Consumption and Sustainable Development of Polish Metropolitan Cities

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to determine the level of sustainable development of metropolitan cities in Poland within the basic dimensions of sustainable development. At the same time, the levels of development of cities in terms of consumption were determined, and an attempt was made to identify the relationship of the levels of development of cities and the levels of development of consumption. Three main dimensions of sustainable development were considered: social, economic and environmental-spatial. It was important to find an answer to the question whether consumption can influence the levels of sustainable development achieved by cities, and in what aspects? A taxonomic method was used, which allows organizing the studied territorial units in a hierarchical manner. The levels of their development in each dimension were determined. Identifying the structure of features allows determining at what distance from the ideal structure of features the studied cities are. The research was carried out in dynamic terms by analyzing 2007 and 2020.