TÁJTÉKA

Our project takes place on the Balaton Uplands between 2021-2023, in the framework of the Veszprém-Balaton 2023 European Capital of Culture program. 

Our aim

The project aims to start a dialogue about the Veszprém and Balaton Uplands region’s intelligent land use. It tries to connect and help stakeholders: local entrepreneurs and residents, newcomers and those arriving with recreational purposes.

What we mean by smart landscape management

Sustainable lifestyles and farming practices, the preservation and adaptive change of traditions, experimental attitudes, and intergenerational cooperations.

What we do

We research and showcase characteristics of the region’s landscape management, model practices, and the role of communities. We collaborate with local communities and develop model projects from the joint experiences. We also develop suggestions and toolkits of practical use on how to develop attachments to a historical landscape, and at the same time establish sustainable and renewable lifestyles and communal land use practices.

The TÁJTÉKA toolkit consists of three elements based on intensive community participation as well as professional workshops and research:

The Future Vision of the Balaton Uplands

The first volume of the TÁJTÉKA toolkit explores the region's vision for the future through the themes of sustainable farms, living traditions, experimental attitudes, and intergenerational communities while emphasizing the role of communities in intelligent land use.

The mapping of patterns, best practices and local actors through interviews, research, and analysis of survey results in nearly forty municipalities in the focus area provided the basis for the recommendations and future scenarios.

Welcome to the Balaton Uplands

In the development of the content of the second volume of the TÁJTÉKA toolkit, we count on the contribution of local decision-makers, architects, landscape architects, active entrepreneurs and farmers, as well as cultural organisers, as they are the ones who have first-hand experience and knowledge of the processes and developments taking place in the region. Utilizing their knowledge, we aim to develop a cultural landscape management guide that will be useful for residents, newcomers, visitors, decision-makers and entrepreneurs alike.

Let’s learn from the Balaton Uplands!

Step into the captivating finale of our toolkit, where two years of immersive research, dynamic networking, and vibrant cultural programs converge to unveil the Balaton Uplands' captivating heritage and future. This volume is a tapestry of insights, featuring interviews with authentic opinion builders who are not just shaping the present but also crafting the future of this region.

Unveil potential pathways for the future of Balaton Uplands and discover actionable advice on how to navigate or reshape these trajectories. This isn't just a book – it's a compass pointing toward sustainable community initiatives, offering practical tools for local communities to infuse their endeavors with the richness of local values.

Join us on this journey as we synthesize knowledge, ignite possibilities, and empower communities to create a future that resonates with the spirit of the Balaton Uplands.

Best practices

We are constantly adding new initiatives, communities and businesses to our database of good practices that contribute to a more sustainable and better-quality lifestyle in the Veszprém-Balaton region and can serve as examples to follow throughout Hungary. Our database is accessible through an online platform. In addition to the examples we collected during on-site research, anyone can submit their suggestions via an online form.

The significant increase in construction activity in the region is closely linked to land use both from an aesthetic, ecological and social point of view. For this reason, we consider it especially important to create a forum for professionals involved in architecture, landscape architecture and urban planning at the Balaton Uplands. The aim of these public events is to promote discussion between professionals and locals about contemporary challenges of architecture and land use while fostering cooperation and knowledge transfer even beyond the European Capital of Culture year.

2023 is all about learning and trying out community practices based on the methodology of the Contemporary Architecture Centre. Based on local resources, we will organize building camps, educational programs for children and heritage walks with locals. We do all this with the aim of engaging local communities to learn about the surrounding landscape, the processes that take place in it, to understand its phenomena - and to learn to shape its future with a shared sense of purpose. The priority objective of TÁJTÉKA is to ensure the sustainability of the programs and partnerships. In other words, our aim is to initiate cooperations that can be continued beyond 2023. The results and methodologies of the events will be made public and transparent, thus facilitating and supporting their continuation and transfer.

The project is supported by the Veszprém-Balaton 2023 European Capital of Culture program.