A COMPARISON OF THE SYSTEM OF CENTERS IN THE URBAN DEVELOPMENT PLANS OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPEAN CAPITALS

Abstract

Focusing on capital cities of Central and Eastern Europe with different urban development traditions, this study compares the urban development plans in force in Budapest, Vienna, Prague, Belgrade, and Bucharest. The plan analysis is complemented by population and spatial data for cities to help understand center-periphery relations. These five cities share an important common characteristic: in the 20^th century they have undergone planned expansion in the wake of rapid urbanisation and nation-state aspirations. In the process, former independent settle- ments, including urban, suburban, and rural areas, were annexed to the capital, and continued to exist as part of a metropolis. The analysis is based on the understanding of the terminology and methodology of the structure plans, but the fundamental question is how these plans deal with the local centers within the expansion area. By comparing the historical system of centers with the current structure plans, it is possible to determine the extent to which local centers within the annexed area are involved in the functioning of the ‘compact city.’ The result of the research is that the delimitation of the area of the compact city and the periphery in a suffici- ently distinctive way is crucial, thus integrating centers with appropriate connectivity into the overall urban operation.