Special Aspects of Local Socio-Economic Development: the Urban Development Practice of the Hungarian Cities

• Main Author: PÁSZTI-TÓTH ERZSÉBET
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cluj University Press 2017-06-01
• Series: Romanian Review of Regional Studies
• Subjects: settlement development; sustainability; local resources; competitiveness; standard of living
• Online Access: http://rrrs.reviste.ubbcluj.ro/arhive/Artpdf/v13n12017/RRRS13120173.pdf

Most of the settlements are interested in increasing employment, incomes, standards and quality of living, which usually coincides with the aims of the European Union, the aims of the Hungarian National Territorial Development programme, and coincides with the local interests. While conducting research on this topic, we studied the urban development practice of local governments in Hungary. We examined the external and internal conditions, the actual possibilities that affect the efficiency of urban development and the limiting factors. We determined the dominant players, as well as the means and limits of the current Hungarian territorial development. Joining the European Union in 2004 opened new possibilities for the Hungarian settlements; we assessed the effects of this new situation on the development planning. During my research, I analysed publicly available data of the municipal planning activity of 2009. The time passed since the data collection for this research has proven that the new possibilities have not changed significantly the living standards of the Hungarian citizens and the competitiveness of the Hungarian settlements. This study tries to reveal the reasons and basis of this apparent lack of prosperity at the level of development and economic planning.