Abstract: the problem of restructuring brownfield areas and giving them new functions is known in the Western countries from the 1970es. After the historical events of 1990 a group of Eastern-European countries faced the challenges of the transition to a market economy. This transition influenced the economic and spatial structure of urban areas in a wide extent. This paper examines how the capital cities of the two eminent CEE countries of Estonia and Hungary can cope with the task of managing the restructuration process of their brownfield industrial areas.