Circular Cities

Abstract

DefinitionCircular city is a concept inspired by biological metabolic systems that seeks to apply the principles and strategies of the circular economy at the different scales of urban functioning. By doing so, a circular city is meant to reduce the intake of primary resources and energy and resulting environmental impacts, such as waste and emissions. Its functioning is (re)defined by efforts aiming to close, narrow, and/or slow material and energy flows. A circular city is a normative concept, implying thus there is an ambition to switch the currentlinearconsumption-production system into one that works and develops circularly, in closed loops. It is also normative as it proposes the urban scale as the main spatial level of implementing circularity. As cities in the twentyfirst century deal with their historical ecological impacts, circular cities also embrace ecological regeneration and adaptation measures to maintain their development within the carrying capacity of Earth.This definition is a compendium of the perspectives contained in this chapter. Thus, although not exhaustively, this definition seeks to provide a common frame of reference for the study of circular cities.

Spatial approaches to a circular economy

“…Like IS literature, CE research has started to investigate larger scales, explaining how CE can be implemented in cities and regions. This has led to an increased awareness of the importance of space in the circular transition, producing a new body of literature falling under the name of "circular cities" (Bucci Ancapi et al, 2022;Prendeville et al, 2018;. Literature on circular cities can be separated into three main perspectives: space, people, and flows.…”

<em>Ex ante</em>&nbsp;analysis of circular built environment policy coherence

“…CE policies seek to intervene in the so-called linear metabolism of cities, which denotes unsustainable urbanisation through the intake of unsustainably sourced primary resources for the construction of buildings and infrastructure and the subsequent ever-increasing production of waste (Bucci Ancapi et al 2022a) (2022b) identified different policy instruments discussed for CBE implementation. To date, most instruments are linked to the adoption of material recycling and reuse, leaving urban aspects of a CBE, such as ecological regeneration and urban adaptation, insufficiently covered.…”