Development Programme and several recommendations by the OECD.
In the 1990s, the problem areas related to cities were specified. Statistics on European
cities were included in 1992 Eurostat report, and in 1997 a study was released on the idea
to establish ESPON, European Observation Network for Territorial Development and
Cohesion.
Territorial development is, according to the document published in 1997
Kompedium systemów i polityki planowania przestrzennego (Compendium of systems
and policy of land-use planning), a decision making process by which a choice is made
between meeting social, environmental and economic needs. Hence this is a control and
regulatory tool which directly affects the city dwellers’ quality of life.
General objectives of and common rules for development policies targeted at
European cities were formulated and included in the 2004 policy statement Acquis
Urban. The principles included balancing economic competitiveness, environmental
protection and social cohesion. A city is assumed to be the space which integrates local
communities, where the inhabitants have a sense of well-being, which makes it possible
to maintain cultural identity and which offers an adequate level of quality of life.
7.1 The definition of telematics
Telematics refers to the transmission of information over a telecommunication
network combined with the computerised processing of this information. It is
the anglicised version of the French word télématique which is a merger of the
words télécommunication and informatique. Recent developments in computer
and telecommunication technology have an equally important impact on society
and economy today as the increasing availability of small and affordable personal
computers in the seventies. As computers are becoming much smaller and less
energy-hungry, computing devices are becoming mobile and pocket computers can
accompany us wherever we are. Telecommunication technology can be embedded in
those mobile devices enabling wireless telecommunication with stationary devices and
other mobile devices. The emergence of new fields of application has resulted in new
branches of computer science sometimes described with the terms mobile computing,