Green Valley

The international competition Rákosrendező Masterplan – Urban and Public Space Design Competition envisions the transformation of one of Budapest’s largest urban development areas. The site, an extensive former railway yard, covers more than 200 hectares, of which 86 have recently been acquired by the Municipality of Budapest and its public company BKM. This area represents a strategic opportunity to redefine a new model of city based on sustainability, proximity, and high-quality public space, incorporating extensive green networks and innovative ecological infrastructure solutions. The competition aims to foster a sustainable, inclusive, and resilient district capable of addressing contemporary challenges such as the climate crisis, housing, and mobility.

The proposal involving LANDLAB has been developed in collaboration with a multidisciplinary team including MCXVI Kft., Czirják Szabó Kft., StudioVlayStreeruwitz ZT-GmbH, 4D Tájépítész Iroda Kft., con.sens verkehrsplanung zt gmbh, and Mobil City Bt., forming an international partnership that integrates urbanism, architecture, landscape, and engineering.

The proposal is structured around a central idea: “The Green Valley – More than a Park.” At its core is a green valley conceived as a unique public landscape that, due to its scale, diversity of habitats, and connection to Budapest’s green corridor network, transcends the traditional notion of a park. Within it, the former railway tracks are integrated as a river-like structure shaping the landscape.

Rather than extending the city in a conventional way, the proposal introduces a porous urban edge that protects and enhances the existing landscape. This boundary acts as an active threshold between city and nature, framing the green valley and reinforcing ecological continuity at the metropolitan scale.

The project explores the relationship between density and porosity, proposing an urban configuration that achieves high density while maintaining a strong connection to the landscape. This strategy is embodied in what the team calls the “Landscape Coup – 200% Landscape,” where concentrated development along the edge allows the green space to double, forming a large valley integrated into the city’s green infrastructure.

The proposal also redefines mobility through the “Mobility Coup – 2 Streets Manage Everything,” a system that eliminates through traffic within the site. Two main axes —Tatai Boulevard and the new Szomszéd Street— accommodate all motorised traffic, freeing the rest of the area for sustainable and local mobility.

The sinuous urban edge maximises the relationship with the park, creating more than six kilometres of direct frontage to the landscape, described as “200% First Row Pleasures.” This condition is reinforced by the porosity of the urban fabric, which extends views towards the valley even from second-row buildings.

Finally, the combination of diverse building typologies, varying heights, and their interaction with public space, together with an active network of pedestrian and cycling routes, creates a dynamic landscape experience. Under the concept of “Parkview for All,” the project proposes an ever-changing choreography between users and the natural environment.

The jury particularly highlighted the landscape-driven approach of the proposal, recognising its ability to structure urban development through an integrated green and blue framework that balances nature and city while addressing 21st-century environmental challenges. This recognition reinforces LANDLAB’s trajectory in landscape design and territorial planning, consolidating its commitment to projects that place climate resilience, ecological regeneration, and high-quality public space at the core of its practice.