A contribution for a more Resources-Conscious Urbanism: exploration of circularity-inspired ambitions at the urban scale through concepts, practices, and projects.

In urban environments, limits and dangers of busts in current urbanisation trends are becoming more and more evident. Generalised social, environmental, political, and economic crises ask for a re-thinking of the way we inhabit and shape the built environment. Yet, the task has proven to be very difficult to accomplish. The willingness to reimagine other possible ways of planning and designing cities is an important leverage, nevertheless, it does not ensure a coherent pathway for the making of better cities. In the context of 21^st-century post-industrial European cities, the notion of circularity is gaining momentum in architectural and urban debates on sustainability. A shift towards more circular paradigms is advocated, yet a shared understanding of what are (or could be) their actual implementation in urban systems (i.e., neighbourhoods, cities, regions, metropolitan areas, etc.) is at a preliminary stage of exploration. This is partly due to the lack of conceptual clarity of circularity-inspired ambitions in general, and partly to the novelty of these ambitions and approaches at the urban scale, and in the domain of urban planning and design. The literature on the relation between the ‘circular economy’ and ‘urban planning and design’ is becoming more multifaceted; there is a greater variety of expertise among authors contributing to the debate, ranging from engineering to the social sciences, providing complementary (and sometimes conflicting) insights and standpoints.

In this research, the metaphor of ‘circularity’ is not understood as a design strategy in itself (i.e., aiming at closing loops) but as a notion able to trigger relevant questions. Thus, by focusing on a circumscribed context, urban territories become places from which to exercise reflections on how to deal with the finite state of locally available resources (e.g., built spaces and land uses). By following the thread of circularity, we can start questioning urbanities from an interesting angle: that of the material limits of local resources and the management of waste. As a result, Urban Circularity (UC) is explored and mobilised as a holistic notion that can raise pertinent questions about the material impact of urban settlements and the finiteness of local resources (i.e. land, built environment, construction materials, etc.).

The aim of this research is to help policymakers, public administrations, designers, teachers and researchers navigate the debate by offering key concepts, knowledge, and tools to accelerate the shift towards a more resources-conscious urbanism (RCU). Thus, this research contributes to the debate on RCU within three mains aspects: (1) Urban Circularity in Theory, addressing the need for more conceptual clarity on the notion of circularity in urban planning and design; (2) Urban Circularity in Practices, addressing the need for more knowledge on the spatialization of practices and projects contributing to the circularization of urban metabolism in specific contexts (the barriers, enablers, and drivers they encounter); (3) Urban Circularity in Projects, addressing the need for a design-based set of strategies and tools to be able to tackle circularity-inspired ambitions in urban analysis, visions, and projects.

This research is funded by: ULB, and FEB/VBO between 2019-2021.

Publications
Verga, G. C., & Khan, A. Z. (2022). Space Matters: Barriers and Enablers for Embedding Urban Circularity Practices in the Brussels Capital Region. Frontiers in built environment, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbuil.2022.810049
Bortolotti, A., Verga, G. C., & Khan, A. Z. (2023). Which circularity for urban design and planning? A compass to navigate circular economy research knowledge and methods. Planning, practice & research, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/02697459.2023.2262128
(Editor of the book, 219 pages) Mansuy, J., Verga G.C., Pel, B., Messagie, M., Lebeau, P., Achten, W., Khan, A. Z., Macharis, C., editors (2022) “Transitioning to a Circular Economy. Changing Business Models and Business Ecosystems”. Brussels: ASP editions – Academic and Scientific Publishers. ISBN 9789461173942.
Link to the pdf open- access book: https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/59775   
Verga, G.C., Khan, A. (2022) (Chapter in a book pages 15-48) “An introduction to the Circular Economy”. Academic and Scientific Publishers (ASP Editions). ISBN 9789461173942.
Verga, G.C., Khan, A. (2022) (Chapter in a book, pages 127-172) “Factors impacting the transitioning to a circular economy in an industry: the example of the construction sector”. Academic and Scientific Publishers (ASP Editions). ISBN 9789461173942.

Key References
1. Arnsperger, C., & Bourg, D. (2016). Vers une économie authentiquement circulaire. Observations et diagnostics économiques. Revue de l’OFCE, 145(1), 91–125. https://doi.org/10.3917/reof.145.0091
2. Marin, J., & De Meulder, B. (2018). Interpreting Circularity. Circular City Representations Concealing Transition Drivers. Sustainability (Basel, Switzerland), 10(5), 1310-. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10051310
3. Williams, J. (2023). Circular cities: planning for circular development in European cities. European planning studies, 31(1), 14–35. https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2022.2060707
4. Marjanović, M., Wuyts, W., Marin, J., & Williams, J. (2022). Uncovering the Holistic Pathways to Circular Cities—The Case of Alberta, Canada. https://doi.org/10.54175/hsustain1020006
5. Prendeville, S., Cherim, E., & Bocken, N. (2018). Circular Cities: Mapping Six Cities in Transition. Environmental innovation and societal transitions, 26, 171–194. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eist.2017.03.002