The transformation of Budapest quays has been on the agenda for years. While the city administration planned the widening of the roadway in the previous years, now a green turn happened. Newest plans promise a greener and friendlier city than ever by giving back the Danube shores to people. Let's see how the Buda side of the Danube would change if the winner plan would be really built.

The plan would rationalize transportation, thus frees up a lot of space from vehicle traffic. Clearly, the goal is to give back the Danube to people. Designers identified 9 distinct areas that have big differences in their character and the traditional function of neighborhoods. The specific features of these 9 areas were taken into consideration when designing the four action areas:

In the north, opposite to Margaret Island, the emphasis was placed on play, leisure and water, as there are many bathing and other recreational facilities. It is planned to create new pedestrian areas through the rationalization of transport; they planned a car-free promenade along the Danube from Margaret Bridge to Zsigmond Square, and a stepped embankment would ensure the accessibility of the Danube. The most fascinating idea in this area is a broken-line pedestrian bridge leading to the Margaret Island, meaning that the island could be approached in the middle, at least from Buda.

In the area of Lukács Bath, the water will be the central element. There will also be an increase in pedestrian and recreational areas, new parks (in front of the Lukács bath) and pedestrian areas on the shore would be built. Transport would also be rationalized, they plan a huge underground parking instead of the now available surface parking. In addition, designers would install special water plants in Elvis Presley Park.

The next major unit of the plan is the Bem Square and the Fő Street area. Here, due to the dense buildings, they concentrated mostly on the transformation of Bem Square, to make it more livable and increasing the park area. With some traffic rearrangement, a wider, woody promenade would be created on the Fő Street. In the south, Lágymányosi area, the Műegyetem quay would be one of the "victims" of the transformation: a park would replace the parking lot on the Danube side, thus making the paved road narrower.

We really like this plan, because it brings the city closer to water and people, and pedestrian traffic gets priority. What do you think?