Local agenda 21

The purpose of the conference was to promote the international and interdisciplinary exchange of knowledge and experience regarding Local Agenda 21 processes. This would enable those involved in such processes in Western and Eastern States to raise their sights and look across their own boundaries. It would ideally lead them to reflect on and revise their thinking about, and engagement in, Local Agenda 21 processes, an essential psychological feedback which stems from exposure to the learning process and related experiences of people from other regions. Here it seemed that progress could be usefully boosted by searching for superior exemplary models of Local Agenda 21 and by uncovering and discussing the contribution that would flow from case method research and case method teaching respectively Local Agenda 21 can generally be understood as a partnership strategy dedicated to achieving goals which fall into three interrelated categories: economic well-being, social development and environmental stability as well as regeneration. Ongoing Local Agenda 21 processes are first steps towards implementing this commitment. They represent approaches to complex problem-solving which are integrative and interdisciplinary in nature. In order to succeed they require a raising of society's awareness of the problems and a transformation of our way of thinking about them. The implications of pursuing the objective of local sustainable development could be an interesting area not only for politics but also for interdisciplinary teaching and research. The present volume contains contributions from different professional viewpoints. Some of the papers address topics of a general nature, such as 'Global Climate Change', while others focus on regional topics. The majority of the speakers deal with Local Agenda 21 processes in Western and Central Europe and with hi-tech aspects of Sustainable Development.