Urban Planning in the Context of Democratic Backsliding
The Case of Hungary
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22018343 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Lea Kőszeghy (0000-0002-0559-7753, Institute for Sociology), Bálint Hilbert (0000-0003-4633-4287, Institute for Sociology), Adrienne Csizmady (0000-0002-8282-8623, Institute for Sociology) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 10 |
| Publication date | 2025-06-17 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Urban Planning (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2183-7635 • E-ISSN: 2183-7635 |
| Publisher | Cogitatio (PUBLISHER • PT) |
| DOI | 10.17645/up.9893 |
| OpenAlex | W4411350950 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 37 |
This article explores the potential and limitations of integrated urban planning (IUP)—a key concept in the spatial planning paradigm of the European Union (EU)—in the context of democratic backsliding in contemporary Hungary. Following the country’s democratic transition from 1989/1990, which included the establishment of local governments with extensive mandates, among others, in urban planning, IUP emerged as a planning paradigm related to Hungary’s EU accession in 2004. However, since 2010, significant democratic backsliding, including a decrease in local autonomy, has affected urban planning in Hungary. This article reveals how trends associated with democratic backsliding challenge the principles of IUP and, drawing on a survey and semi‐structured interviews with urban planning practitioners, explores their impact on IUP in practice. The analysis identifies key factors influencing the implementation of IUP principles in this context, including reduced local political and economic autonomy, inadequate local government funding, the rise of individual bargaining in urban development, and non‐negotiated top‐down project allocation. While the findings are based on empirical evidence from Hungary, they may provide valuable insights into identifying risk factors concerning IUP in other contexts as well
Business · Democracy · Geography · Political science · Hungarian Social, Economic and Educational Studies · Urbanization and City Planning
Planning in the Face of Power
Effects and Consequences of Authoritarian Urbanism
Lack of Participatory Effort
Captured by Political Power
Spatial planning in the digital age
Spatial governance and planning systems in the public control of spatial development
Planning trajectories in post-socialist cities
Europeanization and Changing Planning in East-Central Europe
Nyilvánosság és részvétel a településtervezési folyamatban
Politics Without Meso-Level? No Politics at the Meso
Is Integrated Planning Any More Than the Sum of Its Parts
Integrated, adaptive and participatory spatial planning
Dependent development and authoritarian state capitalism
An externally constrained hybrid regime
Using thematic analysis in psychology
Right-wing populism and urban planning
From Corruption to State Capture
The Concept and Measurement of Legislative Backsliding
The Anatomy of Democratic Backsliding
Hungary’s U-Turn
Populist Democracies
De-democratization in Hungary
Critical Reflections on Spatial Planning
Democratic Elitism
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |