Living Heritage in the Urban Landscape. Case Study of the Budapest World Heritage Site Andrássy Avenue

Kinga Szilágyi, Chaima Lahmar, Camila Andressa Pereira Rosa and Krisztina Szabó
Additional contact information
Kinga Szilágyi: Doctoral School of Landscape Architecture and Landscape Ecology, Hungarian University of Agricultural and Life Sciences (MATE), 1118 Budapest, Hungary
Chaima Lahmar: Doctoral School of Landscape Architecture and Landscape Ecology, Hungarian University of Agricultural and Life Sciences (MATE), 1118 Budapest, Hungary
Camila Andressa Pereira Rosa: Doctoral School of Landscape Architecture and Landscape Ecology, Hungarian University of Agricultural and Life Sciences (MATE), 1118 Budapest, Hungary
Krisztina Szabó: Department of Garden and Open Space Design, Institute of Landscape Architecture and Urbanism, Hungarian University of Agricultural and Life Sciences (MATE), 1118 Budapest, Hungary

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 9, 1-22

Abstract: Historic allées and urban avenues reflect a far-sighted and forward-thinking design attitude. These compositions are the living witnesses of olden times, suggesting permanence. However, the 20th century’s urban development severely damaged the environment, therefore hundred-year-old mature trees are relatively rare among city avenues’ stands. Due to the deteriorated habitat conditions, replantation may be necessary from time to time. However, there are a large number of replanted allées and urban avenues considered historical monuments, according to the relevant international literature in urban and living heritage’s preservation. The renewal often results in planting a different, urban tolerant taxon, as seen in several examples reviewed. Nevertheless, the allée remains an essential urban structural element, though often with a changed character. The Budapest Andrássy Avenue, a city and nature connection defined in the late 19th century’s urban landscape planning, aimed to offer a splendid link between city core and nature in Városliget Public Park. The 19–20th century’s history and urban development are well documented in Hungarian and several English publications, though current tree stock stand and linear urban green infrastructure as part of the urban landscape need a detailed survey. The site analyses ran in 2020–early 2021 created a basis for assessing the allées and the whole avenue as an urban ecosystem and a valuable case study of contemporary heritage protection problems. Andrassy Avenue, the unique urban fabric, architecture, and promenades have been a world heritage monument of cultural value since 2002. The allées became endangered despite reconstruction type maintenance efforts. The presented survey analyses the living heritage’s former renewal programs and underlines the necessity of new reconstruction concepts in urban heritage protection. We hypothesize that urban green infrastructure development, the main issue in the 21 st century to improve the urban ecological system and human liveability, may support heritage protection. The Budapest World Heritage Site is worthwhile for a complex renewal where the urban green ecosystem supply and liveable, pedestrian-friendly urban open space system are at the forefront to recall the once glorious, socially and aesthetically attractive avenue.

Keywords: allées; urban avenues; World Heritage Site; urban habitat; urban ecosystem supply; renewal method (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/9/4699/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/9/4699/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:9:p:4699-:d:541528

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().