Βουδαπέστη, Ουγγαρία

Budapest is the capital city of Hungary, its economic and political centre and the largest metropolitan area in Central Eastern Europe with a population of 1,750,000 inhabitants. The city is situated along the two banks of the Danube and divided into two sides (Buda and Pest) by the river. Seven road bridges, a ring road with two additional bridges, and two rail bridges connect the two sides. The seven road bridges are crossed by a total of 410,000 vehicles each day. The two piers also serve as transport corridors and the heavy road traffic makes the public spaces along the river unattractive for the locals. At the same time, the neighbourhood is a booming tourist attraction and the large number of tourists flocking to the area results in increased accessibility and mobility needs that are not yet addressed.

The piloting area in Budapest therefore regards the riverbanks of the Danube River and the adjacent public spaces. The communities and neighbourhoods around the potential locations (Szechenyi Square, Kolosy Square, Germamus Gyula Park, Bem Jozsef Square, Batthyany Square, Dobrentei Square, Műegyetem Quay, Goldmann Gyorgy Square) have been invited to collaborate and co-create urban solutions to create a more liveable urban environment.

Civic engagement is quite a new approach in Hungary. A few districts of Budapest have started civic engagement already. Decision makers at the Municipality of Budapest, while forming the Smart City Vision and following the long-term Budapest 2030 Strategy, believe in the unique power of community engagement. Community place creation in the Citizen Mobility Lab at the pilot sites will be discussed openly and our project team will involve locals to the co-creation process.

As culture shift takes time, changes may require at least 2 or 3 years. Chances are that engaged followers of the new bottom-up approach face a long journey in Budapest. Our C4P Budapest team is eager to find out if the community-centred bottom-up approach proves to be successful in finding solutions to Budapest’s mobility challenges.

As each community is unique, no Citizen Mobility Lab or Kit looks exactly like the others. In Budapest, we are using this. What is going on in our Lab you can find out here instead.

Don’t forget to have a look at local news and updates and check who else is active in the area.

In Hungary, the national government and local governments share the responsibility regarding the development and operation of the transport infrastructure. Overall, attention is paid to connecting points for transport systems (e.g. construction of junctions, harmonisation of timetables of the interurban and urban public transport, utilisation of rail in suburban transport, construction of bypass roads, etc.). National policies also concern the sustainability of transport systems, the reduction of pollution and the protection of the environment as well as an improved quality of life, increased safety of transportation, infrastructure development and greater connection with neighbouring countries. Sustainability is pursued both in environmental terms and in social terms. Environmental sustainability requires a use of transportation means that preserve or increase the environmental quality in urban areas, for example electric cars or car-sharing; social sustainability refers instead to the optimisation of travels and the development of integrated transport systems.

According to the UN national report on the Hungarian transport system, in order to improve the conditions for passenger and freight transport in the city of Budapest and its suburbs, several important initiatives have been deployed, including a reform of the parking system, an extension of the underground system, a smog alarm regulation with car traffic limitation, the construction of bicycle lanes, the introduction of 20 electric buses, and a cooperation between the three transport companies operating within the metropolitan areas with a view to reduce fees and improve services.

Local plans in Budapest build upon such goals and promote the full integration of new technologies in public transport to foster environment-friendly mobility solutions and greater equality in the access to transport. The Balázs Mór Plan (2014-2030), the transport development plan of Budapest, also identifies social consultation and social partnership as important factors for the evolution of public transport in Budapest. Strategic objectives of the plan are: a liveable urban environment; safe, reliable and dynamic transport; cooperation in regional connection; more (intermodal) transport connections; attractive vehicles; better services (smart, integrated systems); and efficient governance (including participatory practices).

Overview

Budapest: 1,759 million inhabitants (2015)

Budapest: 525,2 km²