Article

Turning a “Socialist” Policy into a “Capitalist” One: Urban Rehabilitation in Hungary during the Long Transformation of 1989

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Abstract

The article describes the history of the policy of “urban rehabilitation” in Hungary from its introduction in the 1970s until the 1990s. The main focus is on the dialectic of how different capitalist crises open new intellectual and institutional spaces for new policy ideas and practices, and how certain professional groups navigate within these spaces while they are paving the way for the next round of crises. In the first section, the history of urban rehabilitation policies in Hungary is introduced from the 1970s until the 1990s; then in the second section, it is shown how this history is shaped by political–economic crises and structural changes. Finally, some aspects of expert brokerage are highlighted to propose a new methodology of historically analyzing policy changes.

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... During the 1960s, the main ambition of the new regime was to solve the housing question through state-led, large-scale housing construction projects, and thus, the idea of housing cooperativism was not on the top of the political agenda for a few years. However, by the beginning of the 1970s, it had become clear that the ambitious housing construction plans could not be achieved in the context of a deepening economic crisis (Jelinek, 2017(Jelinek, , 2021. As the external debt of the socialist state started to grow, especially after the oil crises, liberalizing reforms were piecemeal introduced (Éber, 2014;Mong, 2012). ...
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... As state power and money coalesce here, it was not surprising that the mayor's vision of 'acceptable' functions claimed to be 'more adequate' for the area included a new Japanese embassy and a shopping mall. This process interestingly coalesces with other well-described gentrification-like cases in the EE region through 'urban renewal' and 'urban revitalisation' practices, with strong state or municipal presence acting as a catalyst for the changes (Drozda, 2017;Jelinek, 2020;Pastak and Kahrik, 2016). Another peculiarity of Warsaw and many other cities in the region is that 'gentrification' processes occur in sync with shifts in property regimes, either on formerly public land or due to ownership changes and restitutions (often filled with irregularities). ...
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... As state power and money coalesce here, it was not surprising that the mayor's vision of 'acceptable' functions claimed to be 'more adequate' for the area included a new Japanese embassy and a shopping mall. This process interestingly coalesces with other well-described gentrification-like cases in the EE region through 'urban renewal' and 'urban revitalisation' practices, with strong state or municipal presence acting as a catalyst for the changes (Drozda, 2017;Jelinek, 2020;Pastak and Kahrik, 2016). Another peculiarity of Warsaw and many other cities in the region is that 'gentrification' processes occur in sync with shifts in property regimes, either on formerly public land or due to ownership changes and restitutions (often filled with irregularities). ...
Chapter
Full-text available
Europe remains divided between east and west, with differences caused and worsened by uneven economic and political development. Amid these divisions, the environment has become a key battleground. The condition and sustainability of environmental resources are interlinked with systems of governance and power, from local to EU levels. Key challenges in the eastern European region today include increasingly authoritarian forms of government that threaten the operations and very existence of civil society groups; the importation of locally-contested conservation and environmental programmes that were designed elsewhere; and a resurgence in cultural nationalism that prescribes and normalises exclusionary nation-building myths. This volume draws together essays by early-career academic researchers from across eastern Europe. Engaging with the critical tools of political ecology, its contributors provide a hitherto overlooked perspective on the current fate and reception of ‘environmentalism’ in the region. It asks how emergent forms of environmentalism have been received, how these movements and perspectives have redefined landscapes, and what the subtler effects of new regulatory regimes on communities and environment-dependent livelihoods have been. Arranged in three sections, with case studies from Czechia, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Serbia, this collection develops anthropological views on the processes and consequences of the politicisation of the environment. It is valuable reading for human geographers, social and cultural historians, political ecologists, social movement and government scholars, political scientists, and specialists on Europe and European Union politics.
... As state power and money coalesce here, it was not surprising that the mayor's vision of 'acceptable' functions claimed to be 'more adequate' for the area included a new Japanese embassy and a shopping mall. This process interestingly coalesces with other well-described gentrification-like cases in the EE region through 'urban renewal' and 'urban revitalisation' practices, with strong state or municipal presence acting as a catalyst for the changes (Drozda, 2017;Jelinek, 2020;Pastak and Kahrik, 2016). Another peculiarity of Warsaw and many other cities in the region is that 'gentrification' processes occur in sync with shifts in property regimes, either on formerly public land or due to ownership changes and restitutions (often filled with irregularities). ...
Chapter
Full-text available
Europe remains divided between east and west, with differences caused and worsened by uneven economic and political development. Amid these divisions, the environment has become a key battleground. The condition and sustainability of environmental resources are interlinked with systems of governance and power, from local to EU levels. Key challenges in the eastern European region today include increasingly authoritarian forms of government that threaten the operations and very existence of civil society groups; the importation of locally-contested conservation and environmental programmes that were designed elsewhere; and a resurgence in cultural nationalism that prescribes and normalises exclusionary nation-building myths. This volume draws together essays by early-career academic researchers from across eastern Europe. Engaging with the critical tools of political ecology, its contributors provide a hitherto overlooked perspective on the current fate and reception of ‘environmentalism’ in the region. It asks how emergent forms of environmentalism have been received, how these movements and perspectives have redefined landscapes, and what the subtler effects of new regulatory regimes on communities and environment-dependent livelihoods have been. Arranged in three sections, with case studies from Czechia, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Serbia, this collection develops anthropological views on the processes and consequences of the politicisation of the environment. It is valuable reading for human geographers, social and cultural historians, political ecologists, social movement and government scholars, political scientists, and specialists on Europe and European Union politics.
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Purpose Post-socialist urban development changed cityscapes and city life profoundly, reusing public space in a different manner and reinterpreting the role of work, heritage, and consumption among others. Focusing on two case studies – the Outer Józsefváros in Budapest and the Praga North district in Warsaw – the paper examines this transformation, following how and to what extent these characteristic neighbourhoods have changed, how local heritage has been reconceptualised and what role work has played in this process. Design/methodology/approach The comparative analysis combines a literature review with a case study investigation that includes interviews, on-site visits, experiments with locally driven adaptive reuse, and document analysis. Findings The two case studies put heritage conservation, identity building and value determination processes in the context of architectural design, economic investment and labour market. The paper shows the relation between aesthetics and economic transition, how work, or its loss, has shaped the areas, creating a milieu of transition in a physical and a social sense, offering a reconceptualization of local identity. It also highlights the seminal value of civic initiatives and artists/artisans to increase the engagement of the local community. Originality/value The paper provides a rarely done comparison between two former Socialist cities undergoing similar transformations. It focuses on work as intangible heritage, the connected architectural aesthetics and their role in shaping the identity of various groups.
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