Budapest programme (extract)

LMP’s urban policy aims to create the conditions for liveability and conviviality, and thus to shape a city where even our grandchildren will be happy to live. Our task is to generate harmony and quality of life in a European Metropolis. In order to give Budapest back to its citizens, the residents need to be given a chance to take part in the decisions on the development and management of the city. Group interests may not have priority over the interests of the community of the people living here. Let us hand Budapest back over to its residents!

1. You decide!

Every citizen has the right to take part in the making of decisions impacting them, either directly or through elected representatives. Politics can be Different (LMP) is committed to providing the most direct form of participation for stakeholders: the larger the extent of participation, the greater the opportunity for people to have control over the decision with an impact on them; the more widespread the involvement, the greater the self-determination, the more transparent the process, the greater the opportunities for conciliating interests. These are to be the foundations of a just society. Participation, self-determination, conciliating interests, and transparency are all interrelated, and significantly reduce the room for abuse. Our aim is to allow citizens the widest participation for we are convinced that shared decisions are the best decisions.

2. Sustainable Transport in Budapest

Goals:

• Affordable, fast, convenient, reliable and safe public transports, passengers reaching destinations without having to make too many transfers.

• Fair parking fees and congestion charges, with a uniform, transparent, corruption-free transport budget.

• A solution to the parking chaos, a pedestrian-friendly city! More car-free, low-traffic public areas are needed.

• Suburbs and external city districts to be made accessible by community transports.

• The revitalization of the axis of the Danube.

• The reduction of air pollution.

• To improve conditions for cycling.

3. Restructuring urban spaces

In 1990, Budapest was one of the most promising metropolises in Central Europe. It seemed that its geographical location, skilled population, a unique combination of natural and cultural values and good traffic conditions destined the city to play a leading role in the region. Practically, none of this was achieved: due to the inaction of the city government, the lack of a uniform development policy and a weak administration, urban development was left in the hands of private capital. This state of affairs has had a number of short-term results and created numerous long-term handicaps, the burden of which is increasingly felt by city dwellers.

The key to the rebirth of the city is not to be found in expensive large-scale projects, but rather in a series of small-scale interventions based on one another. Our goal is get citizens involved at all levels of decision-making, design and implementation as a way of ensuring that urban development projects are based on extended support. We do not believe that a city of autonomous, active residents requires megaprojects in order to show vitality, momentum, and cordiality. Investments in the range of HUF 100 Billion should be the consequence, not the cause of Budapest’s recovered prosperity.

4. Efficient buildings in an economical city

The entire pool of concrete building blocks and the residential areas they form are both outdated and wasteful in energy consumption, urgently calling for modernization. The situation of the stock of condominiums and houses constructed by means of traditional technologies, representing more than three-quarters of dwellings, is not significantly better in terms of energy use.

The key turning point for domestic policy could be in improving the energy efficiency of housing and municipal buildings. Energy consumption in buildings and transport make up two thirds of the energy consumed, while it happens to be these two fields that provide the most opportunity for efficiently reducing energy use.

5. A city of green

In a city of human scale, the constructed environment and the living environment coexist in harmony. In a healthy city, the proportion of green surfaces with a significant ecological potential is large enough to offset harmful impacts in the urban environment and contribute to improving air quality, increasing humidity, mitigating dust pollution and temperature variations. They provide sufficient space for sports, games and recreational activity, help solve the congestion and stiffness of the city’s densely built areas. Green spaces are an integral part of the structure of a well-functioning city. In addition to their ecological and recreational functions, they have structural, conservation, aesthetic and economic role to perform as well, provide space for people to be together, raise the city’s aesthetic and tourism value through their harmony, contributing to the mental health and well-being of residents while increasing the market value of the surrounding properties.

6. A human city

A large part of the responsibility for creating social justice is shared by local governments as health care and social care, housing conditions, support for NGOs and the provision of appropriate cultural and sports opportunities for all are eventually all defined by decisions taken at the local level. We want a city where all of us can live healthy and active lives in dignity and understanding. We want Budapest to be worthy of its citizens, to act upon a sense of responsibility for its residents, a city where misery does not impact hundreds of thousands of people. We want a capital where those who now live on the streets or in need of assistance are given opportunities and do in fact belong to the urban community.

7. Culture can be Independent

Culture is part of the connective tissue of society. Means shall be found to ensure that the highest number of people can have access to cultural goods as well as actively take part in their creation. Culture can help maintaining society characterised by both cohesion and diversity, and can simultaneously make Budapest an attractive city for its residents and communities with varying backgrounds and worldviews. Besides high culture, LMP equally supports quality in popular culture and community culture.

It is our goal to transform the institutions of the capital into a more open, more inclusive organic network characterised by transparent finances and state of the art management, regards the spread of culture its mission and has a more direct relationship with citizens both domestically and abroad.