Regional Development Perspectives of Production and Utilisation Renewable Fuels in Hungary

The main aim of the present article is to highlight the regional development perspectives of production and utilization renewable energy fuels in Hungary. Due to our model it is possible to examine the relations between the terms mentioned above. In the model area the most significant elements are highlighted in relation to renewable fuels and sustainability. It implies the importance of holistic approach that is crucial in these investigations. Only marginal attention is paid to the regional impacts of renewable fuels. Taking every result into account, this methodologically complex subject is possible to examine from the point of sustainability. Sustainable development can not be grasped easily, but the production and utilization of renewable fuels can be one of the tools to further the practical implementation of regional sustainability

Modified Scorecard Method for Evaluating Climate Aspects of Urban Transport Systems

Vulnerability of urban transport systems require actions for increasing adaptive capacity of them and for taking steps towards resilient and sustainable urban areas. Since transportation seems to be a largely mitigation-aimed area, moreover there is an imbalance between mitigation and adaptation measures in this sector, this paper focusing on adaptation-oriented indicators regarding urban transportation. For this purpose, a widely used Balanced Scorecard model has been applied by involving anticipated climate impacts and by modifying the base model. The main aim of present study is to develop set of indicators for setting the ground for a future assessment of adaptive capacity of urban transportation sector in Hungarian cities

Sustainability Indicators in Assessing Urban Transport Systems

Transport systems are key elements of urban areas, therefore their sustainability has a pivotal role in achieving complex urban sustainability. Nowadays the assessment of urban sustainability is a hotspot in different scientific fields despite of lack of comprehensive and widely accepted definitions of both urban sustainability and sustainable transportation. The use of divergent indicators for evaluating sustainable urban transportation has been emerged as a core of urban studies. The main aims of this paper is to analyze sets of sustainable urban transport indicators developed in the scientific area worldwide, to collect variables for assessing urban transport sustainability in Hungary, finally to do recommendations in order to be able to evaluate sustainability of transport systems in Hungarian urban areas in a more effective manner

EVALUATION OF THE SUSTAINABILITY OF SETTLEMENTS

The present study investigates the realization of sustainability - which is a way of thinking, life, production and consumption that could guarantee the survival of modern society - on local, settlement level with the help of different comparative methods. The scope of investigation includes two cities (Debrecen and Nagyvárad) and the settlements of a subregion. The goal of the analysis is to assess comparatively two different types of sustainability attempts and to introduce an assessment system. Accordingly we are trying to compare the long-term development concept of Debrecen city and county center and the Local Agenda 21 programme of Nagyvárad city, located near the Hungarian border. It is to be answered whether a local sustainability programme prepared according to the regulation (LA-21) or decisions made by the local, responsibly thinking city leaders lead to the realization of a liveable settlement. The assessment method serves to evaluate settlements from the aspect of sustainability and to determine the directions of development with the application of an expert rating method. The latter - settlement level measurement and assessment of sustainability - enables settlements to find the way to sustainability, providing a compass for the realization, taking into account the system of complex relations of sustainability, serving as a basis for subregional, municipal and other decision-making

Investment optimisation for the reduction of the emissions of settlements

In the compensation of the effects of global climate change, mitigation is always a key issue. The initiatives towards this goal are usually nationwide, and restricted to large scale facilities, although households, small settlements and subregions also contribute to the reduction of emissions, which - among others - could be realised by investments and developments. The optimisation of the investments aimed toward local environmental-economical and climate protection goals could help the decision makers to assemble an environmentally friendly, climate conscious and cost-effective investment portfolio. These local endeavours and solutions fully correspond to the international and domestic climate protection efforts. In this paper, we would like to introduce the dynamic optimisation of environmental investments of local and subregional settlement development. This only differs from the optimisation methods used in economics for investment and production optimisation methods in the boundary conditions applied . We used boundary conditions related to environmental and climate protection and adaptation