The dominant elements within Hungary’s urban structure are: Budapest (capital), county ranks, county-seats and other cities and towns. History brought about some remarkable changes to Hungary’s territorial character following the First World War; Hungary lost two-thirds of its territory, bringing radical change to the urban network structure. The importance of Budapest had been balanced by large cities close to the old borders, such as Kassa-Kosice, Kolozsvár-Cluj-Napoca and Nagyvárad-Oradea, Arad-Arad and Temesvár-Timisoara, Újvidék-Novi Sad, and Pozsony-Bratislava, etc. The loss of these cities and other aspects such as the rail and road network turned Hungary into a mono-centric nation. By the middle of the 1980s, some 35% of Hungary’s population lived in Budapest and its agglomeration, and the capital, universities, R&D and services were all concentrated there. The influx into cities generally targeted Budapest, though from the early 1970s it also encompassed the regional cities and towns, including the five largest cities mentioned below.

Hungary has now 10.1 million inhabitants, with 274 cities and towns which account for 65.1% of the country’s population. The capital Budapest metropolis (1.7 million inhabitants) or Greater-Budapest (2.8 million inhabitants) exercise a strong effect on both the closer and wider environment. Large regional cities are smaller than Budapest, and exercise a much smaller effect on their environment. The first group contains the five largest regional cities, which are developing rapidly. These are Debrecen (204,700 inhabitants), Miskolc (177,800 inhabitants), Szeged (162,600 inhabitants), Pécs (157,700 inhabitants) and Győr (128,600 inhabitants). The second group contains 16 cities with a population of 50,000 or more: (Nyíregyháza, Kecskemét, Székesfehérvár, Szombathely, Szolnok, Tatabánya, Kaposvár, Békéscsaba, Zalaegerszeg, Veszprém, Érd, Eger, Sopron, Dunaújváros, Nagykanizsa, Hódmezővásárhely, Salgótarján). In addition to Budapest Hungary has six other regional centres and 23 cities and towns of county rank, 19 of them being county-seats.

After the strong centralised administration was devolved towards the counties, from 1989 all settlements and counties have had equal rights, these cities and towns having the same status as self-governments. The new political, social and economic system and the Act of Self-Governments limits governmental competences in influencing urban political or development decision-making.

Organisation
The determinative document for regional development is the National Regional Development Concept (OTK). The OTK, approved by Parliamentary resolution 35/1998, already contained urban structure information and defined developing directions for functional centres such as Budapest and regional centres. Practical implementation of this concept had been stimulated in recent years so that urban policy became part of regional development policy. The new OTK document now covers the integration of these issues, although it cannot replace an urban policy concept.

Urban development and some urban policy issues are increasingly implemented by the National Office for Regional Development, and to some extent by the National Office for Housing and Building under supervision of a minister without portfolio for regional development and convergence. The Interior Ministry is responsible for managing settlements. The relevant individual ministers are directly responsible for the policy in their respective sectors, while the minister will have an overview of the policy’s overall coordination between social, physical and economic areas.

The towns and cities themselves bear primary responsibility for the implementation of urban policy in cooperation with their own citizens in an immediate and cross-border environment.

Key Programmes
The National Development Plan sets out measures for urban development issues over the three year period 2004-2006. The Regional Development Operational Programming focuses on rehabilitation of cities and towns, strengthening physical, social and economic conditions. Adopted measures include the following: renewal of deprived urban areas, including developing attractive urban areas through stimulating private investment; stimulate spreading innovative urban renewal practices; brown-field rehabilitation.

During 2007-2013 a determinative document will be the National Development Concept, developed in tandem with the modified National Regional Development Concept. The 2007-2013 planning period concentrates on a polycentric urban system, including development of regional competitive poles.

21/12/2005

policy

Urban Policy