The document aims at giving an analysis of the settlement system and recommendations for development policies. The analysis gives a picture of the characteristics of the settlement system and identifies main problems, as the monocentric structure and spatial polarization. Through a brief summary of the policies of the socialist era, through the change of regime the document describes the current state and processes of the settlement system in the fields of economy, society, infrastructure and dedicating special focus to agglomerations and commuter catchment areas. The Hungarian situation is placed in an international context, major global and European trends of urbanization are also mentioned in the document.

The document is an output of the work of the Dynamic Settlement System Working Group set up by the 1024/2004 Decree of the Government. The working group integrated the scientific community, researchers and relevant planners with high reputation in the field of spatial analysis and planning in order to analyse the settlement network and define the major problems and perspectives for long-term strategic planning and programming of the country. The output was created by the drafting team and adopted by the Working Group.

The research resulted in defining major problem fields concerning the settlement system and gave policy recommendations for the long-term and middle-term goals of national development policy. The recommendations aim at enhancing both competitiveness and cohesion, through which a polycentric urban network is created with good accessibility and intensive inter-settlement cooperation and as a horizontal goal, the preservation of natural, landscape and built heritage is recommended. The spatial activity fields were defined, with specific goals for each: The competitive metropolis: Budapest, Development of regional competitive poles, Development of hubs, transfer centres, Development of dysfunctional local centres, Diversified development, protection and integration of microvillages and farms into the economic-social processes-

VÁTI Hungarian Nonprofit Company for Regional Development and Town Planning
Hungary
http://www.vati.hu
Mr Nagy András (Chief planner), tel. +36 1 224 3265

01/01/2005

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The research was conducted by the drafting team of VÁTI Hungarian Nonprofit Company for Regional Development and Town Planning with the involvement of experts from several universities and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. The research was steered by the Dynamic Settlement System working group.

research

Urban Policy