Teleki Square, Budapest

Teleki Square is located in Budapest’s centre’s socially most diverse and colorful areas, in one of the city’s most disadvantaged neighbourhoods. Following a successful EU tender for funding the renovation of the square, an inclusive community-based planning process was initiated that would result in what is now a barren, ill-reputed, crime-ridden and functionless space becoming a vital neighbourhood centre in a part of the city desperately lacking outdoor recreational and social opportunities.

The community-based reinvention of Teleki Square aims to show that interventions which promote cooperation, interaction and participation, - through which strong local community identity can be developed -, play an increasingly important role in societies of today, taking active part in creating lively, livable cities. In case of the Teleki Square Community Park the inclusive planning process was essential in creating an inclusive design. Apart from the realization of the inclusive design concept, one of the most important outcomes of the process based design was the formation of the Teleki Square Association which now takes active part in the present and future activation of the area.

Authors: Design: Ujirany Landscape Architect (Dominika Tihanyi, Orsolya B. Orosz, Arpad Kovacs, Gabor Szohr), local Expert of community-based planning: Kristin Faurest
Photo Credit: Ujirany Landscape Architect, Tamas Bujnovszky, Tibor Vermes, Gyula Nyari
Country: Hungary