Urban Regeneration in the District of Ferencvaros (Budapest)

Közösségi Park - Google Maps
Area characterisation: 

In the beginning of the 90's some urban planners started to think about the refurbishment of the area inFerencváros. This area lost role in city, because it started to turn into slum. The houses became obsolete and deteriorated. The population changed, and segregation of lower strata was typical. But this area was in the city centre, near the tubestation, near the most frequented tramline. The planners thought to involve a new concept for both the urban rehabilitation and the financing modell. They successfully could convinced the municipality about the new concept. The involvment of private investors was terribly new at that time in Hungary. It became a modell for further urban rehabilitation projects in Hungary. The founding of the FEV 09 Zrt. was also a part of the implementation process. This was the first company to be founded by a municipality for implementing urban rehabilitation projects. Later several more followed.


Scale of the project: neighbourhood

Scales impacts from this NbS action should be assessed: object (building, etc.), neighbourhood

Urban density in which the NbS is implemented: high (dense city center, etc.)

Slideshow:

Tinódi park - Google Maps Közösségi Park - Google Maps kerekerdo park Haller park - Google Maps
Objective: 
  • Complex development of a run-down part of the district (Refurbishment/ urban renewal)

The target area is located in the heart of Budapest. This pioneer project was realized before urban planners would have recognized the importance of urban green spaces. At the same time this project brought measurable market benefits (appreciation of occupied property), also helped to create a neighbourhood community. The project was a succesful tool in mitigating the negative effects of urban heat island, and summer air temperatures significantly decreased.

The project is also combined with another environmental friendly solution: Renewable energy system (solar panels, etc.)

Potential impacts/benefits: 

Local population and citizens from other districts, who moved into the new flats, or those who work here. (For example MUTK also is located in one of the new buildings.) In this area there are many institutions, universities, theatres, hospitals too, therefore the customers of these buildings are beneficiaries of the project too.

NbS benefits 
  • Reduce load to sewer system
  • Reducing temperature at meso or micro scale
  • Carbon sequestration and storage
  • Restoring ecosystems and their functions
  • Greater ecological connectivity across urban regenerated sites
  • Increase Biodiversity
  • Increase quality and quantity of green and blue infrastructures
  • Increased cultural richness and biodiversity
  • Changing image of the urban environment
  • Creation of green jobs relating to construction & maintenance of NBS
  • Improve air quality
  • Increase accessibility to green open spaces
  • Increase well-being
Transferability of the result: 

Process enablers:
Knowledge drivers → Awareness → Climate change
Governance drivers → Process efficiencies → Action thinking approach

Forward -thinking and suistinable plan, PPP finance, good partners and finding the correct investors.

Process inhibitors:
Knowledge barriers → Lack of ready to apply scientific results
Finding the adequate partner, investor was really difficult. In this long time the local political leaderships and stakeholders were changing a lot. In this changing enviroment the project had to keep the initial targets. The urban planners played an important role, from whom the idea of implementation arrived.


BUSINESS MODEL:
Business cluster: Technological
Business model: Substitute with renewables and natural processes

Temporal perspective

Expected time for the NbS to become fully effective after its implementation: medium (between 2 to 5 years)

Feedback: The project has already been adapted to new requisites

Expected life time of the intervention: more than 30 years

State of progress of the project: Ongoing (not delivered yet)

Financing: 

Global (estimated) cost of the project: 200k€- 1M€

FINANCE MODEL:
Finance cluster: Technological
Finance model: Substitute with renewables and natural processes

NbS classification 
  • Objects shapes (1)
  • On the ground (1)
  • Parks and gardens
  • Public urban green spaces (squares
  • places etc.)
  • Objects shapes (2)
  • On the ground (2)
  • Structures associated with urban networks
  • Street trees
Contacts: 

Attila , Vörös (ugyfelszolgalat@fevix.hu)
www.old.fevix.hu
Municipality or metropolitan service
Csarnok square 3. Budapest , 1093 Hungary

Further information

Nature4Cities (https://www.nature4cities.eu/) aims to develop a knowledge diffusion around Nature-Based Solution (NbS) and a decision support platform through new collaborative models.

This project is part of the Nature4Cities's pioneer case studies database, it will feed the observatory, NbS pre-selection and replication tools, gathered into the Geocluster4NBS.

This project was chosen as a pioneer case study for the following reasons: its implementation and and its business model. The area was problematic because of slum, varying population, old houses with poor conditions. The financing recourses were limited, the municipality had a lack of resources.

Nature4Cities project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 730468.

Key Performance Indicators: