During the survey, 1,000 respondents were asked to view the reconstruction plans of Budapest’s city park and then to evaluate the building plans and the project itself.

In knowledge of the actual plans, 70% of respondents said they backed the project, with support even higher among young people, those raising children and those living near City Park, Inspira said.

The House of Hungarian Innovation and the New National Gallery had the support of 81% and 72% of respondents, respectively, and 72% said the new buildings would be an improvement on the park’s current condition.

László Baán, the commissioner in charge of the project, said the survey had shown that “an overwhelming majority of Budapest residents agrees with the project and supports it when asked about its true content and goals.”

The project would rehabilitate green areas which have been neglected for decades, Baán said, alongside breaking up paved surfaces to raise green areas from 60% of the park to 65%. Reconstruction of hundred-year-old buildings within the park and the construction of new ones is also part of the plan, he said.

The Budapest city leadership has indicated that it opposes granting construction licences to certain projects within the overall investment that not yet received the go-ahead.

MTI Photo