Food production became particularly challenging in our current food system under the conditions of the ecological crisis, including climate change. According to our political-ecological approach, landscape transformations and the everyday experiences of agricultural producers are partly the result of uneven geographical development and vice versa, industrial agriculture contributes to uneven development through the production of nature and landscape. By focusing on one of Hungary’s most vulnerable landscapes undergoing profound land use transformation, the Sand Ridge within the Danube–Tisza Interfluve, we aim (1) to trace the production of nature and accompanied landscape transformation caused by extractivist practices (industrial agriculture, forestry, solar extractivism) and the integration into global food systems; (2) to reveal the experiences of farmersand (3) the ways farming can contribute to landscape regeneration and food system transformation. Based on documentary and GIS data analysis, expert (11), oral history (23) and focus-group (2) interviews with farmers and farmworkers our research shows that the aridification of the Sand Ridge is not only caused by seemingly “external” processes of climate change, but by “internal” processes of extractivist agricultural production which is interlinked with the world economy through trade. Historically, agricultural landscapes have been produced through trade relations integrated into the global economy, increasing aridification through drainage and large-scale afforestation, both resulting in the marginalization of pasturing as a livelihood system. The recent emergence of the Sand Ridge as an energy periphery under solar extractivism contributes to the further marginalization of pasturing and small-scale food production. Landscape regeneration and food system transformation goes hand in hand. Regenerative practices in agriculture are hindered by how the Sand Ridge is integrated to the global economy. Still, small-scale farmers (and pastoralists) have agency in regenerating the landscape through building regionally more embedded food system alternatives.
Under state socialist planning, large housing estates were built as inclusive, community-centred environments. These spaces were particularly safe for women and children, reinforced by intense social control and close neighbourhood ties. Our study examines the transformation and use of public spaces in post-socialist housing estates, with a particular focus on vulnerable social groups. The research sample area was the Central Housing Estate of Budapest-Pesterzsébet (20th district). The research is based on a complex methodology; in addition to secondary methods, we conducted quantitative and qualitative primary research (resident questionnaire survey, walking interviews/in-depth field interviews, mental map studies, and mapping of pedestrian movement patterns). According to our findings, community areas that were previously actively used have now mostly become underused, neglected spaces that pose a risk to safety. These changes particularly affect young and middle-aged women and young people, limiting their movement and participation in urban life. Research on pedestrian space utilisation has shown that residents‘ spatial movement basically follows traditional routes, avoiding originally protected and traffic-free routes. This proves that socially oriented planning and the physical infrastructure created as a result do not, in themselves, guarantee the creation of inclusive, safe spaces that can be occupied by communities. A static public space that maintains its former characteristics can lose its social base. For the population to return to community areas, it is necessary to conduct a detailed assessment of the needs of different age groups and genders, and to take them into account in urban planning and development.
There are many quantitative analyses focusing on regional differences in Europe including Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). However, while in the West, there are running discussions on theories of uneven development aiming at understanding causes of inequalities, analyses from CEE are scarcely linked to these theoretical debates.The aim of this paper is to join the discussions on uneven development by exploring statistically measurable characteristics, driving forces and courses of it. A quantitative analysis grounded in a political economy approach methodologically and the uneven development framework theoretically is presented with a focus on the evolution of spaces and places of underdevelopment. The comparative analysis covers countries of CEE and situates the findings within the broader context of uneven development on the European semi-periphery. The article demonstrates how uneven development provides a powerful framework for understanding regional inequalities in CEE. The results indicate spatial differentiation since the early 1990s, characterized by simultaneous processes of equalization and differentiation across geographic space. The findings suggest that these inequalities are not temporary or accidental, but rather reflect an inherent mode of operation of capitalist development in the region.
