Budapest’s 9th district eyed for new student town to address housing shortage

The student hostels (“student town”) Budapest needs could be built in the city’s 9th district, the minister of culture and innovation told commercial broadcaster TV2 on Tuesday.

Balázs Hankó said the number of freshmen at Hungary’s colleges and universities has exceeded 100,000 for the second consecutive year, and the growing figure indicated an increasing demand for accommodation. Actual accommodation caters to 46,000 students nationwide as opposed to the demand for 120,000 places, and Budapest itself currently has 17,000 places for 57,000 applicants, he added.

Hankó said the brownfield area in the 9th district would be an ideal location for a “student town”, with potential accommodation for 12,000-20,000 students, including “units that could help young people start a family as early as possible”.

The minister said the project was in the financial planning phase, adding that the government was seeking to find private sources of financing for its implementation.

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Featured image: illustration, depositphotos.com