Hungarian Geographical Bulletin

Political economy and everyday practices behind gentrification in working-class urban neighbourhoods

Judit Timár — 2026-06-26

This paper explores the synthesis of political-economy perspectives on uneven development with everyday-focused social-theoretical approaches, specifically examining gentrification through the lens of working-class residents’ experiences. The study argues that while uneven development imposes rigid structural constraints, it also serves to differentiate the working class and its internal constituents. The research is situated within the Central and Eastern European context, focusing on two Hungarian case study locations: Nagysándortelep in Debrecen and the Zsolnay district in Pécs. The methodology employs a multi-scalar approach, combining historical analysis with qualitative insights from narrative, semi-structured and focus group interviews. The analysis traces the evolution of both districts from their origins as industrial working-class colonies consolidated during the capitalist processes of the late 19th century through subsequent periods of socialiststate-led disinvestment and neoliberal urban strategies of capital reinvestment. By studying the current relationship of workers to slow, sporadic, and spontaneous gentrification within this urban-historical context, mutually reinforcing and undermining moments of structure and everyday practices emerge, exposing the dialectical relationship between the causes and consequences of gentrification. By bridging the gap between structural theories and micro-level agency, the paper contributes to a more nuanced understanding of how the production of space is negotiated and contested within the specific urban trajectories of the CEE region.

Sometimes up, sometimes down on the seesaw: Experiencing industrial investment and disinvestment in Budapest’s Ganz-MÁVAG manufacturing site

Márton Berki — 2026-06-26

Drawing on Neil Smith’s “seesaw” metaphor of uneven development, this paper examines how historical cycles of industrial investment and disinvestment were/are lived, experienced, and narrated in Budapest’s former Ganz-MÁVAG manufacturing site. Methodologically, we combine extensive document analysis and qualitative interviewing, including non-conventional interview formats. Empirically, the findings show that “up” and “down” positions on capital’s seesaw were experienced in highly ambivalent and differentiated ways: socialist-era “being up” could be narrated simultaneously as security and pride, but also as constraint and frustration, while post-socialist “being down” unfolded as an affectively intense rupture, often entailing not only job loss but the withdrawal of paternalistic care, community life, and local infrastructures. The subsequent “up again” trajectory was brought about by reinvestment through trade/logistics, although frequently framed through cultural distance and ethnicised boundary-making. Overall, we conclude that Smith’s seesaw is not merely apolitical-economic model but a heuristic for tracing how uneven development becomes classed, ethnicised, and spatialised in everyday life – and that the form of reinvestment matters at least as much as its magnitude.

The lived experiences of farming under profound landscape transformation – The case of the Sand Ridge, Hungary

Melinda Mihály — 2026-06-26

Food production became particularly challenging in our current food system under the conditions of the ecological crisis, including climate change. According to our political-ecological approach, landscape transformations and the everyday experiences of agricultural producers are partly the result of uneven geographical development and vice versa, industrial agriculture contributes to uneven development through the production of nature and landscape. By focusing on one of Hungary’s most vulnerable landscapes undergoing profound land use transformation, the Sand Ridge within the Danube–Tisza Interfluve, we aim (1) to trace the production of nature and accompanied landscape transformation caused by extractivist practices (industrial agriculture, forestry, solar extractivism) and the integration into global food systems; (2) to reveal the experiences of farmersand (3) the ways farming can contribute to landscape regeneration and food system transformation. Based on documentary and GIS data analysis, expert (11), oral history (23) and focus-group (2) interviews with farmers and farmworkers our research shows that the aridification of the Sand Ridge is not only caused by seemingly “external” processes of climate change, but by “internal” processes of extractivist agricultural production which is interlinked with the world economy through trade. Historically, agricultural landscapes have been produced through trade relations integrated into the global economy, increasing aridification through drainage and large-scale afforestation, both resulting in the marginalization of pasturing as a livelihood system. The recent emergence of the Sand Ridge as an energy periphery under solar extractivism contributes to the further marginalization of pasturing and small-scale food production. Landscape regeneration and food system transformation goes hand in hand. Regenerative practices in agriculture are hindered by how the Sand Ridge is integrated to the global economy. Still, small-scale farmers (and pastoralists) have agency in regenerating the landscape through building regionally more embedded food system alternatives.

Characteristics and courses of uneven development in Central and Eastern Europe: The evolution of places of underdevelopment

Gergely Tagai — 2026-06-26

There are many quantitative analyses focusing on regional differences in Europe including Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). However, while in the West, there are running discussions on theories of uneven development aiming at understanding causes of inequalities, analyses from CEE are scarcely linked to these theoretical debates.The aim of this paper is to join the discussions on uneven development by exploring statistically measurable characteristics, driving forces and courses of it. A quantitative analysis grounded in a political economy approach methodologically and the uneven development framework theoretically is presented with a focus on the evolution of spaces and places of underdevelopment. The comparative analysis covers countries of CEE and situates the findings within the broader context of uneven development on the European semi-periphery. The article demonstrates how uneven development provides a powerful framework for understanding regional inequalities in CEE. The results indicate spatial differentiation since the early 1990s, characterized by simultaneous processes of equalization and differentiation across geographic space. The findings suggest that these inequalities are not temporary or accidental, but rather reflect an inherent mode of operation of capitalist development in the region.

Beyond institutions: Functional integration, cross-border flows, and the limits of European border integration

Artur Boháč — 2026-06-26

This article examines the functional dimension of cross-border integration in European border regions, focusing on everyday cross-border flows as key mechanisms shaping territorial integration beyond formal institutional arrangements. It addresses the growing mismatch between dense socio-economic interactions across borders and the often-limited capacity of institutionalized cross-border cooperation to stabilize or govern these processes. Drawing on relational and flow-based perspectives in border studies and regional geography, the article conceptualises functional integration as a practice-based process rooted in regular mobility, service use, and economic exchange. The analysis is based on a critical synthesis of existing theoretical and policy-oriented literature. It introduces cross-border functional areas as an analytical construct capturing the spatial imprint of stabilized cross-border interactions. Rather than treating these areas as formal territorial units or normative policy objectives, the article highlights their dynamic, sectorally differentiated, and politically contingent character. Particular attention is paid to structural asymmetries between national systems, the selective permeability of borders, and the vulnerability of functional integration in highly regulated policy domains. The main contribution of the article lies in clarifying the analytical value of functionality for understanding both the potential and the limits of cross-border integration. By decoupling functional integration from institutional density, the article provides a conceptual framework for interpreting uneven integration patterns and for future empirical research on cross-border governance and resilience in European borderlands.

From community space to no man‘s land? – The use of public space by vulnerable social groups in post-socialist housing estates. A case from Budapest, Hungary

Kornélia Kissfazekas — 2026-06-26

Under state socialist planning, large housing estates were built as inclusive, community-centred environments. These spaces were particularly safe for women and children, reinforced by intense social control and close neighbourhood ties. Our study examines the transformation and use of public spaces in post-socialist housing estates, with a particular focus on vulnerable social groups. The research sample area was the Central Housing Estate of Budapest-Pesterzsébet (20th district). The research is based on a complex methodology; in addition to secondary methods, we conducted quantitative and qualitative primary research (resident questionnaire survey, walking interviews/in-depth field interviews, mental map studies, and mapping of pedestrian movement patterns). According to our findings, community areas that were previously actively used have now mostly become underused, neglected spaces that pose a risk to safety. These changes particularly affect young and middle-aged women and young people, limiting their movement and participation in urban life. Research on pedestrian space utilisation has shown that residents‘ spatial movement basically follows traditional routes, avoiding originally protected and traffic-free routes. This proves that socially oriented planning and the physical infrastructure created as a result do not, in themselves, guarantee the creation of inclusive, safe spaces that can be occupied by communities. A static public space that maintains its former characteristics can lose its social base. For the population to return to community areas, it is necessary to conduct a detailed assessment of the needs of different age groups and genders, and to take them into account in urban planning and development.

Dorondel, S. and Gatejel, L. (eds.): Flowing Progress: Transforming the Danube Through Infrastructure

Márton Simonkay — 2026-06-26

Wójcik, D.: Atlas of Finance: Mapping the Global Story of Money

Avaz Mammadov — 2026-06-26