The Urban Rehabilitation Programme is a area based intervention. A set of indicators which prove social, economical and physical deprivation in an area are used to determine the geographical limits of so-called main and critical policy action areas. However this indicator led definition gave only the geographical boundaries for interventions but do not lead to complex area based rehabilitation programmes. As the policy analysis describes it was instead more physical oriented and building-to-building based. Revision of the 1997 policy aims and means was backed by related policy measures introduced during these ten years, such as the Budapest Development Plan, the Housing Plan and the Commerce Plan.

Deficiencies of the present day programme involve short term planning, the long time public investments take, big differences between renovated and buildings on waiting lists, and that instead of the increased quality of life the programmes promised, they were more technical-engineering led, and focused on the physical renovation of the building. Its potentials are that it has a secure financing mechanism, regardless of national resources and that it has heavily contributed to the physical reconstruction of the city centre.

Main policy questions were whether the focus of interventions should be the person or the area; what is the best way to achieve social integration in a city, and how does integrational policies relate to the local economy. Altogether it can be summed up, as whether it is possible at all to integrate social, economical ad physical urban rehabilitation at all?
The policy support document makes clear the inevitability of choice between two differing policy aims. One is the physical rehabilitation of urban areas and urban quality of life of the city centre areas, and second is the social and economical rehabilitation of the worst off areas.

The document suggests a new mechanism for focusing resources on urban rehabilitation. Instead of the mechanical use of inflexible pre-defined indicators, it suggests a 5-6 year project plan defined rehabilitation process. In this case the spectrum of rehabilitation process will be much greater than a single building, or park, and as a consequence it will have a more visible effect. Besides it will also help civic organisations to take a more decisive part in the process. The document also supports the use of management companies responsible for the completion of the projects both at city and at district levels.

Municipality of Budapest - Urban Planning Department
Hungary
http://www.budapest.hu
Mr Sandor Simonyi (Head of unit), tel. +36 1 327 1154

01/01/2005

policy

Urban Policy > Housing > Housing management

Housing finance, Housing maintenance