Exploratory Analysis of Urban Sustainability by Applying a Strategy-Based Tailor-Made Weighting Method

Abstract

The Hungarian cities are rarely analyzed in current urban studies, especially in terms of urban sustainability. The present study aimed at analyzing the Hungarian county seats by comparing them through economic, social, and environmental indicators, which cover a broad spectrum of urban sustainability by applying independent indicators. Altogether 30 variables have been involved from 2014 and 2018–2019 to reveal the regional pattern of urban sustainability among the Hungarian county seats by applying the strategy-based tailor-made (SBTM) weighting methodology. It takes into consideration the different emphases regarding local aspects and main issues of sustainability through the analysis of integrated settlement development strategies, which is a unique method compared to current approaches. After the evaluation of the results, it can be stated that the east–west axis was revealed regarding weighted and unweighted sustainability indices; furthermore, a highly heterogeneous spatial trend can be drawn with regard to the relative changes in urban sustainability performance without clearly defined regional clusters. This analysis can fill the current literature gap by analyzing the Hungarian context and elaborating an easy-to-use weighting methodology based on the cities’ development strategies which contribute to improving the variety of planning and decision-making tools in the field of urban development.