Népliget

Népliget is the largest (129ha) historic park ofBudapest. Due to the poor amount of neighbouring living areas and the lack offunctions, over time the park has become one of the most neglected parks ofBudapest, a dangerous no-go park in the minds of people. As of this problematicthe municipality of Budapest invited entries for a competition for the renewalof Népliget, the People’s Park. In our definition our main task is to putNépliget park on the mental map of city dwellers by bringing life to the parkin the daily use by finding the park’s own unique identity.

When visiting Népliget one is surprised to find a thriving urban forest in the middle of the city. Hence the starting point ofthe concept became the adequate degree of utilization of the almost perfect existing. Taking all existing historic layers (like historic pathways and built elements of all ages) and all existing natural layers (urban forest and thesystem of clearings)

and adding contemporary layers of educational and recreational functions, a new mental map of Népliget is created, where the unique identity can be found in understanding and enhancing what is already there. This idea is also underpinned historically: „while Városliget is amodern urban park, Népliget is more of an urban forest, where there is lessentertainment, but where one can take pleasure in nature.” (Árpád Kardos,1906.) Opposed to creating spectacles for entertainmentfor itself we opted to define Népliget as an educational park of the 21stcentury that promotes democratic values, where nature thrives, and which triesto be an ecologically and economically a self-sustaining system and aims tohelp citizens in adapting to new lifestyles due to climate change in the 21stcentury.Through the long-term, processed-based regeneration proposal of ourconcept, we believe that Népliget will truly become the People’s Park in theeveryday life, from the beginning of the process to the end.

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