The main aim of this paper is to explore how daily commuting has contributed to the changes of ecological footprint in the Buda-pest urban region since 1990 by using census data of 1990, 2001 and 2011. First, the func-tional urban region of Budapest was delim-ited using the 15% threshold of daily com-muting to work to Budapest in 2001. Accord-ing to international methodology 185 sur-rounding municipalities and Budapest were defined as the urban region. Using data on the transport vehicle of commuting the vol-ume of CO2 emissions was estimated at mu-nicipal level for the 185 municipalities. Final-ly, on the basis of emission values the ecolog-ical footprint of the whole urban region was estimated. Our results show declining ecolog-ical footprint values throughout the 1990s, due to decreasing commuting rates, which is the result of economic restructuring, growing unemployment and less mobility of the la-bour force. However, as commuting in-creased due to economic upswing after 2000 the ecological footprint also grew, the use of motor vehicles (private car and bus) in com-muting substantially and dynamically in-creased. In the reviewed periodspatial struc-ture of commuting significantly changed: rail-commuting shrunk into a few outstanding transport axes, whereas the use of passenger cars increased also in the less booming areas of the urban agglomeration.

Literature extensively uses ecological footprint accounts to measure the natural resource use of human consumption patterns. Beyond national-level accounts, there is a wide range of literature on calculating ecological footprints at the sub-national, regional, or even micro level. However, there seems to be surprisingly little research on how different urban neighborhoods relate to each other in terms of their ecological footprint. The study employs a literature review and the results of an ecological footprint calculation based on the input-output methodology to investigate what households can do to reduce their ecological footprint in various urban neighborhoods. Furthermore, this study builds on the gap that earlier research has uncovered that different households in different neighborhoods consume in different ways, however, complex estimates of reduction opportunities have not been carried out. The results indicate that the choice of housing is the most important intervention point. This has an impact on available transport options, heating types, and food choices. The research results indicate significant potential for reducing the ecological footprint by promoting individual motivation (e.g., the use of public transport) and developing a policy support system (e.g., incentives for energy-efficient investments). Every household has the potential to reduce its ecological footprint, but the methods to achieve this may differ. The greatest impact is expected from modernizing heating, but using public transport and switching to a plant-based diet can also be effective. The research results indicate that the ecological footprint values of different dwelling types are similar, but the potential for reduction varies. It seems encouraging that sustainability appears to be an important issue for young people, but positive scenarios may be threatened by the fact that they feel less inclined to make significant changes in their behavior that would reduce their ecological footprint.