STABILITY OF THE CITY NETWORK IN HUNGARY BY INCOME - WITH PARTICULAR REGARD TO CITIES WITH COUNTY RIGHTS AND DEVELOPMENT SUBSIDIES

Abstract

The study observes the movements in the income ranking of Hungarian cities with county
rights, on the one hand, examining whether there are individual improvements in position
- even if achieved through their own effective strategies - or whether territorial or
settlement network determinations limit them, on the other hand - and the actuality of the
latter is the primary motivation of the analysis - it also raises the question of whether the
rapid expansion of external development resources in the past decade has given some
players a way to embark on a new path of development - in proportion to the amount of
funding or the quality of its use.
The conclusion of the analysis is that the process resulting in significant changes in the
rankings has several clear winners, and clear losers, but it seems very likely that these
changes in the position are determined by deeper reasons rather than influenced by local
strategies and settlement development activities. The abundance of resources available for
development in the 1990s has so far been able to result in few unique urban development
paths and position strengthening (supported by awareness of urban development). Rather,
the further strengthening of the regional power fields formed over a longer period of time,
and the further expansion of the differences related to their scope, can be seen and
projected. In contrast, a further strengthening of the regional forces that are taking shape
over a longer time span and a further widening of the gaps in their scope can be seen and
anticipated.