SynchroNodes¹

After a paradigm shift in the theory and praxis of urban planning in the 1970s, Modernist renewal strategies were increasingly criticised, and the values of the historical city began to be recognised. At the same time, shortcomings of the historical housing stock were identified, which needed to be addressed to meet the rising standards of well-being and comfort. The human scale and adaptability of historical quarters made them well suited for retrofitting, and made demolitions questionable. As part of a more sustainable reconceptualisation, urban planners raised the demand for a more compact development and the efficient connection of historical urban areas (such as from the Gründerzeit² and earlier) with newly built areas of the 20th century. The reconceptualisation of urban planning, with its focus on integrating old and new elements, had to adapt to a well-established legal framework shaped by long-term institutional and regulatory developments. At the same time, it had to respond to the redefinition of the historical city centre as a place of memory, which led to increased recognition of architectural values and the cityscape, reflected in the introduction of monument protection measures at various levels. The outer districts³ of Vienna and Budapest, similarly to other European cities, show a variety of architectural styles and results of urban planning approaches of many periods. Although these areas are less discussed in the literature, they provide opportunities to serve as a transition zone between the inner city and the agglomeration. They host spatial-, functional-, and social mixtures⁴, materialising in a building stock from various construction periods. These places offer a distinct identity and culture that often receives little attention at the city level. The conceptualisation of outer districts in the cities’ urban planning documents remains rather schematic, although they already provide a substance that requires less new construction, more rehabilitation and targeted interventions in immaterial features to enhance livability. Potentially, some of these areas can become local urban centres that connect surrounding municipalities with the inner city, not just in economic, but also in cultural terms. The identification and targeted development of local urban centres can contribute to strengthening place identity and belonging, as well as livability in outer districts. Inspired by international examples, the author aims to find a definition of local urban centres based on built and unbuilt features, starting by analysing the historical city of Vienna and Budapest, then moving on to finding methods for incorporating outer districts and connecting them with the inner city, as well as the agglomeration. To illustrate this, the development of selected outer districts⁵ will be examined from the perspective of how old and new elements contribute to the development of urbanity and place identity. Besides the urban morphological, architectural- and technological features, the definition considers unbuilt features, such as the legal framework, as well as cultural facilities and events. Many of such “invisible layers” will be considered for the definition, some of them representing time-related variables. Therefore, instead of providing a static definition, the aim is to provide a more dynamic conceptualisation that considers the ever-changing circumstances in urban environments.

¹ A synchronode = node + synchronization. It’s not just a place or point, but an eventful moment of connection — more complex, dynamic, and time-sensitive than a regular node.
² A period of industrialisation and urbanisation between 1848-1918 in Austria and 1867-1918 in Hungary.
³ In Vienna, outside the Gürtel; in Budapest, outside the Great Ring Road.
⁴ Psenner, A. (2024). Urbane Mischung historisch betrachtet. Der Wiener Zinshaustypus als Ermöglicher und Treiber für städtische Mixturen. In C. Peer & A. Psenner, Urbane Mixturen. Städtebau und Stadtplanung als relationales Handlungsfeld.: Vol. Urban Studies (pp. 58–86). Transkript.
⁵ 10th district Vienna, outside the Gürtel; 8th district in Budapest, district parts outside the Great Ring Road.