Seen in a functional perspective, the balancing of
new recreational functions and environmental needs
has been a success; but the urban context requires
that one should consider the history of the site
as well as its present use. The new urban space,
opened up on only one side, recalls former urban
connections and the previous direction of urban
development, as the city of Pest (part of the 5th
district today) spread northwards from the end of
the eighteenth century. Only at the end of the nine-
teenth century, when Andrássy Avenue was built,
did the city development take another direction.
Those who represent the interests of disabled people
have also been critical of the square, because there
are serious problems of accessibility. The stairs have
caused the largest problems, although all levels and
parts of the park are served by elevators. The board-
walk and the pool surroundings are problematic plac-
es for people in wheelchairs. Along the poolside the
stone edge finishes above the water surface, which
solves a drainage problem and makes the promenade
more secure, but the timber-boarded pier reaches
over the water without any raised edge, which looks
very elegant and beautiful, but is really not safe
enough.^5 It has also been suggested that there are
risks for small children in this environment.
There are also some undeniable maintenance prob-
lems, caused in part by poor design or faulty
implementation. First of all, some very typical uses
of urban squares were not taken into account, par-
ticularly the enthusiasm for skateboarding, which is
causing so much harm to the pavements and urban
squares of Budapest. In the case of Erzsébet Tér
the arrival of the skateboarders has caused some
serious damage to the elegant hard limestone
pavement.The covering of the elevated plant boxes was made
of the same Croatian material, and while this finish
proved to be appropriate on the pavements, it has
not worked well on the retaining walls. The skate-
boarders took possession of the finely finished and
delicately sculpted retaining wall and destroyed it
within a few weeks. The edges of the stone clad-
ding first became worn and chipped, then later, lots
of the stone tiles were broken. It was hard for the
designer to have predicted this onslaught, and the
retaining walls still have not been restored. There
would be little point in restoring the same struc-
tures to watch them be destroyed again, but the
present situation with the broken limestone finish
is unsightly.Though it is not the fault of the planners, it is a
sad fact that the great lawn, designed originally for
sunbathing, had to be closed soon after the opening
of the park, and one is no longer allowed to walk or
sit on the grass. A sign saying ‘Keep off the Grass’