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In a Facebook post marking the seventh anniversary of his election, Karácsony said projects and investments underway were laying the foundations for “a Budapest of the future — for the next 130 years.”
For six of the past seven years, the city had fought to maintain its ability to operate and protect its values against what he described as “the Orbán government’s anti-Budapest policies,” which had prevented necessary changes.
“Now, the time for this change has arrived; in this sense, these seven years truly mark a turning point,” he said.
“We are under time pressure: we must make up for the lag caused by the Orbán government, while the rules governing the use of EU funds, which are finally arriving, also impose strict time constraints.”
Among the planned investments, Karácsony listed interconnected tram networks in Buda and subsequently Pest, the renewal of the Grand Boulevard and Pest’s lower Danube embankment, and the greening of City Hall Park.
He also mentioned extending metro line M3, the Student City project and launching the Rákosrendező development.
Further plans include park improvements in City Park, Városmajor, Gellért Hill and along the Római embankment, upgrades to the HÉV suburban railway network, new trams and electric buses, and preparations to renovate deteriorating roads.
Public transport is being organized on a regional basis to reduce the number of cars entering Budapest, Karácsony said. A unified parking system would support that strategy.
“All of this will serve the interests of Budapest and its residents, in both the suburbs and the city centre,” he said.
The mayor also highlighted the need to address manifestations of a deep social crisis in the capital.
Public safety concerns would be tackled in cooperation with police, while a plan to revive the solidarity fund would address the underlying causes of the social crisis, he said.
“Over the first seven years, despite many struggles, we successfully defended our city’s values and its ability to function,” Karácsony said. “So now, the years of Budapest’s development and renewal can begin.”
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