Regarding the rehabilitation of large-scale housing estates, there is little expertise among the former socialist countries, although these estates occupy a large share of the housing market in Eastern and Central Europe. In Hungary just about 20 per cent of the housing stock is to be found in post-war housing estates, thus they house around two million people. The figures become even more staggering in the case of Budapest. In the capital approximately 33 per cent of the housing stock is in housing estates (Microcensus, 1996).

In the study, based on the in-depth research conducted in the Havanna estate in Budapest, and the Jósaváros estate in Nyíregyháza, and the collected materials it was tried to draw a picture of what the rehabilitation of the pre-fabricated housing estates means in Hungary in practice.

The first report of the RESTATE project concentrated on the structural and other factors that explain the difference between the success and failure of large post-war estates in Europe. A second series of reports dealt specifically with large housing estates in the 10 countries mentioned before. These reports elaborate descriptions of the estates in which the RESTATE research takes place can be found. In a third report – like this -the focus was on policies and practices in the estates.

Approximately one-fifth of the Hungarian population lives in large housing estates, representing an important segment of the society. It is quite a heterogeneous population, but unlike in Western countries, generally it could be characterised as made up of lower middle-class people, not very well off, however still making ends meat. Although what regards the physical characteristics of housing estates, they are less favourable than those of their Western counterparts, but their position in the housing hierarchy is higher, therefore the non-physical problems are not that apparent yet. This later fact indicates that despite their relatively low real estate position, pre-fabricated housing estates are not marginalized yet.

As a consequence of privatisation large housing estates have fallen apart into single condominiums and neither the central nor the local governments feel the responsibility so far to deal with this issue in a strategic way. Only during the last couple of years, and parallel to the growing state involvement in condominium renewals and urban rehabilitation issues, have the first, somewhat vague specific policies, targeting large housing estates appeared.

Even innovative programmes listed in the report, like the “Nyitás” program in Nyíregyháza, or the special training program for unemployed women in district 18 in Budapest – where the Havanna housing estate is situated – can be put into this bracket. But if these specific policies were organised in a bottom-up way and appeared in higher numbers, by complementing the area specific, physical measures, they could form an integral part of any successful rehabilitation strategy.

Metropolitan Research Institute, Budapest
Hungary
http://www.mri.hu
Mr Iván Tosics, tel. + 36 1 217 9041

01/01/2004

Mr Iván Tosics, Mrs Éva Gerőházi, Mrs Hanna Szemző

research

Urban Policy > Housing

Housing management, Housing policy