Laura Kovács - Urban Planning Portfolio 2023

01 URBAN PLANNING

ACTIVE- AND ECOTURISM DEVELOPMENT OF LAKE TISZA - ANALISYS

THE REVITALIZATION OF THE ROYAL QUARTIER OF ESZTERGOM - MSC DIPLOMA LAKE TOWN 2.0

REVITALIZATION OF THE AREA OF THE FORMER LÁNG MACHINE FACTORY

02 RESEARCH

THE RIGHT TO PLAY NÉPSZÍNHÁZ STREET - REVITALIZATION PREPARATION CIVIC CITY DEVELOPMENT IN BUDAPEST - BSC THESIS

03 PLACEMAKING AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

INVOLVING CHILDREN INTO URBAN PROCESSES

COMMUNITY SPACE FOR THE ARBOR! HELLO WOOD BETON WORKSHOP 04 PROJECT MANAGEMENT

DANUrB+ PROGRAM

6. INTERNATIONAL ARCHITECTURE MODEL FESTIVAL BUDAPEST

CSEPEL WORKS - WEEKEND OF OPEN FACTORIES

THE ACTIVE- AND ECOTURISM DEVELOPMENT OF LAKE TISZA - ANALISYS

EMPERSEND STUDIO, 2022

Research leader: András Szücs

Researchers: Laura Kovács, Barbara Bozsik, Péter Mandula, Balázs Csík

Lake Tisza is one of the 17 priority active tourism development areas of the National Active Tourism Strategy in Hungary. We were commissioned by the Active and Ecotourism Development Centre to develop an active and ecotourism strategy for the Lake Tisza region. The work is currently in the process of completing the analisys and the strategy itself is expected to be developed during 2024, with the involvement of local stakeholders.

The Tisza Lake area is a special tourist area, the main attraction of which is a slow-moving body of water artificially created in the 1960s. The area has not developed spontaneously along natural tourist lines. Its current main feature is the artificially created water surface, which has created a very valuable and unique natural environment over the last 50 years, but has not yet been able to trigger the social and service changes typical of other tourist areas.

The main attraction of the region is currently the water sports and activities related to Lake Tisza, as well as fishing, while the development of cultural tourism, rural tourism, spas and thermal baths, high-quality gastronomy and local events can all be important additions to the active and ecotourism offer of the area.

GEOGRAPHICAL REGIONS

AFFECTED BY THE SITE:

1. Sajó-Hernád plain

2. Borsod fields 3. Borsod-Tisza valley 4. Hortobágy 5. Heves plain

6. Heves-Tisza valley

7. Tiszafüred-Kunhegyes plain

8. Szolnok-Tisza valley

9. Mezötúr-Karcag plain

WATERWAYS AND HARBOURS

Harbour Water tour route Water surface

Nature conservation prohibitions

Motorboat ban all year round

Less than 4 kw power allowed

NATURAL ATTRACTIONS OF TOURIST INTEREST

The region is rich in natural values relevant to tourism, providing excellent opportunities for active and passive recreation in a natural environment. At the same time, a valuable natural element becomes a tourist potential if access to it is ensured. Infrastructure should be considered at several levels: at the very least (using information boards on site or an online platform), visitors should be explained how to access the site and the correct way to get there. By gradually increasing the level of comfort, such as building footpaths or creating a visitor centre, the number of visitors can gradually increase, but this may not be necessary in all situations. A large part of the area is unspoilt countryside, which is important to protect, and development should seek to be environmentally sustainable by minimising the proportion of development. If development occurs to the detriment of a natural asset, the tourism potential could be reversed.

THE REVITALIZATION OF THE ROYAL QUARTIER OF ESZTERGOM - MSc DIPLOMA

HUNGARIAN UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND LIFE SCINCES - MATE, 2021

Supervisor: András Szücs /Assistant Professor/

Traffic-calmed, pedestrian-friendly city centre

New community space with significant green area

New community space

New pedestrian axis

Building complex to be revitalised (function change)

New space wall

Public space rehabilitation and management

Blocks transformed by developments

Street

Tertiary road

Secondary arterial road

Primary arterial route

Direction of one-way street

Bridge

New street

New mixed use street

New pedestrian street

Planned cycle route

Public space with primarily pedestrian traffic

Public space for pedestrians only

New community space with significant green area New semi-private garden

Walking in Esztergom, we stumble upon the imprint of the past, the current street network and land structure also preserve the form of the historic settlement. It is no coincidence that Esztergom has built its entire identity, and thus the largest and most valuable part of its current tourism, on its historical heritage. This heritage is truly celebratory, but in itself it is not enough to create a well-functioning and livable town. If we rely only on the past, we preserve values, but we only conserve, we do not create new ones. In order for a city to survive, it must continue to strive for value creation in the present, reflecting on current and future challenges.

The central topic of my diploma is to rethink and revitalize the Royal Quarter of Esztergom, with the aim of creating a city center that serves both more sustainable tourism and the needs of the local young generations. My tools for this are the utilization of the Royal Quarter’s currently underutilized but large-scale, and therefore valuable, public spaces and vacant brownfields with innovative and missing functions, and the redesign and development of a public space system worthy of a historic city.

MASTER PLAN OF THE CITY CENTER

FUNCTIONS TRANSPORT

Cinema Exhibition space, cultural center and entertainment venue Terrace/overpass Cafe, restaurant Office

GREEN AREAS

COMMUNITY SPACES

Existing green areas

Planned buildings

Remaining buildings

Cycling

transport Pedestrian traffic

Green community spaces

Paved community spaces

Planned buildings

Remaining buildings

LAKE TOWN 2.0

HUNGARIAN UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND LIFE SCINCES - MATE, 2020

Co-designers: Barbara Bozsik, Tamás Kertes

BLOCK STRUCTURE BUILDING STRUCTURE ROAD NETWORK

PARKING

URBAN SPACES AND ACTIVE PLINTH ZONE GREEN AREAS

Construction of the Lake Town housing estate started in the early 2000s in the 11th district of Budapest, but due to the economic crisis in 2008, it was interrupted after the first phase and has been operating as an unfinished residential area ever since. The design brief was to continue the residential development, while correcting the flaws in the original plans.

Lake Town 2.0 is a compact urban area with its own centre, where the elements of urban life are available: local institutions and services, entertainment, shopping and gastronomy. The zoning of the area aims to provide the necessary functions locally, but also to connect the district to the surrounding neighbourhoods by road, public transport, cycling and walking.

The blue and green heart of Lake Town 2.0 is the 5.7-hectare park along the revitalised Hosszúréti stream and Lake Kána, and the green strip along the stream, which is easily accessible on foot from built-up areas. The design has been based on the harmony and interrelationship between urban and natural spaces. The concept provides space for ecological production and sustainable energy and water management.

REVITALIZATION OF THE AREA OF LÁNG MACHINE FACTORY

HUNGARIAN UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND LIFE SCINCES - MATE, 2020

Co-designers: Barbara Bozsik, Lili Anna Karasz, Dorottya Zombori, Alexandra Bátki

In the planning area, the former Láng Machine Works, there are currently industrial buildings, most of which are no longer used for industrial purposes, but have been converted into offices, institutions or cultural facilities. The preliminary studies show that the planning area has undergone a major transformation and it is expected that a large part of it will be transformed and integrated in accordance with the development concepts of the district. As a large part of the existing building stock is both outdated and typically industrial in function, it is expected that all but the buildings listed as a historic monument will be demolished. This is an advantage for the development of the area, as it creates a relatively large, coherent development area on an urban scale, which can be developed in a coherent way and in an urban ecologically beneficial way. It is proposed that, in line with 15-minutes city principles, the area will be developed with mixed-use buildings on the east and west sides, adjacent to busy motorways, providing a diversity of basic services, retail, catering and services alongside residential development, creating a part of the city within walking distance of the scenes of everyday life.

THE RIGHT TO PLAY

NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF SCIENTIFIC STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATONS, SPECIAL PRIZE,

Co-researcher: Dániel Györfi

2021

Supervisors: Dr. György Alföldi /Dean of Faculty of Architecture, BME/, Olívia Kurucz /Research Assistant, BME/

We played with the idea: what kind of society would grow up if the children were given the city usage rights that they might deserve even today? What if game, and thus community life, were not just locked into enclosed buildings and fenced playgrounds? What if we didn’t squeeze children into smaller and smaller spaces so that we could keep them safe, but we, grown city dwellers, tried to coexist with attention to children as well? After all, they have the same right to our public spaces as we do.

In our research we tried to find a strategy how to start to bring in the child friendly viewpoints into the streets of Budapest.

STIMULATING CREATIVITY PLAYFUL INVOLVEMENT “LEARNING BY DOING” TACTICAL URBANISM

Our main tool for that was to get know the children of the area and to map the routes they take in their everyday life. After we had these routes, we could select strategic points like crossings and vacant lots where we could start to transform the urban environment more child friendly with the tool of the placemaking. As a pilot place we chose the surroundings off the Kiss József street in the 8th district.

The 8th district is the most multicultural area of Budapest, but maybe even Hungary. Gipsy communities are part of the core population as well as people with african, arabic, asian and other origins.

We believe that placemaking could be one of the best ways to give back the children the space they deserve if we handle it as an element of a bigger strategy. And as a result, this new approach will be profitable for all of the citizens, because the city that serves the smallest, and most vulnerable, actually has a positive impact on everyone.

POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENT AREAS

Metro stop Bus stop Tram stop

Street sections most frequently used by primary school pupils

NGO targeting primary school pupils

Primary school Square Park

Street

Potential crossing/street corners

Potential vacant lots

sections most frequently used by primary school pupils

NÉPSZÍNHÁZ STREETREVITALIZATION PREPARATION

HUNGARIAN UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND LIFE SCINCES - MATE, 2021

Co-researchers: Barbara Bozsik, Tamás Kertes, Márton Velkey, Emöke Hadamcsik, Ildikó Laura Kovács

Népszínház street (Folk Theater street in english) is one of the high streets of Józsefváros, Budapest’s 8th district. A key commercial street since the 19th century, the street and the surrounding area went through a period of decay in the past decades, and more recently, it has been experiencing mild gentrification. Located near one of the major public transportation hubs of the city, Népszínház street is an existing 15-minute city with a great diversity of services, some of them in danger of extinction across the city.

The study was conducted during a 1-week intensive programme of the MSc in Urban Systems Engineering.

NÉPSZÍNHÁZ STREET 24-26.

(Example from the whole documentation.)

Removal, transformation is RECOMMENDED

Transformation is MANDATORY

Removal is MANDATORY

CULTURE STRATEGY

- It is a group of people who consider themselves to belong to a community, with a common identity, customs and values. Every culture has elements that can be objectively considered valuable and worth preserving.

The images above were collected by searching for the following hashtags:

#népszínházutca

#népszínház

#nepszinhazutca

#nepszinhaz

GOALS

Involving local residents

Changing the image of the street in a positive way Enhancing the existing gastronomic and cultural offer

Attracting artisanal and craft producers

Encouraging creative production and consumption

Attracting business and innovation

Community development Preservation and promotion of cultural heritage

Social equality

Providing recreational opportunities

Creating street management

Branding and creating a unified visual identity Property management

Creating a portal programme

Creating thematic street maps

Public space renewal

CIVIC CITY DEVELOPMENT IN BUDAPESTBSC THESIS

HUNGARIAN UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND LIFE SCINCES - MATE, 2019

Supervisor:

Beáta Polyák /Assistant Professor/

In Budapest, an interesting duality can be observed: on the one hand, there is a stron protection of private spaces, stemming from the fear of communism, which has also led to the eclipse of common value. On the other hand, there is/was always a class of people who, in an almost rebellious way, strive to be involved in shaping the life of the city. In my thesis, I sought to answer the question of how it would be possible to create the opportunity for civic-municipal cooperation in Budapest.

To this end, I examined existing Hungarian initiatives - why they have or have not been successful - as well as good practices and regulatory forms abroad. From the existing, well-functioning regulatory and funding systems, I highlighted and reassembled into a whole those elements that could be relatively easily adapted to the Budapest context. In addition to the literature, I conducted a number of interviews with Hungarian and foreign professionals, such as the initiator of the Budapest Dialog platform or the creator of the Budget Participatif in Paris.

General guidelines on support, possibility of authorisation

Available funding

Delegation of decision-making power or mandate

Equal municipal-civil partnership on common goals

SUPPORT MECHANISMS FOR CIVIC-MUNICIPAL COOPERATION IN EUROPEAN CITIES

High social index (>16.5%)

High proportion of people receiving regular social assistance (>0.25%)

High proportion of people in receipt of job-seeker’s allowance (>0.35%)

High proportion of old-age pension beneficiaries (>22.5%)

URBAN DIMENSION

High proportion of buildings in poor condition(>4%)

High proportion of empty buildings (>15%)

Average age of properties higher than 60 years

Number of kindergarten places per 1000 dwellings is low (>65)

ADAPTATION OF THE BIP/ZIP METHODOLOGY OF LISBON TO BUDAPEST

This thesis was written just before the 2019 municipal elections, which in turn brought big changes to Budapest. The exploratory study covers the capital before October 2019, but since then a number of municipal measures have been put in place, the need for which I have also outlined in my thesis.

Local resident submits a project proposal on the Budapest Dialog platform

Municipality of Budapest Department of Urban Development

Rejects Puts it to the vote on the Budapest Dialog platform

The reasoning is published on the Budapest Dialog platform

Not voted Voted

BIP/ZIP area Not a BIP/ZIP area

The municipality does not wish to participate in the programme The municipality contributes 1/3 of the costs

The district municipality supports at least 10 projects per year

At the end of the annual cycle, they can apply for funding to strengthen the participatory processes, which they can use in the following year

The Municipality of Budapest contributes 2/3 of the costs

The project will be implemented

INVOLVING CHILDREN INTO URBAN PROCESSES

Although this subject is not the focus of my daily work, life and my interests have given me the opportunity to work on environmental education and child-friendly urban development on several occasions, whether it is research or practical application.

I believe that children are one of the most important actors in the life of our society. They are going to be the responsible citizens of the future, so the norms that they will meet as they grow up are a very important issue for the future of cities. That is why I would like to take as many opportunities as possible in the future to deal with this issue, and I will try to incorporate these aspects into urban planning and project implementation processes as much as possible.

DANUrBANITY WORKSHOP

HUNGARIAN CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE CENTRE - KÉK, 2020-2022

Co-developer: kulturAktív Association

This game was developed by KÉK and kultúrAktív in the framework of the DANUrB Program. It helps to map all the potential places and heritages in the area where we could work on projects together with the locals. This is a great and simple tool to use if you are new in the area and plan to collaborate with local communities. The results of the game can be shared with the people afterwards as well. This game can be played with basically every age group above 8 years old children. I used a lot this methodology a lot in participatory workshops, especially when I work with children.

URBAN LIFE ISSUES WITH A CHILD’S EYE - WORKSHOP

In cooperation with kulturAktív Association and Mindspace Nonprofit Ltd., 2021

What would the Palace Quarter look like if it had been designed by children? Or if their parents? What does child-centred urban planning mean? These were some of the questions explored in an interactive workshop at the Bródy Street Festival, attended by children and their caregivers. The programme ended with a community lunch in the public square in a great atmosphere.

BUDAFOK URBAN WALK BOOKLET FOR CHILDREN

HUNGARIAN UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND LIFE SCINCES, 2020

Supervisor: Anna Andrea Szövényi /Head of Urban Planning Department/

In one semester of the Urban Systems Engineering MSc, I was part of a group of 11 students working on the Budafok district of Budapest. During the semester, we focused on children’s use of the city, and the end result was a Budafok Urban Walk booklet for primary school children. The booklet is available free of charge in the bookstore of the recently opened Magdalena Courtyard cultural centre. I was responsible for editing the publication.

BUILDING CAMP & ARBOR FESTIVAL

BÉLA RERRICH LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT COLLEGE FOR ADVANCED STUDIES, 2019

Co-organizer:

Bence Tóth

Together with the Landscape Architecture College of Advanced Studies, we dreamed up a six-month programme for the community use of our university campus, the Buda Arboretum, in addition to its educational function. Indirectly, our aim with the programme was also to protect the arboretum from the real estate investor threats that were being heard in the news at the time.

The programme started with an ideas competition for architecture and landscape architecture students in February, and continued with a 5-day building workshop in August, after a design phase under the mentorship of Studio Nomad architects. The week culminated in the Arbor Fest ‘21, where the installations were presented. The aim of the event was to showcase and bring the diversity and opportunities of the Buda Arboretum closer to the students and residents of the 11th district. The program was packed with cultural, artistic and professional events: nearly 300 visitors attended recycling workshops, yoga classes, professional roundtables, informative landscape architecture

HELLO WOOD

Around 600 planks, 2000 spacer cubes, 2500 screws, 3 days of sanding and painting, 8 students, 1 professor and a few enthusiastic and dedicated helpers - the result is a new community space for Vámosújfalu in Tokaj region. The builders’ camp was organised by Hello Wood as part of their annual competition between universities of architecture and landscape architecture. The camp was preceded by a 3-month planning process with the MATE team. We tried to integrate as much feedback from the locals as possible. Our goal was to create an installation that was in harmony with nature, connected to the small stream and gave locals a chance to come together.

THE HUNGARIAN GATHERING, SPECIAL AWARD OF TOKAJ WINE REGION DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL, 2019 Supervisor: Dr. Szabolcs Bence Török /Assistant Professor, MATE/

BETON WORKSHOP

S39 HYBRID DESIGN, 2017-2018

The thermal water exiting the Gellért Thermal Bath was previously spontaneously diverted into a makeshift jacuzzi with a pile of rocks. This outdoor jacuzzi was becoming more and more popular, and and at this point (2016) S39 Hybrid Design Manufacture decided to create a workshop for students to expand it with some new functions. It also gave a chance to reflect to one of the main urban problem of Budapest, that the sides of the Danube are separeted from the city. I joined to their work in spring 2017, as a participant. In 2018 I’ve already been a mentor in the project. I was helping a team for 3 people with my knowledge of the area and how to use the concrete in the implementation.

The KIFOLYÓ (Drainage pipe) nowdays is one of the coolest places to meet in Budapest. The scene at the Danube’s banks is made more interesting by the unique smart objects which transform the space into a user friendly area.

DANUrB+ PROGRAM

HUNGARIAN CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE CENTRE - KÉK, 2020-2022

Project leaders: Eszter Dávida, Laura Kovács

Project team: Krisztina Kovács, Bíborka Grócz, András Mudra, Rita Szerencsés, Cecília Lohász

DANUrB+ (Danube Urban Brand) is an Interreg project that aims to connect the communities along the Danube River in 6 countries (Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria) and strengthen already existing ones. Our goal is to facilitate local collaborations and create useful developments and events that build on cultural traditions and values. In every project we make in DANUrB the main focus is to implement projects with the local stakeholders together. We only help them through this process, but they are the ones who decide what to do.

The KÉK team focused on three Hungarian cities (Dunaújváros, Baja and Esztergom) where we created cultural, educational and touristic programs. In the post-socialist city of Dunaújváros together with the local cultural stakeholders we organized the “Avenue festival” with more than 2000 participants. In Baja we organized a training course about sustainable tourism network building for the local actors which was a starting point for many regional developments. In Esztergom we had a workshop series in the local woodworking vocational high school where we planned and made new furniture for the schoolyard based on participatory assets.

In addition, KÉK acted as an expert, led the involvement strategy of stakeholders in all partner countries. We also participated in several educational and research programs, building camps, organized cultural events in Szob and the Szigetzug region, and participated in international research and conferences.

We closed the three-year DANUrB+ Interreg project with an international conference in Budapest in December 2022.

MODEL FESTIVAL

HUNGARIAN CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE CENTRE - KÉK, 2022

Project leader: Laura Kovács

Project team: Henrietta Horváth, Eszter Dávida, Géza Kulcsár, Vo Son Nam, Balázs Csizik

When KÉK was founded, the International International Architecture Model Festival was one of the most important and successful projects of the organisation, which KÉK has organised in the past whenever it felt it was important to communicate something through the medium of the model. Now in Hungary there is basically a “culture war” going on, where the government has declared that “the old is always better and more beautiful than the new”. This attitude is endangering Hungary’s modern heritage, with many valuable buildings being demolished in recent years.

In reflection of this, the central theme of the 2022 Model Festival is “Memory Techniques”, exploring the relationship between models and remembrance. The venue for the exhibition - the Museum of Transportation’s Northern Vehicle Repair Building - has also been chosen in relation to this topic.

At the 6th International Architecture Model Festival, 18 models were exhibited, covering the period from the 1960s to the present day. In selecting the models, the primary curatorial criterion was that each model should reflect on the concept of architectural memory in a different aspect or format.

In addition to the main exhibition, a pop-up exhibition was also organized with the invitation of The Unfolding Pavilion’s traveling exhibition in Hungary. The exhibition, entitled Rituals of Solitude, opened at the Gatehouse on the Pest side of the Liberty Bridge and was open for 2 days. The event attracted a lot of interest and press attention, with at least 1200 visitors visiting the exhibition or participating in our related activities during the week-long programme.

CSEPEL WORKSWEEKEND OF OPEN FACTORIES

HUNGARIAN CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE CENTRE - KÉK, 2020

Project leaders: Laura Kovács, Samu Szemerey

Project team: Mercédesz Jeczkó, Eszter Dávida

The Contemporary Architecture Centre has been working on the rehabilitation of the Csepel Works, mapping and involving the companies and services operating there, and developing the area as part of a multi-year program (Shared Cities) since 2017. This has included extensive data collection, interviews, mapping, exhibitions, workshops and collaborations with local stakeholders. The first Weekend of Open Factories was successfully held in the summer of 2019, with more than 2,000 visitors gaining insight into the industrial activities at the Works through programs organized with participating companies.

In October 2020, we organized the weekend for the second time, with an improved program (but for one day instead of two). In addition to exhibitions, visits and demonstrations at company sites, we organized events highlighting the potential of the built environment of Csepel Works, as part of a new kind of brownfield regeneration strategy based on internal actors.

The event was a great success, especially in the context of the pandemic, with nearly 600 visitors throughout the day. Several business owners operating in Csepel Works, but not currently participating in the program, have indicated that they think the initiative is a good direction and would be open to cooperation in the future. Csepel Works has a lot of potential in terms of urban development, and the Weekend of Open Factories can help to highlight this potential to the district and Budapest Municipality and the Government.