Mária Csete

Unbridgeable Gap Between Transport Policy and Practice in Hungary

Abstract Due to the increasing energy demand and mobility of the human population and in order to pursue sustainable development and decrease fossil fuel dependency there is a major need to use alternative energy sources. Nowadays the 20-20-20 policy is under revision. It has become clear that the transport sector on the EU level will not be able to meet the goal of 20% usage of renewable energy sources by 2020. Our paper investigates the possibilities of Hungary for reaching 10% of renewable energy sources in transport sector. Our research indicates that blending bioethanol and biodiesel with conventional fuels is not sufficient not provide an effective and alternative way to fulfill 10% part of transport-related energy demand. Further efforts are needed that can only be done by deep analysis of the current situation and active participationin policymaking as an additional tool of reaching the target: changing our social behaviour. Furthermore, our investigationshows that this general problem can occur n...

Assessment of climate change vulnerability of tourism in Hungary

This paper applies vulnerability assessment methodology to assess the comparative vulnerability of different tourism supply types by region in Hungary. The steps of the methodology include (1) definition of tourism supply typology, (2) identifying exposure indicators, (3) identifying sensitivity indicators, (4) identification of adaptive capacity indicators and (5) developing a vulnerability map. It is clear that climate change has potential negative effects on tourism in Hungary, but the spatial distribution, as well as the sub-sectoral (by tourism supply types) differences of these impacts is almost unknown. Most research papers dealing with the vulnerability of tourism mainly focus on a specific tourism type, whereas this article aims to address all of them from a regional point of view. The key results presented in this paper include the vulnerability map of the country showing the relative vulnerability of different tourism supply types and detailed analysis investigating the possible causes and driving factors. We have categorized tourism regions based on the five most vulnerable tourism supply types. The most significant of them all turned out to be outdoor event-based tourism, being the most vulnerable in the two southern regions, since the expected impacts of climate change are foreseen to be the most significant in these areas.

The role of tourism management in adaptation to climate change – a study of a European inland area with a diversified tourism supply

The Carpathian Basin is one of the most vulnerable European regions in terms of potential climate change impacts on biodiversity. Its wide range of tourism activities make it uniquely suitable for assessing the effects of climate change on tourism. This research sought to create a Tourism Adaptation Portfolio (TAP) for the Szentendre micro-region in Hungary and to assemble an adaptation toolbox for current and future use by tourism organizations. The TAP contains practical, easy to implement solutions for key stakeholders in the sector by adaptation type (technology, management, behavior, education, policy). Surveys of local tourism suppliers showed that 70% said they were well informed, largely by the Internet, but 55% admitted to not knowing enough. The methodology outlined here is transferable and the process can be replicated elsewhere, supporting other regions in becoming climate-friendly tourism destinations, creating opportunities for uniquely positioning a region for consumers. The article provides a concise overview of tourism provider attitudes assessed through a questionnaire, shedding light on points of intervention, willingness to pay, main barriers and suitable adaptation instruments. The adaptive capacity of stakeholders is also discussed, which is indispensable for implementing successful practices in adaptation and maintaining the current level of environmental services.

Climate-oriented assessment of main street design and development in Budapest

AbstractMain streets play pivotal role in urban areas in terms of economic, social, moreover environmental contexts. Such streets are generally situated in densely built-up areas, where the adverse effects of climate change, such as rising temperature and changing precipitation patterns occur emphatically. Increasing urban heat island effect or extreme amount of runoff water during severe storms and floods significantly decrease the adaptive capacity of a city, consequently its residents becoming more vulnerable. Therefore involving climate-oriented design principles into planning and construction phase contributes to reach more sustainable and climate-friendly open spaces what are strongly relevant especially in main streets which are designed for a great amount of people. Present study provides a criteria matrix for assessing the climate-friendly level of recently renewed main streets in Budapest. Due to this assessment tool the adaptation and mitigation performance of the selected projects can be evalu...

Identifyingy the Utility Function of Transport Services From Stated Preferences

Abstract The aim of this study was to analyze the modal shift of passengers by analyzing their preferences. If the preferences of passengers are known it is possible to build up mathematically their utility function. This is the statistically correct way to simulate the modal shift of the investigated area. To capture the preferences of passengers stated preference method was used in online questionnaire. Five key factors were identified (from the point of passengers): travel cost, travel time, comfort, safety and environmental efficiency. In order to decrease the number of questions three levels were predefined these three questions made the base of the choice model. Every replier got three alternatives and they were told to choose the best for themselves. From the results of the questionnaire the formulas and the parameters of the mode choice utility function was derived. With the help of statistical sample an exponential utility function showed the best matching. For the validation process a probability model was set up to be compared to the proportions of the utilities. With this utility function it is possible to handle the changes in possible future transport services. Based on the introduced statistical approach the described method can be used to identify the effect of transport modes on regional development and tourism. The revealed utility function can help to develop proper regional development plans.

Adaptive Planning for Reducing Negative Impacts of Climate Change in Case of Hungarian Cities

As weather forecasts for Hungary show rising temperature and less precipitation in some months of a year in the near future, application of smart solutions regarding urban development and planning is a key for tackling the emerging challenges. According to studies related to future weather events in the Carpathian basin, Hungarian cities will likely face similar climate-related challenges as Mediterranean cities nowadays, despite of their different geographical locations. Based on these forecasts, adaptive planning through indicator-based systems plays a crucial role in the abatement of negative effects of climate change, therefore smart principles with an effective monitoring phase can contribute to the vital future of Hungarian cities. The present paper states climate-related interpretation of smart city sub-systems (people, environment, governance, mobility, economy and living) by providing sets of indicators for making comprehensive, sustainable and smart decisions. The selection of indicators is based on two main aspects: firstly, data availability for effectively using existing indicators’ sets; secondly, adaptation for anticipated negative effects of climate change in urban areas in light of smart cities’ potential. Interconnections between climate-related challenges and urban development can be revealed by creating climate-oriented smart city concepts and indicators to improve cities’ adaptation capacity. The main aim of the present study is to contribute to the better understanding of complex interrelations between climate-related challenges and the role of smart cities; and develop specific concepts and set of indicators for improving decision-making and urban planning processes. The second aim is to reveal the role of smart cities in the abatement of negative effects of climate change through effective monitoring and project supporting systems.

Ex-ante Assessment of Urban Development Projects

Budapest, the capital of Hungary facing several climatic challenges in the next decades, therefore there is a need of sustainable development projects with strong emphasis on the projected impacts of climate change. The main aim of the paper is to evaluate an ex-ante assessment methodology to analyse existence or absence of sustainability principles in renewal projects. The selected works have a focus on the same challenge, namely building an intermodal passenger transport hub and renewing the surrounding area in the district IV. of Budapest. The renewal plans have been developed by students from different Hungarian universities during a three-day-workshop. However the main focus of the workshop was on tackling the transport-based challenges, most of the elaborated plans have strong emphasis on green and blue areas, communities, building and related sustainability issues. The jury of the competition included mainly transportation engineers, real estate developers and civil engineers, therefore there is a need of involving broader sustainability and climate-related aspects into the assessment process. The output of the paper shall reveal the differences between developer-oriented ranking and the climate-related one regarding the same urban renewal challenge. Keywords: urban sustainability; climate change; urban planning; ex-ante

How the Spatial Distribution of the Hungarian TOP 500 Companies Affects Regional Development: an Examination of Income Generation at Subnational Scale

The research paper emphasizes the importance of export from the aspect of economic development. In the first part, the theoretical background of the regional development connected to export-led growth is introduced. As a bridge between the theoretical and empirical part, the territorial sense of export data and economic spaces is highlighted. In connection to the research, actual domestic research examining spatial differences and inequalities in Hungary is presented. The reviewed researches (Dusek–Lukács–Rácz 2014, Nemes Nagy–Tagai 2011, Obádovics 2013, Pénzes 2012) concur on the main territorial features in Hungary: territorial hegemony of the capital, increasing differences between the capital and rural areas, emergence of the ‘West–East decline’, and varied development patterns of micro-regions and settlements. Dusek–Lukács–Rácz (2014) describe the regional disparities in the country on NUTS-2 level, pointing out that Central Hungary is the most advanced region of Hungary, followed by Western Transdanubia and Central Transdanubia, and with significant lag, Southern Transdanubia, Southern Great Plain, Northern Great Plain and Northern Hungary trail the list. In the primary research, the aim is to explore the conditions of export-led growth in Hungary, and through an examination of the spatial distribution of the 500 companies with the best sales performance (TOP 500 list) an attempt is made to demonstrate the reasons for regional inequalities in Hungary. The other scope of the research is to demonstrate the concentration of different sectors in NUTS-3 level, as well as highlighting their export orientation. Furthermore research examines associations between different measures. The pool of data used for carrying out the research is derived from HVG (Heti Világgazdaság – a dominant economic weekly review in Hungary) about the first 500 companies with the best sales performance in 2012 (the TOP 500 companies) and from the Hungarian Central Statistical Office. Our research findings emphasize the importance of export for regional development (export-led growth), and resembles the secondary research outcomes about the development of NUTS-2 and NUTS-3 regions.