BUDAPEST -

BUDAPEST: Healthy Streets Knowledge Centre

Budapest is reshaping urban spaces through the adaption and scaling of the Healthy Streets methodology, creating safer, healthier, and climate-resilient public spaces.

The UP2030 Budapest pilot introduces the Healthy Streets Knowledge Centre, a collaborative hub that embeds climate-conscious, people-focused planning into urban development.

By adapting and scaling the Healthy Streets methodology, the city aims to create healthier, greener, and more inclusive public spaces that contribute to long-term urban resilience.

The Knowledge Centre now serves as a citywide platform promoting consistent, sustainable urban design practices. Its development is closely tied to the city’s vision of liveability, resilience, and equitable access to quality public space.

Budapest’s Integrated Development Strategy and Climate Action Plan underpin this effort.

Key Actions and Features:

Methodology upscaling:

The Healthy Streets approach is being integrated into urban planning at the city and district levels.

Capacity building:

Workshops, webinars, and tailored guides foster professional development among urban planners and designers.

Knowledge Centre launch:

The city launched the platform of the Centre in March 2025 which is publicly accessible via the city’s website. The platform will serve as a communication tool and database to guide Healthy Streets implementation and upscaling in the city.

Knowledge Centre sustainability:

Founding members defined key goals and tasks and will develop a strategy and action plans.

Community engagement:

Through participatory tools and platforms, citizens, districts, and local businesses are actively involved in shaping public spaces.

Who Benefits?

Urban planners, local communities, district officials, designers, and other relevant stakeholders, such as local businesses.

Impact and Long Term Vision

The Healthy Streets Knowledge Centre offers a scalable and transferable model for cities across Europe. It strengthens the link between policy, practice, and public engagement in sustainable urban planning. The platform ensures open access to methodologies, case studies, participatory tools, and training materials, all in Hungarian (with a few exceptions), tailored for local implementation.

The People and Tools Behind the Prototype

Municipality of Budapest, Budapesti Közlekedési Központ (BKK), and Budapest Főváros Városépítési Tervező (BFVT): Leading development and implementation.
Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI): Coordination and advisory support.
Mapping for Change (MfC): Delivered Community Maps for citizen feedback on green spaces.
Design Clips (DC): Developing youth engagement materials for schools.
Institute for Urban Excellence: Providing storytelling tools for community-led planning.
Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and Centre for Research & Technology Hellas (CERTH): Creating Neutrality Story Maps to visually communicate climate challenges and solutions.
adelphi and Delft University of Technology (TUDelft): Supporting governance and justice components.

Leading development and implementation.

Coordination and advisory support.

Delivered Community Maps for citizen feedback on green spaces.

Developing youth engagement materials for schools.

Providing storytelling tools for community-led planning.

Creating Neutrality Story Maps to visually communicate climate challenges and solutions.

Supporting governance and justice components.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. This project has received funding from the Horizon Innovation Actions under the grant agreement n° 101096405.