Full-text resources of CEJSH and other databases are now available in the new Library of Science.
Visit https://bibliotekanauki.pl

PL EN


2015 | 8 Small Towns’ Development Problems | 12-28

Article title

Between shrinking and blooming: the crossroad of small towns’ urbanisation in Hungary

Content

Title variants

Languages of publication

EN

Abstracts

EN
The authors present an overview about small towns’ urbanisation in Hungary. Following the specific aspects and factors of their urbanisation in the last centuries, the authors conclude that 20 years after the political and economic transition, small towns arrived at a crossroads in their development. Suffering the effects of demographic change and an outflow of young adults, almost every typical, traditional small town has been shrinking since at least the last decade. This crisis is more intensive than the overall decrease of the population number in Hungary. Only atypical small towns have been able to increase their population. Behind the crisis of typical small towns, the paper defines some possible factors, including the delayed effects of transition, the re-evaluation of small towns in the globalising, network-based economy and the actual reduction of the state’s spatial functions and presence. Although some niche-based strategies are open for success, for the majority of small towns the question still remains open: what new functions and attributes could make them attractive and successful in the 21st century?

Keywords

Contributors

author
  • University of Pécs, Institute of Geography
  • University of Pécs, Institute of Geography
  • University of Pécs, Institute of Geography

References

  • Andrusz, G., Harloe, M., Szelényi, I. (2008). Cities after socialism: urban and regional change and conflict in post-socialist societies, John Wiley, Sons.
  • Aubert, A., Jónás-Berki, M., Pálfi, A. (2012). Recreational spaces in the towns of Hungary. Revija za geografijo-Journal for Geography, 7, 37–50.
  • Beluszky, P. (1996). Kompország városai. (Történeti régiók és városok). Tér és Társadalom, 10, 23–41.
  • Beluszky, P. (1999). Magyarország településföldrajza [Settlement geography of Hungary], Budapest–Pécs: Dialóg Campus.
  • Beluszky, P. (2012). The spatial differences of modernisation in Hungary at the beginning of the 20th century. Discussion Papers, 5–43.
  • Besser, T.L. (2009). Changes in small town social capital and civic engagement. Journal of Rural Studies, 25, 185–193.
  • Burdack, J. (2013). Lokal basierte Kleinstadtentwicklung in östlichen Europa. Potenziale, Probleme und Praktikum – Eine Einführung. In: J. Burdack, Á. Kriszán (eds.), Kleinstädte in Mittel- und Osteuropa: Pespektiven und Strategien Lokaler Entwicklung. Leipzig: Institut für Länderkunde.
  • Burdack, J., Knappe, E. (2007). The development of small towns in Central Europe and the Baltic States. Geografiski Raksti, 13, 35–45.
  • Császár, M.Z., Tóth, J. (2006). Reforms and changes in contemporary Hungarian education. Interdisciplinary management research II. The JJ Strossmayer University of Osijek–Pforzheim University of Applied Sciences, 102–111.
  • Elsasser, H. (1998). Ist eine Kleinstadt mehr als eine kleine Stadt?. In: E.M. Munduch, A. Spiegler, (eds.) Kleinstädte. Motoren in ländlichen Raum. Tagungsband anlässlich des ersten mitteleuropäischen Kleinstadtsymposiums in Murau. Wien: Österreichisches Kuratorium für Landtechnik und Landentwicklung.
  • Grötzbach, E. (1963). Geographische Untersuchung über die Kleinstadt der Gegenwart in Süddeutschland. Münchner Geographische Hefte, 24, 106.
  • Hannemann, C. (2003). Urbanistische Probleme und kulturelle Perspektiven der ostdeutschen Kleinstadtentwicklung. In: C. Zimmermann (ed.), Kleinstädte in der Moderne. Stuttgart: Jan Thorbecke Verlag.
  • Heineberg, H. (2014). Stadtgeographie, UTB.
  • Ježek, J. (2011). Small towns attractiveness for living, working and doing business. Case study the Czech Republic. In: J. Ježek, L. Kaňka (eds.), Competitiveness and Sustainable Development of the Small Towns and Rural Regions in Europe. Plzen: University of West Bohemia in Pilsen, Centre for Regional Development Research.
  • Kaczmarek, U., Konecka-Szydłowska, B. (2013). Perspectives for development of small towns in Wielkopolska voivodeship. In: J. Burdack, Á. Kriszán (eds.), Kleinstädte in Mittel- und Osteuropa: Perspektiven und Strategien lokaler Entwicklung. Leipzig: Institut für Länderkunde.
  • Knox, P., Mayer, H. (2009). Small town sustainability: Economic, social, and environmental innovation, Walter de Gruyter
  • Kok, H., Kovács, Z. (1999). The process of suburbanization in the agglomeration of Budapest. Netherlands Journal of Housing and the Built Environment, 14, 119–141.
  • Kovács, Z. (1999). Cities from state-socialism to global capitalism: an introduction. GeoJournal, 49, 1–6.
  • Kulcsár, L.J., Brown, D.L. (2011). The Political Economy of Urban Reclassification in Post-Socialist Hungary. Regional Studies, 45, 479–490.
  • Kwiatek-Sołtys, A. (2011). Small towns in Poland-barriers and factors of growth. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 19, 363–370.
  • Kwiatek-Sołtys, A., Mainet, H. (2014). Quality of Life and Attractiveness of Small Towns: A Comparison of France and Poland. Questiones Geographicae, 33, 103–113.
  • Leetma, K., Nuga, M., Org, A. (2013). Entwicklungsstrategien und soziales Kapital in den schrumpfenden Kleinstädten Südestlands. In: J. Burdack, Á. Kriszán (eds.), Kleinstädte in Mittel- und Osteuropa: Perspektiven und Strategien lokaler entwicklung. Lepzig: Institut für Länderkunde.
  • Mcmanus, P., Walmsley, J., Argent, N., Baum, S., Bourke, L., Martin, J., Pritchard, B., Sorensen, T. (2012). Rural Community and Rural Resilience: What is important to farmers in keeping their country towns alive? Journal of Rural Studies, 28, 20–29.
  • Mohos, M. (2003). Rába menti kisvárosok társadalma a 19–20. század fordulóján [Local society in small towns along the river Rába at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries]. In: S. Frisnyák, J. Tóth (eds.), a Dunántúl és a Kisalföld történeti földrajza. Nyíregyháza–Pécs: PTE TTK FI.
  • Molnár, E. (2006). The role of industry in the economy of small-medium sized towns of the North Great Plain Region. In: M. Zivkov, D. Vasilieski, B. Markoski (eds.), Rural areas in the modern development conditions. Ohrid.
  • Nemes-Nagy, J. (1995). Soprontól Nyíradonyig–Városok a paicgazdasági átmenetben [The Hungarian cities in the economic transition]. Comitatus, 5, 15–22.
  • Nemes-Nagy, J. (2000). The new regional structure in Hungary. In: G. Gorzelak, G. Maier, G. Petrakos, (eds.), Integration and Transition in Europe: The Economic Geography of Interaction. New York: Routledge.
  • Niedermeyer, M. (2000). Kleinstadtentwicklung. Würzburger Geographische Arbeiten, 93, 375.
  • Orosz, É., Pirisi, G. (2010). Demilitarizált városok – a katonai funkciók leépülésének és az örökség hasznosításának településföldrajzi kérdései. In: T. Csapó, Z. Kocsis (eds.), A településföldrajz aktuális kérdései. Szombathely: Savaria University Press.
  • Pirisi, G. (2009a). Differenciálódó kisvárosaink. Földrajzi Közlemények, 133, 315–325.
  • Pirisi, G. (2009b). Differentiated Transition of Small Towns in the Millennial Hungary. PhD Dissertation summary, University of Pécs.
  • Pirisi, G., Máté, É. (2014). Zsugorodó kisvárosok – kincstári optimizmus. a demográfiai hanyatlás kérdéskörének megjelenése hazai kisvárosok tervezési dokumentumaiban. Területfejlesztés és Innováció, 8, 28–39.
  • Pirisi, G., Trócsányi, A. (2009a). Role of Image Towns in the Hungarian Urbanisation. In: J. Csapó, A. Aubert (eds.), Differentiating Spatial Structures in the Central-European Region. Pécs: University of Pécs.
  • Pirisi, G., Trócsányi, A. (2009b). The Transformation of Villages into Towns – a Qantitative Way of Hungarian Urbanisation. Geographia – Studia Universitatis Babeş-Bolyai, 54, 75–82.
  • Pirisi, G., Trócsányi, A. (2012). The Development of The Hungarian Settlement Network Since 1990. In: A. Balogh, T. Csapó (eds.), Development of the Settlement Network in the Central European Countries. Heidelberg: Springer Verlag.
  • Slavík, V. (2002). Small Towns of the Slovak Republic within the transformation stage. Acta Facultatis Studiorum Humanitatis et Naturae Universitatis Prešoviensis, Folia Geographica, 5, 146–154.
  • Timár, J., Váradi, M.M. (2001). The uneven development of suburbanization during transition in Hungary. European Urban and Regional Studies, 8, 349–360.
  • Vaishar, A. (2004). Small towns: an important part of the Moravian settlement system. Dela, 21, 309–318.
  • Visvaldis, V., Ainhoa, G., Ralfs, P. (2013). Selecting Indicators for Sustainable Development of Small Towns: The Case of Valmiera Municipality. Procedia Computer Science, 26, 21–32.
  • Woodhouse, A. (2006). Social capital and economic development in regional Australia: a case study. Journal of Rural Studies, 22, 83–94.
  • Zuzańska-Żyśko, E. (2005). Economic Transformation of Small Silesian Towns in the Years 1990–1999. Geographia Polonica, 78, 137–150.

Document Type

Publication order reference

Identifiers

YADDA identifier

bwmeta1.element.desklight-6a8a7af9-e7ee-4f2d-a69a-3c35dbeda870
JavaScript is turned off in your web browser. Turn it on to take full advantage of this site, then refresh the page.