The Balaton region is Hungary’s most important recreational area, known for Central Europe’s largest freshwater lake and its traditional vineyard and horticultural landscapes. Since 1990, vineyard and orchard abandonment and intensified shoreline urbanization have increasingly threatened both landscape character and ecological balance. This study analyses land-use changes in the Balaton hinterland and evaluates the effectiveness of regional land-use regulation between 1990 and 2018, with a focus on the 2000 Balaton Law (BKÜRT), which sought to preserve traditional land uses by permitting construction only where at least 80% of vineyard parcels remained cultivated. Spatial–temporal analysis was based on CORINE Land Cover (CLC) data from 1990 to 2018, supplemented by change layers from the Copernicus Land Monitoring Service. The CORINE Land Cover classification is a three-level hierarchical system (5 Level-1 groups, 15 Level-2 classes, and 44 Level-3 classes) developed by the EEA to provide standardized, satellite-based land cover information across Europe. Land cover was aggregated into major categories (using Level-1 and Level-2 classes) relevant to the Hungarian landscape. To address CLC limitations related to representing vineyards as relatively homogeneous units despite substantial differences in the density and scale of built structures, detailed case studies were conducted in three C1 vineyard zones—Alsóörs, Paloznak, and Szentantalfa—using historical aerial photographs, Google Earth imagery, and the Hungarian Ecosystem Map (NÖSZTÉP). Despite the restrictive regulatory framework, the CLC database showed that the share of vineyards in the vineyard regulation zone (C-1, C-2) decreased between 1990 and 2018 from 45.4% to 35.8% (the share of gardens and fruit plantations had changed from 9.7% to 15.5%). In the whole Balaton region, there was an approximately 18% decline in vineyard areas. Considering the M-2 horticultural zone, the garden coverage increased from 18.9% in 1990 (17.7% in 2000) to 30.5% (share of vineyards changed from 54.3% (54.6% in 2000) to 38.8%). At the regional level, gardens and fruit plantations had a smaller decrease (3.2%). Although overall trends were more favorable than at the national level, regulatory measures proved insufficient to prevent the conversion of vineyards and orchards in sensitive areas, particularly on slopes overlooking the lake, in proximity to tourist hubs, and in areas exposed to strong development pressure. By 2018, the C1 zone had expanded spatially but became less targeted, as the proportion of vineyards within it decreased. Boundary refinements failed to substantially improve regulatory precision or effectiveness. The case studies reveal a gradient of regulatory strictness reflecting differing landscape protection priorities and stages of vineyard transformation, with Alsóörs responding to long-standing, partly irreversible changes while attempting to slow further landscape alteration. To counter ongoing negative trends, more targeted and enforceable regulations are required, including a clearer separation of cultivated and recreational land uses, a maximum building size of 80 m² for recreational properties, and a reassessment of vineyard zone boundaries to better reflect active cultivation and protect sensitive landscapes.

The SaveGREEN INTERREG project aims to help conserve or improve ecological corridors through integrated planning and to raise awareness of the different types of appropriate mitigation measures. In connection with the SaveGREEN project and in the framework of the university educational program of landscape architecture students, we prepared a complex landscape assessment and landscape development plan for the planned M2 border area. The SaveGREEN project builds on the results of the TRANSGREEN, ConnectGREEN and HARMON DTP projects. The project focuses on the study areas of the partner countries: the Alpine-Carpathian corridor, the South-Western Carpathians, the Zakarpattya, Beskid, Lyulin and Balkan Mountains and the critical ecological corridors of the planned M2 area in Hungary, which are most affected by transport infrastructure and unsustainable land use. In our study, we present a complex assessment of the Hungarian study area, with a special focus on the assessment of ecological corridors crossing the route of the planned M2 motorway.

The open spaces used by the Roma community in Hungary, as well as their often segregated residential areas, generally bear the hallmarks of poverty and the distinctive Roma culture. The coexistence of communities with different cultural backgrounds can be a source of conflict due to distinct land-use patterns, and conflicts may reinforce segregation processes, which can lead to the marginalization of certain communities. The results of this study help address the challenges facing urban planning by providing a deeper understanding of the specific space usage of different Roma groups through an examination of two distinct rural towns inhabited by various Roma groups. One of them is a segregated section close to a small-town near Budapest, the other is a village located in south-western Hungary. The review of literature on settlement patterns and plot structures is complemented by the information from group and individual interviews as well as field surveys. The main outcome of the research is the documentation of observed characteristics, as well as a description of the effectiveness of the implemented openspace developments and a presentation of the experiences gained. The land-use patterns of the different Roma communities presented in the study also highlighted the importance of developing a thorough understanding of the specific settlement, neighbourhood, and community in question before undertaking any urban development initiatives.