Comments on the VIIIth district of Budapest

Krisztina Keresztélykerkrisz@gmail.com

EVALUATE Energy Poverty workshop, June 16 2015, Budapest

What is confirmed by the survey:

- Relatively young population in Bp- Low education level: (~27% max primary school, at certain

areas like Magdolna, up to 35%)- Poverty, large part of inhabitants are beneficiairies of

social care system. Unemployment- Heterogenous society, multi-cultural population, Roma

community specific image of the area- Old housing stock a large part dates back to the pre-war

periods strongly dilapidated, need of regeneration- High percentage of public owned dwellings (end of 1990s:

40%, 2010: ~15% face to 6% in Budapest )- High number of tenants with rent arrears...

(Survey of REV 8 on the socio-spatial situation in Magdolna and Orczy neighbourhoods: 2007 and 2010)

Heterogenous district

Orczy neighbourhood

History: Traditional differences between sub-areas

Socialism: from a rather multicultural neighbourhood to a ghetto?

Image in the 1990s: „crime”„Roma ghetto”

Since 2000s: reintegration as the main challenge

Main challenges for local policies

- Urban renewal, re-integrating the disctrict into the city- Social cohesion- Living conditions- Economic recovering- „De-criminalisation” ...

Territory-based urban renewal policy : 4 main programmes - Palace neighbourhood- Corvin neighbourhood- Magdolna neighbourhood- Orczy neighbourhood

All of them gentrification oriented even if discourses and methods are different.

Corvin project

Complete demolishing of a run-down neighbourhood next to the city centre and the construction of a high rise residential area with shopping and service functions.

→22 hectares, 12 500 inhabitants (1,7 million in Budapest)

→Public housing stock had been important: 40%→2500 housing concerned by the project: 1100

demolished, 1400 maintained→500 families were relocated: 230 were tenants, 370

owners

→Relocations of inhabitants to buildings next to the project area, Negotiations with the tenants. No follow-up with delocalised tenants.

Magdolna Neighbourhood ProgrammeSocially integrated urban renewal Phase 1: 2005-2008Phase 2: 2008-11 (ERDF)Phase 3: 2013-15 (ERDF)

Impacts on social cohesion in the area?- Weak participation of inhabitants (renewal of housing by

tenants, limited participative planning)- No improvement of muncipal housing conditions,

renewal of facades and common parts o the buildings, not flats (claims of inhabitants)

- New bordering processes, delocalisation of the social problems (drug use, poverty, people with arrears) into one or two streets

- Phase 3: an attempt to push „probelmatic population” out of the area: crisis buildings

Orczy Neighbourhood

Municipality+stateNational University of Public ServicesUniversity Campus, renovation of the main buildign of Ludovica Royal Staff College closed down after WWIIDormitoryRenewal of Orczy parcHousing is foreseen for studentsNo social elementsFurther delocalisations are possible in Diószeghy street

Thank you foryour attention !