Abstract
The Danube is the only significant body of water in the Budapest region. Thus, during the period between the late 19th and mid 20th when modern sewerage and water supply systems were built for the Hungarian capital, the Danube was put into service as both source and sink. This dual reliance on the river remained relatively unproblematic until around 1970. Then, the rapid growth of water demand caused by the socialist regime's urban development policies necessitated spatial changes in the realtionship between the Danube's source and sink functions.
In this thesis I look at how the socialist regime in Hungary attempted to resolve the issues which arose in Budapest's water management around 1970 through urban development and environmnetal management. This subject will be examined in the context of 20th century water management and its development, as well the context of the evolving socialist socio-economic system in Hungary and its difficulties in the 1970s and 1980s.