Suburban Sustainability in Budapest Agglomeration. The Case of Törökbálint

The rapid growth of the metropolitan area around Budapest has led to increased traffic, infrastructure problems, and social and economic issues in the suburbs, making the sustainability of these areas a key topic in professional and public discussions. This article aims to explore the intricacies of sustainability in a suburban town by utilizing the Smart Growth framework, which is highly pertinent in Hungary. The focus of scientific and public discussions revolves around urban planning to curb urban sprawl and enhance public transportation usage. Our analysis concentrates on compactness, commuting, and community, utilizing quantitative survey data between 2018 and 2023. Our findings demonstrate that the town under analysis is dense regarding common and regular services, but depends significantly on the central area for more specialized services. The local community is tightly interconnected and shows no evidence of atomization. The commuting patterns show that polycentricity leads to new spatial connections and a growing reliance on cars, even while the quantity of vehicles is still growing. These results indicate that assessing the sustainability of suburbs may not be universally applicable, and examination should be conducted at the town level. Secondly, the sustainability of suburban areas may be distinct from the sustainability of denser, urbanized places.