Search

Cities across the globe perceive their opportunities for digital transition pathways. This paper presents a project and strategy-based assessment of smart city ambitions in the light of sustainable urban development pathways in the European Union capitals considering the programming period 2014-2020. The purpose of the research is to understand better the smart city trends in Europe and identify any correlation between smart city and sustainability ambitions through the European capitals. The basis of the research was the official project result platforms of European funds with priorities related to smart cities. The collected best practices of transnational smart city projects provide statistics from the previous programming period and draw attention to the developing trends of smart city functions and the activity level of European capitals in the digital transition. Results show that between 2014 and 2020 nearly half of the capitals owned a specific smart city strategic document. Evaluating the smart urban performance of the capitals, it can be stated that most smart solutions were implemented related to mobility and environment in the previous period. Furthermore, it was also considered whether smart city projects could facilitate the shift toward sustainability. Based on the assessment of their planning strategies, a complex image of the European capitals has been revealed in their smart city development concepts; their strategic-level planning can be understood better, which is essential for policymaking in the era of digitalisation, identifying synergies with sustainable urban development ambitions, and monitoring the reached targets at the city level.

In the present research, we examined the effects of the challenges posed by the digital world on Hungary, with special emphasis on the relationship between human resources and innovation affecting SMEs through aspects of the digital world. The study seeks to answer the question of whether the gross domestic product (GDP) and indicators of social processes influence digital maturity, and whether the digital maturity of small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) is related to their productivity and profitability. The evaluation focuses on and presents indicators that may affect the competitiveness of the study area. Using each indicator, we provide an overview of the changes in competitiveness in recent years in the context of digital transformation. The data on the competitiveness performance highlights the current situation of Hungary within the Visegrad Group countries, especially the strengths and shortcomings of the actors in the Hungarian SME sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, several forward-looking initiatives have been taken in the direction of digital and sustainability transitions. Digitalisation is also gaining importance in EU, national agricultural and rural development policies, as it can enhance all three dimensions of sustainability and can lead to more efficient agricultural production and development. In this study, we conducted a consistency analysis to identify the interdependencies, impacts, and possible contradictions between the strategic objectives. The analysis compares the EU Common Agricultural Policy objectives with the Second Climate Change Strategy of Hungary (NCCS-2), the National Framework Strategy on Sustainable Development (NFSSD), the National Digital Agricultural Strategy (NDAS), and the National Rural Strategy (NRS) and explores the policy linkages between digital and sustainability transitions. The strategy documents are examined hierarchically between the EU and national levels, with a particular focus on the sector's important role in climate change mitigation and adaptation-related processes. The results can support the emergence of innovative solutions and activities in rural areas and can contribute to improving the competitiveness of the agricultural sector, thereby supporting both the decision-making process and the achievement of rural sustainability ambitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourism can play a pivotal role in relation to spatial development perspectives, regional processes, and the efficient use of different kinds of resources. It is no different in Central Eastern Europe; tourism frequently plays such a role in Hungary, especially in the case of areas with disadvantaged spatial conditions. In this paper, the effect of tourism on the region as a primary source of income is investigated. The research hypothesis is that Philippe Martin's regional economic model could be modified to describe the spatial effects of tourism. According to the research hypothesis, the methodology of the original and a modified Philippe Martin model is shown in the second part of this paper, and this is followed by the modelling results. In the case of the Hungarian research area, a detailed analysis of statistics is shown. The spatial focus of this paper is on Lake Tisza in Hungary, which has a unique character. On the other hand, it is rich in both natural capital and disadvantaged areas when socio-economic conditions are considered. The research results showed that the predefined scenarios of the Philippe Martin model individually do not correctly describe the effect of tourism, but taken together could explain the economic impacts of tourism. Tourism has the same effect as a combination of monetary transfer from the wealthy regions to the impoverished area, a diminution of transaction costs within the impoverished region, and a slight increase in the cost of innovation or a small decrease in diffusion of innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Modern Geográfia is the property of Publikon Publishers/ IDResearch Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Digital transformation poses a number of new competitive opportunities and threats at micro and macro levels. The rapid and intensive transformation affects the everyday life of countries, cities and companies alike. These changes affect all the pillars of sustainability, including the economy, society and the environment. The research presents these effects, focusing on the evolution of the CIMI index for European capitals. According to the research hypothesis, owing to the digital transformation, smart and sustainable urban development may be synchonised and synergistically boost each other; in order to prove this, the authors modified the index and created the CIMIS index, which highlights the connection between sustainability and digital transformation in the capitals. Accordingly, the selected cities have been ranked and then categorized. This illustrates the strengths and opportunities of the selected cities according to delimited indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the research, we have developed an operational concept based on new energy generation devices, which, in addition to providing heat and electricity, guarantees uninterrupted supply locally and the sale of system services off-site. Based on international experience in the sector, the overall business concept needs to be developed for successful pilot projects. The trends in the technical-economic and regulatory environment examined show that the direction of change, with uncertain outcomes today, is unanimous: they all support the market penetration and the continued profitability of small-scale power plant devices suitable for secondary regulation. An important task is to identify unique elements in the value propositions. The aim of the research is to identify which of the factors such as realized price differential, heat-side revenues, generation utilization, optimized plant operation, scaling, etc. have an impact on the investment, operation, as well as the overall business model and profitability, and to what extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, urban areas are increasingly identified as strategic fields of climate change-related actions. Climate change is an increasingly complex challenge for these territories. Tackling climate change, moreover, in a sustainable way, is a priority in the European Union, which has set several ambitious short- and long-term mitigation, adaptation, and sustainability targets. It is a central issue of how society can respond to the climate emergency that is affected by and depends on the vertical and horizontal interrelations among different stakeholders, organizations, governance actors, etc., and their activities. Countries, regions, counties, and cities around the world react by developing climate strategies. The operationalization of the high-level political agreements and discourses is uncertain, and the policies in practice should also be evaluated on regional and city levels, just as the milestones of related strategic planning processes fostering local adaptive capacity. According to regional and urban governance, it is pivotal addressing not only mitigation but adaptation issues to be able to foster sustainable regional development, also considering the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) specified in the Agenda 2030. Adaptation to climate change is increasingly becoming a priority for policy action. It also has high relevance to find the synergic interrelations towards an adaptive future. This paper evaluates the recent changes in Hungarian regional and urban planning in relation to climate policy approach and reports a state of adaptation oriented spatial planning on NUTS-3 (Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics) and LAU-1 (Local Administrative Units) levels. The results are based on the collection of all relevant climate change-related strategic documents on these levels in Hungary and on the analysis of specific information. There is a lack of knowledge related to the comprehensive adaptation policy and planning on regional and local levels in Hungary. The results of the evaluation show the state-of-art knowledge related to possible adaptation pathways and the various engagement level for climate policy approach on different spatial levels in Hungary. In the case of the examined research area, the development of more mitigation oriented planning documents and low level of adaptation measures and monitoring process management tools is seen as critical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]