At the annual celebration of Hungarian local development, 19 inspiring and exemplary projects from numerous applications have earned recognition in the field. One of the 19 winners is the Municipality of the 18th district of Budapest – Pestszentlőrinc-Pestszentimre, with their InnoK Innovation Center project.

Together, once again, we have proven that local governments, exerting their strength, carry out quality and essential development work.

The exemplary project of the 18th district of Budapest: a comprehensive social program to stop and reverse the socio-physical-economic decline among working-age adults; social community development has been awarded a special prize.

More and more places recognize the importance of social capital, that is, the familial, friendly, or communal resources that are essential for achieving our goals and living a happy life. Generally, disadvantaged and low-educated social groups are not only burdened by the lack of economic resources; they also do not have the appropriate social capital, making it almost impossible for them to catch up. In the 18th district of Budapest, a complex initiative carried out by 8 consortium partners aimed to formulate effective responses to this issue. The project, focused on architectural and social urban rehabilitation, sought to strengthen the cohesion of the local community through the neighborhood community gardens. Part of this included the utilization of unused areas, as well as organizing programs that involve people of various age groups. They aimed to provide space for community building, both physically and metaphorically, and to acquire new knowledge and skills, thereby strengthening social capital. Based on all of this, the jury acknowledges the achievements of the project with a Special Award for Social Community Development.

The award was received by László Rónavári-Kedves, Deputy CEO of Városrehabilitáció18 Nonprofit Zrt. and Director of Budapest 18 InnoK – Innovation and Knowledge Management Center.