The Concept of Human Needs in Sustainable Development of Cities

The concept of sustainable development as an idea of a big complexity is very difficult to implement. Cities, despite undertaking the enormous effort, fail to achieve the balance between economic as well as social development and environmental rights. The weakest link of the sustainable management is the social component, because it is more complex and variable than ecological or economic structures and plays a double role: as a beneficiary of the sustainable development and as a key tool for achieving the sustainability goals. That means that social well-being is the objective that needs to be achieved, and, at the same time, it is also a pivotal factor influencing people’s approach to nature and to production processes, determining environmental and economic success.  In the light of this conclusion, the concept of social capital and resilient communities is gaining significance. The problem which remains still unsolved is how to develop such communities that are able to face challenges and to adapt to new conditions in an active way. The concept of human needs seems to be very useful to maximise potential of people as agents of sustainable development. It leads to the conclusion, that creating a life environment allowing its resident to meet their needs, including needs for social well-being and for the sense of power, resulting in a higher level of their life satisfaction, may translate into stronger relations with the place of residence and willingness to act in the interest of the living environment.