The Future of a Shrinking Hungarian City, Salgótarján

It is well known that the world’s population is growing and more and more people want to live in cities. However, some towns, cities or urban areas are in the period of declining. Although it has been analysed quite a lot in western countries, in Hungary the decision-makers and planners still think of urban shrinkage as a stage in the history of the town’s ups and downs. Using the example of a Hungarian industrial town, Salgótarján, we are trying to show why it is really important to consider shrinkage as a ‘must’ to solve worldwide phenomenon, in its complex way. Salgótarján is situated in the north part of Hungary and it is the seat of Nógrád County. But the town has been declining since the transition in 1990. It has led to suffering from population loss, abandoned buildings, social problems, low level of human innovation, lack of entrepreneurship and economic downturn. In the course of our student’s research, we tried to analyse the history and the structure of the town, the social disorders, and the possibilities that can help Salgótarján to re-develop.