Dziedzictwo kulturowe w strategiach rozwoju największych miast województwa podkarpackiego

Local development is presently understood as a process of sustained, positive changes taking place in a given territorial unit, leading to the creative, effective and rational use of local resources. Cultural heritage, on the other hand, is currently defined both in conservation literature, socio-economic geography and cultural economics as diverse tangible and intangible values that fulfil numerous contemporary functions. A matter worth researching is thus if and to what extent cultural heritage is recognised by local authorities as a form of development potential, and if so, how broadly it is understood and what dimensions of the functioning of local territorial units it may affect. I sought the answer to these questions through an in-depth analysis of development strategies of the largest urban centres of Poland’s Podkarpackie Voivodship. It seems that following theories on heritage as a contemporary development resource, as well as the actual practice of strategic planning, the area’s resources and qualities of the cultural environment are enthusiastically included among the essential factors of local development. Comparing references to heritage made in strategic documents of the cities researched, I propose a typology of cities with respect to the importance given to and willingness to use cultural heritage as a development resource.