CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2007
| Author | Kirschenbaum, Agnes |
|---|---|
| Title | THE STORY OF A COMMUNITY BASED GREENWAY INITIATIVE: RURAL LIVELIHOODS AND THE ON OUR HERITAGE TRAIL GREENWAY, HUNGARY |
| Summary | Greenway developments are a global phenomenon and, apart from a number of common underlying principles such as the support of non-motorised transportation, they can take on numerous forms and have various multipurpose objectives depending on the local context. In Central and Eastern Europe, greenway programs aim to link local community initiatives through a shared vision that encourages people to find local solutions to problems. The aim of this thesis is to analyse the potential benefits and challenges of a young greenway initiative in Hungary - the ‘On Our Heritage Trail Greenway’ (OHTG) - to rural livelihoods. Interviews with core initiators, organisers and decision makers of the OHTG, and a questionnaire of 139 people from three selected villages involved in the initiative were conducted. While all three villages face rural deprivation, a lack of local employment opportunities, as well as vanishing local traditions and social ties, they are heterogeneous in terms of means, possibilities and endowments. This has to be borne in mind for the further development of the initiative in order not to endanger one of the actual benefits of the OHTG, i.e. strong cooperation which has developed between the villages. Other realised benefits of the initiative are: reduced geographic and social isolation between communities; development of local leadership and responsibility as well as new ideas and initiatives; mending of disrupted social ties and local traditions; and enhancement of a healthier lifestyle among young people. Most of the identified potential future benefits, which can enrich local people’s lives and enhance a more stable demographic structure include development of small scale community based tourism, enhanced nature as well as local culture and heritage protection. The OHTG’s potential to promote the production and sale of local heritage products is not yet fully understood by the local population. For this and other reasons, better information dissemination, involvement of a broader range of the local population and the continuity of external support and organisation of local events/initiatives is crucial for on-going success. It must be recognised that local community-based initiatives produce long-term benefits through small-step changes and developments. In this respect persistence and patience are two key factors. The thesis provides useful baseline information for monitoring temporal changes and achievements specifically for the OHTG, and generally for other greenway or rural revitalisation initiatives, that will help to understand outcomes and contribute to developing more flexible and adaptive management of such schemes. |
| Supervisor | Anthony, Brandon P. |
| Department | Environment Sciences and Policy MSc |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2007/kirschenbaum_agnes.pdf |
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