This study explores the intersection of culture-based urban development and sustainability through the lens of urban ecology, drawing on the European Capital of Culture (ECoC) programs in Veszprém-Balaton 2023 and Pécs 2010. It addresses the previously limited integration of ecological considerations in culture-based urban policies, highlighting how recent ECoC initiatives, such as Veszprém-Balaton 2023, have increasingly embraced ecological perspectives. The study further investigates how ecological principles can be embedded in cultural strategies to strengthen regional identity and promote long-term urban resilience. Using an interdisciplinary framework, the research integrates literature review, qualitative data analysis, and comparative case study methods. Data sources include ECoC Bidbooks, municipal strategic documents, programme evaluations, and peer-reviewed literature. Key focus areas include brownfield regeneration, low-emission transport, and community-based cultural practices, with emphasis on the ecological roles culture can play in transforming urban environments. The findings show that ECoC programmes can serve as catalysts for both cultural renewal and sustainable urban development. In the case of Veszprém-Balaton 2023, former industrial zones were creatively reused for cultural purposes, supported by initiatives promoting green mobility and circular resource use. Infrastructure projects, such as cultural spaces developed with sustainability criteria, and measures like reusable cup systems and eco-conscious transport solutions contributed to reduced environmental footprints and enhanced public participation. This study addressed ecological dimensions of culture-based urban development by contrasting awarded (Pécs, Veszprém) and non-awarded (Győr) cities. By synthesising lessons from ECoC programmes, it introduces a model for integrating cultural programming with ecological planning, offering scalable approaches for sustainable cultural investment. Future work may investigate Győr’s evolving cultural strategy through an ecological lens, assess long-term outcomes of ECoC projects, and examine cross-regional interconnections in cultural-ecological networks.
Kara et al. (Thu,) studied this question.