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Circle Economy and ICLEI have partnered up to initiate the go to knowledge hub of case studies about the circular economy in cities. The Cities Collection is a repository of case studies that demonstrate the role of cities in the circular transition, and includes policies, business cases and research articles. Cases in the Collection flow into an ecosystem of digital products which support users in transitioning cities to circularity, for example [Ganbatte](https://ganbatte.world/cities/) and <a href="https://circulars.iclei.org/" target="_blank">ICLEI Circulars</a>, both part of the <a href="https://circulars.iclei.org/circle-lab-for-cities/" target = _blank">Circle Lab for Cities Programme.</a>




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Circular Cities

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Policy case

Impact on the health and happiness of human populations

Well-being

Contribution to social parity, or impact on social disparity

Equality

Reduced green house gas emissions released into the biosphere

Reduce Emissions (SDG13)

Reduced use of virgin materials and/or an increase of the use of secondary and bio-based materials

Reduce Material Consumption (SDG12)

Minimise waste through diversion: Instead of sending waste to landfill, it is redirected into other industrial processes for handling, treatment, recycling, recovery, or reuse in various forms. 

Minimise waste through design: At the outset of a process of project, plan and design such that there is zero waste or minimal waste during production, use, and at end of life. 

Minimise Waste (SDG12)

Producing building materials and finished and semi-finished building products for construction

Construction Materials and Products

Engage internally to guide employees and facilitate greater knowledge sharing between internal divisions

Internal collaboration

Activities to clean, decorate, and restore products back to working condition for original or new purposes

Refurbishment, remanufacturing, renovation

Circular use of public-owned assets (land, buildings and equipment)

Maintenance to extend useful life

The built environment, including housing, commercial buildings, and the necessary infrastructure for mobility, is essential for our livelihoods, but:
- the extraction of minerals used to produce construction materials is responsible for a quarter of global land use change,
- approximately 40% of global GHG emissions can be attributed to buildings’ construction, use and demolition, and
- construction and demolition processes drive nearly one-third of all material consumption. 

Making the built environment more circular must prioritise a heavy reduction in material use—while also closing the loop on materials and bringing secondary and renewable material choices to the fore. Our four key solutions for the built environment are:
- Make the most of what already exists: Make the most of existing materials by reusing, repurposing, upgrading and renovating following circular approaches. Where new builds are needed, use secondary materials and be as efficient as possible with urban planning solutions that follow circular design principles so that buildings can be reused, repurposed, and easily disassembled in the future.
- Be as energy efficient as possible: From the design phase, utilise circular strategies to create material- and energy efficient buildings. Couple these designs with a rollout of clean energy solutions, and prioritise energy-efficient appliances and retrofitting. 
- Utilise secondary materials: Maximise the high-value reuse of buildings and components where possible. Ideally, enable the utilisation of construction and demolition outputs and ensure that as much of it as possible is recycled to avoid the need for virgin materials, such as sand and gravel.
- Prioritise circular materials and approaches: Transition to using renewable wood, timber or cross-laminated timber instead of steel and concrete, or move to other locally available materials. Utilise mainstream modular construction and prioritise lightweight frames and structures to reduce cement and steel use, as well as green roofs where possible.



🏢 Built Environment

Communities

Governments

The demolition of old buildings and construction of new buildings require vast quantities of heavy materials, and significant amounts of energy and water. Where possible, it is preferable to renovate and refurbish an existing building in a circular manner rather than demolishing it to build a new one. Additionally, underutilised and vacant buildings and spaces represent an enormous untapped value, which could be leveraged to finance investments in other areas and revitalise neighbourhoods. This could include ‘meanwhile use’ or ‘intermittent use’ of buildings, which involves making temporarily empty spaces, properties and land available for use as work spaces, pop-up cafes, shops, and more. Such projects help to rethink the design of the surrounding urban space, creating attractive, safe and user-friendly areas, thus revitalising neighbourhood economies and encouraging local retail networks. 

Local governments—along with multidisciplinary teams of finance, human resources, technology, and corporate real estate stakeholders—can identify idle or underutilised spaces and determine their value, and then consider this in relation to current and future requirements of their citizens (for example, shortage of affordable housing or cultural spaces). Measures to address the underuse of buildings and spaces could include flexible zoning plans, economic disincentives for new greenfield developments in favour of refurbishing and manufacturing, as well as piloting projects with public vacant buildings.

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🏢  Make the best use of existing buildings and infrastructure

Impacts

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Industries

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A framework of policy instruments that enabled and encourage the transition to the circular economy

Policy Instruments

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A framework of policy instruments that enable and stimulate the transition to the circular economy

The principles of a circular economy concern designing out waste, regenerating ecosystems and keeping items in use. Decoupling the economy from material flows—improving the rate of resource productivity faster than the economic growth rate—is also a consistent guide. By evolving with the growing number of applications of circular economy principles, and consolidating these strategies across thematic areas, Circle Economy’s Key Elements Framework (KE) renders the elements of the circular economy salient and serves as a basis to derive contextual strategies and interventions. 


The Framework consists of:
- Core Elements: Activities directly handling product or material flows; and uniquely,
- Enabling Elements: those that remove obstacles for core actors.


Key elements of the circular economy

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Circle Economy's framework of strategies and activities that define the circular economy

The Circular City Actions Framework provides urban changemakers with five complementary strategies they can use to start working towards a more circular system. 

The framework is action-based to provide users with concrete strategic directions and showcase the desired outcomes of each strategy. 
The framework consists of five complementary **strategies**, under which **sub-strategies** provide further detail. Finally, each sub-strategy consists of a diversity of tangible **solutions** which are framed in relation to key thematic areas. 

Note: solutions are currently focused on:
- 🍏 **Food systems**
- 🏢  **Built environment**
- 👕📱  **Consumer goods**
- ⚡ **Energy Systems**
- 🚌 **Mobility Systems**
- 💧 **Water Systems**

More thematic areas are coming soon...

'Click through each of the five strategy cards below to explore the framework and circular economy case studies in more depth!'



This framework was developed in collaboration with ICLEI, Metabolic and Ellen MacArthur Foundation with support from the MAVA Foundation. Read more about it [here]( https://circulars.iclei.org/action-framework/). 



Circular City Actions Framework

An action-based framework for local governments working towards circular cities

Thematic Areas

City Stakeholders

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Based on the work of [Bocken et al. (2016)](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309699661_Product_design_and_business_model_strategies_for_a_circular_economy), the Four Flows Framework serves as a simple framework for managing resource flows in a circular economy by using less (Narrow), using for longer (Slow), using again (Cycle), and using clean, regenerative materials and energy (Regenerate).

These different principles of circular economy can be applied to our socioeconomic metabolism: we can design stocks like buildings, infrastructure, machinery, and vehicles to be rich resource mines for the future, and design manufactured goods and consumables to be cycled and made regenerative. Furthermore, the focus must also centre on getting more value out of fewer materials. Achieving the aims of a circular economy—minimising material use, regenerating the Earth, and preventing material losses—can be done through these four key strategies mentioned above.

Source: Circle Economy. (2023). *[The circularity gap report 2023](https://www.circularity-gap.world/2023)* (p.22). Amsterdam: Circle Economy. 

Four Flows Framework

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    +  SWIPE LEFT OR RIGHT     Former UH-Maui College dormitory buildings were blessed Tuesday morning for Huliau, a project to make safe housing available for people who’ve fallen into homelessness. “Huliau” means “turning point, time of change.”
At today’s blessing, Mayor Michael Victorino thanked Senator Gil Keith-Agaran, Representative Kyle Yamashita and Representative Troy Hashimoto along with the Maui County Council for their role in securing funding calling it a “much-needed housing project” for Central Maui.
“We all saw an opportunity to create much-needed housing for some of Maui’s most vulnerable individuals and families, and our Maui state legislators worked tirelessly to secure $5 million dollars in funding to rehabilitate the existing buildings,” said Mayor Victorino in a press release announcement. “Maui County Council members approved funding for the project, and UH-Maui College, led by Chancellor Lui Hokoana, helped return the property leased by the state back to the County of Maui. This project is a great example of collaboration, making great things happen with teamwork.”
The County of Maui Department of Housing and Human Concerns led planning and development of the project with assistance from the County Planning Department.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ADThe project’s first phase is 12 two-bedroom units in three former dorm buildings. The project also includes a separate community center building with laundry facilities and office space for wrap-around social services. The County is currently evaluating whether more housing units could be added in future phases.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ADProject funding is $5 million in Dwelling Unit Revolving Funds through the Hawaiʻi Housing Finance and Development Corp. Once the project is complete, support for property management and wrap-around services for the residents will be provided through ʻOhana Zone funding.
In a future partnership with UH-Maui College, student interns will assist Huliau residents with financial literacy, case management and hygiene/social services.
Contractor Arisumi Bros. reported that the existing buildings are in better condition than anticipated. Renovations are focused on gutting and replacing the interior spaces, checking for structural damage and making repairs. The project is targeted for completion by early 2021.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ADOther project details:



Arisumi Bros., $4.12 million (construction)
PBR Hawaii, $385,250 (environmental assessment, SMA and change in zoning)
Maui Architectural Group, $185,480
Total: $4,690,730



Arisumi Bros. is the process of re-roofing four buildings at the project site – three apartment buildings with four two-bedroom units each and a community center building. Work is ongoing to gut the buildings, checking for and repairing defects as part of renovation work. PC: County of Maui
Kahu Kaponoʻai Molitau conducts a blessing Tuesday morning for the Huliau housing project at the former UH-Maui College dorms in Kahului. PC: County of Maui
Arisumi Bros. is the process of re-roofing four buildings at the project site – three apartment buildings with four two-bedroom units each and a community center building. Work is ongoing to gut the buildings, checking for and repairing defects as part of renovation work. PC: County of Maui
Mayor Michael Victorino speaks during a blessing ceremony Tuesday for the Huliau housing project at the former UH-Maui College dorms in Kahului. PC: County of Maui.
Arisumi Bros. is the process of re-roofing four buildings at the project site – three apartment buildings with four two-bedroom units each and a community center building. Work is ongoing to gut the buildings, checking for and repairing defects as part of renovation work. PC: County of Maui 

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Maui County

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County of Maui

UH-Maui College

County of Maui Department of Housing and Human Concerns

County of Maui Planning Department

Hawaiʻi Housing Finance and Development Corp

<p>The County of Maui turned former UH-Maui College dormitory buildings into safe housing for some of Maui’s most vulnerable individuals and families. Maui County Council members approved funding for the rehabilitation of the building ($5 million dollars), and UH-Maui College helped return the property leased by the state back to the County of Maui. The County of Maui Department of Housing and Human Concerns led planning and development of the project with assistance from the County Planning Department. Renovations focused on gutting and replacing the interior spaces, checking for structural damage and making repairs.</p><p>The project’s first phase is 12 two-bedroom units in three former dorm buildings. The project also includes a separate community center building with laundry facilities and office space for wrap-around social services.</p>