European trends – domestic transformation in planning. Evaluation of spatial planning and its changes in Hungary in light of European models and trends

Abstract

The paper analyses the spatial planning system in Hungary that developed after the political change in 1990 and examines its transformations over the last decade from an international comparative perspective. It focuses on the various forms of planning and assesses changes in the formal planning framework defined by legislation. The research explores how the Hungarian system can be placed in European typologies and how these changes relate to broader European trends, particularly the impact of the European Union (EU). The European trends were identified through key themes in planning literature, as well as EU directives and policy documents that influence spatial planning, alongside findings from the European Spatial Planning Observation Network (ESPON 2018) survey on planning systems. These trends predominantly indicate a move towards a coordinating form of planning that is comprehensive and integrative, aimed at achieving broader socio-environmental objectives.

Hungary, like many other Central and Eastern European countries, established its new planning system in the second half of the 1990s, largely inspired by European integration. However, spatial planning in Hungary has developed in a fragmented manner, with a distinct separation between the policies on local and supralocal planning, the regulative zoning and the spatial development, primarily focused on garnering external support. The technical aspect of planning has recently gained prominence in land use and urban planning, while integrated settlement planning has been marginalized, increasingly falling under the purview of the construction and architectural sector. The importance of spatial development planning is declining. In Hungary, spatial planning is frequently viewed not as a tool for policy implementation but rather as a bureaucratic impediment to development. This perception has led to planning reform and a greater tendency to bypass local regulatory plans at the spatial level, resulting in a decreased utilization of spatial and settlement development plans within domestic development policy. Additionally, in several areas, there has been a noticeable regression in the nature of planning instruments, their scope, and the mission of planning when compared to previous trends and the theoretical models of Europeanization. However, changes in planning spaces exhibit a stronger correlation with overarching European trends. Among the various European planning models, Hungary is distinctly shifting from the comprehensive-integrated approach toward the model of urbanism, while the regional economic planning model, which is still also strong, is primarily dependent on EU cohesion policy funding and has no real connection with private actors and developers. While there was a robust wave of Europeanization until the mid-2010s, recent developments have steered the Hungarian system away from common European practices. This shift can be attributed not only to ongoing political tensions between the EU and the Hungarian government but also to the absence of an independent profession and policy framework for spatial planning in Hungary.