Paper

Interlinking People and Nature through the Technologized Urban Greenway

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Abstract

The project area is located along the Danube River in Budapest, and as a peninsula, has a significant role in the city on an ecological level. In my research, I present the project from the industrial revolution up to the present day. In my concluding remarks, various design ideas for implementation on the peninsula and in its neighborhood were demonstrated.

The abandoned Népsziget with its industrial site holds a lot of potential for cultural and environmental development. When it comes to city planning in Budapest the main issue is the decrease of greenfield territories in the suburban areas while the city area has many different sizes of brownfield sites which have a potential for restoration. The other important aspect of the area is its connection with the Danube River that needs to be taken into account because of the newly emerging effort to create resilient riverbanks in cities.

I identified two strategies for the development of Népsziget. On a municipal level the connection of public transport, land use, green space character, and its core functions were improved. As a large-scale transportation development, a 5 km long greenway connection was created with the EuroVELO 6 bicycle route which runs along the riverside within the identified brownfield project area. The greenway, accessible for pedestrians and cyclists, has both cultural and educational functions and is digitally connected (through a private network) with the redesigned museum park that replaces the mentioned brownfield site in my plans.

A special feature of the program is infrastructure running on renewable energy and providing information about the priority design area and the relationship between the city and water. It also personalizes the space by linking the user's electronic device to the new development area.

The Nepsziget urban greenway project took shape through the shared vision of the cooperation of designers such as engineers (landscape design, civil, water construction, electrical), architects, scientists, and artists. It also includes many innovative constructions – solar panels, smart information columns, stormwater management, energy generating pavement, digital info post – that promote the ecological and sustainable functioning of the area.

The concept creates a thematic route for active and passive recreation, including a park with cultural and technological innovations. The main positive aspect is the transformation of old, unused, and devastated areas and the provision of new functions.

Keywords: brownfield investment, riverbank, greenway, technology, digital museum, future society

How to Cite:

Bekesi, D., (2019) “Interlinking People and Nature through the Technologized Urban Greenway”, Fábos Conference on Landscape and Greenway Planning 6(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.7275/7rfb-gz17