Participatory place-making in the renewal of post-Communist large prefabricated housing estate: Újpalota case study, Budapest
Journal of Place Management and Development
ISSN: 1753-8335
Article publication date: 1 May 2018
Issue publication date: 23 May 2018
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to introduce a Central-European perspective into the international discussion of the participatory place-making. The research focuses on the renewal of the large prefabricated housing estates, dominant type of urban housing in the area where after the privatisation process resident-owners own only a so-called floating plot under their block. In total, 80 per cent of the land of the whole neighbourhood remains public. The question is how participatory place-making works in this specific urban, social and cultural situation?
Design/methodology/approach
By introducing the topic from a theoretical point of view, the study is based on research conducted in Budapest’s Újpalota Housing Estate. Fieldwork, project analysis and interviews uncover the complexity of this Hungarian case where appropriation of residents, municipality and European social regeneration projects are simultaneously present with different types of participatory methods.
Findings
The majority of real changes in Újpalota – as well as in housing estates of post-Communist countries in general – are led by individual or common appropriation that sometimes becomes convincing participation. This informal transformation of the built or natural environment can create a small sense of place everywhere. At the same time, it can work against the architectural and urban character of a neighbourhood or a building, rendering a feeling of disorder.
Originality/value
The paper based on this Hungarian case shows that the real culture of participatory place-making is still missing in post-Communist context, and despite some good examples, the majority of people are inactive, waiting for changes to be made by leaders.
Keywords
Citation
Benkő, M., Balla, R. and Hory, G. (2018), "Participatory place-making in the renewal of post-Communist large prefabricated housing estate: Újpalota case study, Budapest", Journal of Place Management and Development, Vol. 11 No. 2, pp. 223-241. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPMD-06-2017-0050
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited