A settlement geography approach to the factors of urban identity with examples from Hungary

In our study, we examine the theoretical and practical aspects of the elements of urban identity in the dimension of settlement geography. The question arises to what extent urban identity can be explored and concretised from this approach. First, the concept of settlement and the factors that form the basis of it will be examined, and then these will be interpreted from the perspective of settlement identity, with the help of literature sources. Subsequently, we will examine the extent to which the predominance of a particular settlement sphere (or factor) in a settlement is reflected in the settlement identity, using examples from Hungary, settlement websites, and settlement development concepts. The results show, on the one hand, that there are differences in perceptions of the factors of municipal identity, but that they are socially dominant, and, on the other hand, that the predominance of a factor in a municipality may be reflected in the emergence of a stronger identity, but that this is not always true, clear/obvious or traceable.

Keywords: settlement, settlement identity, tetrahedron model