New Urban Public Space Usage Demands in Central Districts of Budapest

Text: János Balázs Kocsis, Zsuzsanna Fáczányi, Andrea Keresztes-Sipos

In recent decades, urban life and communities have undergone significant changes as a result of economic and social processes taking place in city centres. In addition to gentrification induced by economic and demographic factors, attitudes towards the transforming city also play a role in this complex process as a reaction to the suburban lifestyle. In addition to seeking urban experiences, the population has brought about new attitudes and values that are fundamentally transforming the use of public spaces, endowing them with many new features that did not exist in previous periods and approaching urban spaces with new expectations. This study examines this aspect of the general urban regeneration process in detail in the case of Budapest. It focuses on the inner zone of the capital and its green spaces, which have been affected by the influx of new residents since the turn of the millennium. It analyses the social background of the gentrification taking place here, interprets the transformation of the use of urban public spaces and green areas, and presents gardens that reflect these processes.