The city’s transformation towards market economy has had a very deep impact on urban development. More than 15 years after the Fall of the Iron Curtain, many problems concerning housing of lower income classes are not solved yet. Together with the often critical physical conditions of many apartment buildings, the extreme privatization of the housing stock led to a very polarized housing market where urban revitalisation is quite difficult to realize and especially various migrant groups (like Roma or Africans) do suffer under these circumstances.

The lack of a general housing allowance system is intensifying this process, resulting in an increasing spatial segregation. Local development agencies (conceived as closed joint stock companies) have an integrative and socially sustainable approach considering economic, urban and social aspects at the same time: urban rehabilitation without displacing the origin inhabitants by gentrification processes.

According to the integrative approach, there are various measures implemented or coordinated by the development agencies: Under the management of Rev8 some special programmes for tenants had been developed, furthermore a programme for creating communities, a public space and safety programme and last but not least an educational programme with focus on Roma children. Social and urban renewal programmes go hand in hand and some projects like the ‘Corvin promenade project’ are even characterized by large demolition in order to realize urban spaces of a new quality with pedestrian zones and mid-quality housing in a former deteriorated area.

Original inhabitants of the district (12.000), some programmes and initiatives focus on migrants.

In-house resources (municipality or district), some projects are (co-)financed by the European Union. There are many other sponsors, e.g. the Swedish Embassy for a special educational programme.

City of Budapest - Deputy Mayor's Office for Urban Development, Management and Social Affairs
Zoltán Markocsány (Head of Department), tel. +36 1 327 9460

//2006

case

Urban Policy

Social inclusion & integration