The study examine two estates in two cities of Hungary, an overview of developments and problems in Havanna and Jósaváros housing estates in view of physical, social and economic aspects. The study analyses, the common and different issues between the estates, and the most relevant issues in connection with sustainability, in technical, environmental and social science.

Even if there are serious problems, this housing form can still be considered as relatively sustainable in a point of view. Housing estates, with their well developed public transport connections, non-polluting district heating systems and relatively good public services, are to be considered much more sustainable from public perspective, from the point of view of the development of the cities.

The problem is, that the residents of these estates do not have the same evaluation criteria: there individual interests orient them towards those new housing forms, which are less sustainable from public infrastructure perspective.

In the EU accession, in post-socialist countries the problem of housing estates can be considered as one of the largest and most concrete challenge for the near future. The question to be answered is: how is it possible to manage the renewal process and partly downsizing of the large housing estates, which are fulfilling some kind of sustainability criteria, but are almost totally privatised. How can this be carried out, without downsizing the already decreasing cities, i.e. without giving a further push to suburbanisation?

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

01/01/2005

Mr Sándor Erdősi, Mrs Éva Gerőházi, Mrs Nóra Teller and Mr Iván Tosics

research

Urban Policy > Housing

Housing management