DECLINING AND RENEWABLE NEIGHBOURHOODS IN THE HUNGARIAN CITIES

Abstract

The transition has created fundamentally new conditions in the urban development in Hungary. Before 1990, the omnipotence of state planning, the homogeneous social structure, the complete absence of free housing market and a distorted economic structure characterized the cities. After the transition new residential preferences evolved through the decrease of government intervention, the development of self-government, the turbulent economic restructuring, the real estate market based on supply and demand and the differentiation of income. The nimbus of previously flourished housing estates thing of the past and opened the possibility of developing a dynamic suburbs and the once neglected inner-city areas. However, the development processes took place in certain neighborhoods in different way over the past twenty years. The renewable and declining neighborhoods were created almost next to each other with specific socio-economic characteristics and problems. During the past two years conducted field research in Budapest and rural cities (Debrecen, Miskolc, Szeged, Pécs) – among other things – we wanted to find out the main challenges  of the city development in the declining and renewable residential areas. The opinion of the neighborhoods plays namely a key role in the approach of future, the mobility and the social cohesion.