MAGYAR URBANISZTIKAI TÁRSASÁG (MUT) 
HUNGARY

ECTP-CEU member since: 1994

Amount of own members: 112
President: Géza Salamin
Delegate(s): Géza Salamin
Contacts: Liliom u. 48 
1094 Budapest 
Hungary
tel: +36 1/ 215 5794
fax: +36 1/ 215 5162 
e-mail : MUT@mut.hu
Web: http://www.mut.hu

Hungary’s projects presented by MUT to the ECTP-CEU European and Regional Planning Awards:

2014 – 10th Edition:

  • Sustainable Energy Management In Szentes

2012 – 9th Edition:

  • Pecs

2010 – 8th Edition:

  • Historical Spa Area

2010 – 8th Edition:

  • Regeneration of brownfield site in the centrel area of Budapest

2010 – 8th Edition:

  • Rehabilitation of a brown-field area in budapest former pig slaughterhouse

2010 – 8th Edition:

  • Nagykanizsa – linking urban spaces

Special mention

Country Factsheet for Hungary (.hu)
ECTP-CEU Study Profession qualification Recognition – Stage II document – Appendix 4 Draft Directory (2012-12-21)

General Country Information

Capital City                Budapest

Population                  9,855,571

Area (km2)                  93,030

Population Density     106/per km2

EU Membership         Hungary joined what is now known as the EU in 2004.

Hungary is a unitary parliamentary representative democratic republic, divided into 19 counties and the capital Budapest. Together they represent the 20 NUTS third-level units of Hungary. The counties are further subdivided into 198 ridings (járások). There are also 23 towns with county rights. There are 3154 local municipalities, out of which 325 has town (city) status. The local authorities of these towns have extended powers, but these towns belong to the territory of the respective county instead of being independent territorial units. Spatial planning is the competence of these local authorities through their own spatial planning laws.

Hungary’s Ministry contacts:

There is no Spatial Planning Ministry in Hungary; the competence is partly at local level. Some National Planning responsibilities are shared by the Ministry of National Economy (spatial development planning), the Prime minister’s Office (urban planning, physical planning).

Planning as a Regulated Profession in Hungary

The entire planning profession is not regulated in Hungary. Some elements, related to physical and land-use oriented planning (urban design) are regulated. The physical land use (at both local and regional level) and building control oriented planning activities are regulated, and registered by the Hungarian Chamber of Architects.  The regional level physical spatial planner (területrendező)is regulated in Government decree 77/2010. (III. 25.)

However most of the spatial and urban planning activities, which are not regulated, with special reference to the territorial, urban development planning activities.

Professional Title:

The name of the regulated profession are “településrendező tervező” (at local level) and “területrendező” at regional level. (The meaning of both are less than urban planner and spatial planner.)

EU Database Status:                    

National Regulation:

Act on Territorial Development and Spatial (Physical) Planning XXI./1996.

Act on Shaping and Protecting Built Environment LXXVIII./1997.

Government decree 77/2010. (III. 25.)

Government decree 266/2013. (VII. 11.)

Regional regulation:

None.

Universities with planning trainings in Hungary


There are various university programmes educating urban and spatial planners from the field of technical education, economic and social sciences and geography. However in Hungary there is not an overall approval system of planning educations.

  • Main relevant universities and their related programmes

University (location) Faculty or institute Main relevant programmes
Budapest University of Technology and Economics (Budapest) Faculty of Architecture ·  settlement engineer·  (postgraduate specialisation programme in urbanism)
Budapest Corvinus University (Budapest) Institute for Geography, Geoeconmics and Sustainable Development ·  regional and environmental economics (with planning spec.) (From 2018 also in English)
ELTE University (Budapest) Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences ·  geographer with urban and regional development/planner specialisation
Szent István University (Gödöllő) Faculty of Landscape Architecture and Urbanism ·  settlement engineer·  regional and environmental economics
University of Debrecen Faculty of  TechnologyInstitute of Earth Sciences ·  settlement engineer·  geographer with urban and regional development/planner specialisation
University of Kaposvár, Szécheny University (Győr),   ·  regional and environmental economics (also in English)
University of Pécs (Pécs) Faculty of Engineering and Information TechnologyInstitute of Geography ·  settlement engineer (in Hungarian)·   geographer with urban and regional development/planner specialisation

Town Planning Press of Hungary

Country regulation:

SPATIAL PLANNING:

Plans defined by regulation:

  • The National Level

The National Spatial Plan and the Nartional Spatial Development Concept (both adopted by the Parliament) are the most important planning documents in the country. It is the basis and a main guide also for Regional and Local Planning and frameworks for sectorial developments too. The plan includes a spatial policy of the country, as well as the national and regional land-use zoning with regard to sustainable development, regional, landscape, ecological and

cultural characteristics, values, conservation and protection of resources.

  • County level: The Regional Level (NUTS3. level)

The county-level plans include regional development, rural development, land planning and coordination tasks.

  • The Local Level

The municipal plan covers the settlement development concept, integrated development strategy and also the so called settlement structure plan (with zoning function), which defines the development possibilities, the land use, and the structure of the settlement congruent with the layout of both national and regional interests, general zoning plans and defines the locations for the technical infrastructure. There are building regulation plans as well, normally with smaller geographic scale.

  • Regions with outstanding importance.

Tourism Region of Balaton, Budapest Agglomeration and other territories with plans.

There are also increasing number of plans, strategies in spatial dimension, which are not obligatory but functionally needed or wished at each level.                                                                       

Competent bodies:

  • Parliament of the Republic, County self-governments, Municiplaity self-governments, relevant ministries (see above).

Public participation and communication

Information, consultation and dialogue

According to legislation during the regulated planning processes prior to measures and decisions passed in the public interest, or during the execution of such, public participation and the opportunity for community inspection shall be provided as defined in this Act and in separate legal regulations. Citizens and organizations concerned shall be adequately informed and allowed a forum to express their opinion and to present their proposals. The practice of actual participation is greatly varying.

Planning legislation

Act on Territorial Development and Spatial (Physical) Planning XXI./1996.

Act on Shaping and Protecting Built Environment LXXVIII./1997.

Government decree 77/2010. (III. 25.)

Government decree 266/2013. (VII. 11.)

Websites

Ministry for National Economy: 
http://www.kormany.hu/en/ministry-for-national-economy

Ministry of National Development: 
http://www.kormany.hu/en/ministry-of-national-development

Ministry of Rural Development: 
http://2010-2014.kormany.hu/en/ministry-of-rural-development

National Regional Development and Spatial Planning information system: 
http://www.terport.hu/

Hungarian Society for Urban Planning:
http://www.mut.hu/

Hungarian Urban Knowledge Centre

http://www.special-eu.org/project-partners/hungarian-urban-knowledge-centre