  A theorem about local in time existence of spacelike foliations with
prescribed mean curvature in cosmological spacetimes will be proved. The time
function of the foliation is geometrically defined and fixes the diffeomorphism
invariance inherent in general foliations of spacetimes. Moreover, in contrast
to the situation of the more special constant mean curvature foliations, which
play an important role in the global analysis of spacetimes, this theorem
overcomes the existence problem arising from topological restrictions for
surfaces of constant mean curvature.
