Fruzsina Bozsoki (p), Mariann Szabó

Szilárd Rácz

Brownfield sites are often considered as the legacy of a century of industrialization. Their rehabilitation is favourable from the perspective of sustainable regional and urban development. Depending on their size, they would represent opportunities from small scale to large-scale urban improvements contributing to the reduction of expansion pressure into green fields, which could contribute to achieving the EU Goal: No net land take by 2050. The brownfield redevelopment phenomenon is a global research theme discussed from regional/ national perspective (for e.g. Visegrad Countries, developing countries, China) to local case studies. On the European level, brownfield redevelopment has become a major topic in urban development context, however it is more than just a phenomenon with emerging importance, moreover an ongoing challenge for the governments, regional authorities, development agencies and institutions, communities, etc. The EU accepts a broad-spectrum definition which is based on the concept of previously developed land (originated from the UK terminology). The redevelopment of brownfields is widely discussed using CABERNET’s ABC model or classification (extended later with category D) for the assessment of economic potential thus helping authorities to prioritize the investment projects. Our research aims to highlight the case of the locally protected former Public Slaughterhouse of Budapest (Közvágóhíd) which was bought by a Turkish entrepreneur in order to build a residential complex in the place of the slaughterhouse, and although the preliminary plans showed that they want to keep some of the elements of the monument, almost everything in the area has been demolished. Due to the fact that government classified the project as an investment of national importance in 2018, they did not have to consider any restrictions during the demolition. From the perspective of the urban planning in Budapest it is accepted that the former Public Slaughterhouse would become a new sub centre. A survey has been carried out in Ocotber 2020 resulting 204 valid answers from dominantly local residents live in the territory and other stakeholders who have relation to the area about their perceptions of the redevelopment. In the course of the research we highlight the results from liveability perspective and discuss what factors could contribute to strengthen the sub centre role of the area.

Stamatia Prigkou (p)

Fruzsina Bozsoki

The European Capital of Culture event is one of the most interesting and successful EU cultural programs, combining the fields of cultural heritage and urban design, while attracting an increasing interest from policy makers, academics, and media. In 2023, Greece will host its fourth European Capital of Culture, after Athens (1985), Thessaloniki (1997) and Patras (2006). Eleusina, differs from the stereotypical image that any tourist or visitor may have (from Greece) since it is a purely industrial city, which in the mid 60s and 70s suffered major degradation due to pollution caused by the industrial infrastructure. The project “Transition to Euphoria” (the official bid of the city as a candidate for the ECOC), aims, among others, to strengthen the rich cultural profile of the city and clarify its cultural identity, (thus) changing its stereotypical image of an industrial city. The plan involves many strategies that are already taking place, including financial, but also physical planning, in order to bring benefits in the fields of transportation, accommodation, tourism competitiveness etc. As the archaeological identity and image of the city seems very strong, in this research the case study is approached through the Historic Urban Landscape concept, which was launched by UNESCO in 2011 and inserted a new perspective to protect and highlight historic heritage areas. In that context, the research questions raised concern mostly on how the historic urban landscape approach is applied in the case of Eleusina, the strategies used to protect the historic/heritage site of Eleusina along with its notion as European Capital of Culture while in the meantime keeping it economically/socially active and how stakeholders are involved and participate in the management and application of the vision presented.
See extended abstract

Thomas Cornier (p), Sébastien Bourdin (p)

Stamatia Prigkou

The issue of quality of life plays an increasing role in a context of growing competition between cities. The latter are regularly asserting their strengths to attract new residents. This subject matter of liveability includes sustainability which implies different topics concerning environment, social and economic pillars, referring to the definition of Brundtland report. Nevertheless, health, social security, education, culture and sport accessibility could also be indicators of well-being. The objective of this presentation is to propose a comparative study of the urban quality of life across European Union cities and to question the issue of a spatial differentiation of the quality of life. This research is based on Eurostat data from the Urban Audit. This study refers to a survey concerning five hundred citizens in seventy different European cities on their quality of life perception. More precisely, our presentation analyses the existence of a spatial differentiation of the perceived quality of life by the inhabitants. The indicators evaluated concern many topics of the quality of life and well-being as local employment, air quality, confidence toward public administration or local transportation. The subsequent construction of a composite index and a typology of European cities for 2006, 2012 and 2019, are based on the same work we implemented in 2016. It reproduces this model with new statistical variables like population, density or employment or tourist attraction, in the aim to go further in the geography of a better/worse place in which to live and if some indicators could affect attractiveness. We could observe cities characterized by environmental quality, other cities which the most important asset is employment. This typology also demonstrates the fact that cities with a bad quality of life exists, from the inhabitants point of view. In the same way, the composite index works in the same direction with cities obtaining good results for some indicators and non-performing results for other cities. Even if Northern Europe cities seem to be sustainable and Southern or Eastern Europe cities could be considered less performant, we evaluate disparities all over Europe concerning the different indicators, as mentioned in the classification. This research could go further in comparing these indicators with quantitative indicators measuring quality of life which could allow us to compare the efficiency of urban planning, social links or education and the well-being of the inhabitants.

Szilárd Rácz (p), Ildikó Egyed

Thomas Cornier

The aim of the paper is to examine the relevance of territorial capital for peripheral urban development, which has a particular salience in non-core cities with limited opportunities for FDI-driven economic restructuring. Our case study city, Pécs is the regional capital of South Transdanubia, historically dominated by agriculture, listed among the least urbanized and industrialized regions of Hungary and the EU as a whole. Pécs is not a large city according to European standards but rather an advanced mid-sized city with regional economic functions, acting as a cultural, ecclesiastic and administrative center to its wider hinterland. Due to its size, Pécs is unable to influence international, and even national trends, which has prevented the „fossilization” of structures and encouraged processes of internal adjustment and a proactive attitude to change. Its multidimensional peripherality undermines the city’s integration in the national and international division of labor. While the role of industry has been a major structuring (shaping, developing, crisis generating, and lately vanishing) force in its XXth century urban development, monofunctional industrial legacy has slowed down post-socialist transformation processes and led to the failure of successive diversification efforts in the city. Major disruptions in its industrial base triggered by exogenous factors, a shortage of engineering competences and qualified labor force, and a massive outmigration of the working age population erode the prospects of an endogenous, high skills and high value added path. This exposes the local economy to a permanent risk of capital flight and produces an increased reliance on a small number of strategic sectors (health, culture, environment). In the post-2000 era, three major urban development processes have contributed to a significant mobilization of endogenous capital: the Pécs2010 European Capital of Culture program, the Pécs2020 and 2030 urban development strategies, and the Pécs2020 urban regeneration of segregated areas. In line with new trends of European regional policy, these programs have steered the city’s economy away from exogenous regional development approaches and shown the rising prominence of qualitative, soft factors of territorial capital. This reveals the contours of a slow and endogenous development and transformation process integrating a mix of tangible and non-material components of territorial capital, one that the city has already embarked on.