Sustainable Development in Island Communities: The Case Study of Postira

The article shows the results of the case study of Postira, a village and a municipality on the island of Brač (Croatia) and presents a positive example of sustainable community development on islands in the post-transition social context. Based on the theory of sustainable local community development and its four pillars (economic, ecological, social and cultural), we analyse both the secondary data and the primary data collected from semi-structured interviews with the key actors of local development. The study shows that economic, ecological, social and cultural domaines are connected in Postira which allows for sustainable development of the place. By examining various aspects of sustainable development in Postira, we present the general framework of sustainable island development. It is based on integral development of the local community on sustainability principles, it defines key processes and guidelines and can be applied to rural and island areas, taking into account the specificities of each community.