The Principles of Development of Urban Studies: the Future of the European Urban Sciences

Abstract

The main thesis of the article is the increase of the social, political and economic impor- tance of urban areas in Europe. Several factors prove this importance including scientific cooperation, international comparative studies, the creation of new urban research centres, the establishment of new urban master programs at universities and international conferences. A significant international conference was organised by the European Sciences Foundation in Helsinki between 26 and 28 May 2005, where the participants discussed the future of European urban sciences and new urban research directions.

This article presents the main findings of this conference and the latest critical methodo- logical aspects of the development of urban studies and compares the Hungarian and Euro- pean research topics generated by urban social problems. The article concludes that there is no significant difference between the Hungarian and European research topics, but at the beginning of the 1990s Hungarian researches dealt mainly with the management of the urban economic crisis due to the political and economic transition processes, with economic modernisation and with integration into the world economic system. The social consequences and social conflicts of the transition period in urban areas received less attention. Recently we can see a shift in this approach towards social urban issues due to the European integ- ration process and the increase of urban social problems during the second half of the 1990s.