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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 availability of resources as well as their effect on living organisms, ecosystems, and components of the environment.

Ecological Impact

Impacts on the financial condition of a company, as well as the the economicconditions of its stakeholders and on economic systems at local, national, andglobal levels.

Economic Impact

Direct and indirect reduction in economic costs

Cost Savings

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 providing services to create residential and non-residential infrastructure and real estate


Construction and Infrastructure

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

Construction Materials and Products

Designing products of multiple parts that can be easily disassembled

Design for disassembly

Designing products to remove any barriers to recycling and enable easy recyclability

Design for recycling

Designing products to increase consumer’s emotional attachment and ensure longer use

Design for product attachment, emotional durability

Other

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

Incorporate extended use in project planning phases; create or update city policies to allow for extended use.

Design and regulate for extended use

Ensure that infrastructure and built assets in the city are designed and upgraded to be as resource-efficient as possible.

Design infrastructure and the built environment for resource efficiency

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

Governments

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

Urban Opportunities

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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       In Brummen is door een samenwerking tussen de gemeente, BAM, RAU en Turntoo het eerste gebouw als grondstoffendepot gerealiseerd. De gemeente Brummen zocht een semi-permanente huisvesting met een levensduur van minimaal 20 jaar. Omdat RAU geen concessies wilde doen aan de kwaliteit van het tijdelijke gebouw en de werkomgeving is gezocht naar nieuwe manier van ontwerpen én bouwen. De oplossing is gevonden door het gebouw te ontwerpen als een grondstoffendepot. Tijdens het ontwerpproces hebben de architect, aannemer BAM, Turntoo en verschillende toeleveranciers meegedacht hoe na de geplande gebruiksperiode het gebouw weer uit elkaar gehaald zou kunnen worden. De waardevolle grondstoffen en bouwelementen worden na gebruik door hun leveranciers en fabrikanten teruggenomen. Uiteindelijk is ruim 90 procent van het ontwerp demontabel opgeleverd.

RAU heeft ervoor gekozen om de monumentale villa uit 1890 in oude luister te herstellen en daar een U-vormige hedendaagse tweelaagse uitbreiding omheen te plaatsen. De nieuwbouw vervangt de bestaande uitbreiding uit de jaren ’80. De compacte en flexibel indeelbare nieuwbouw omarmt de monumentale villa. Door een terughoudende, transparante vormgeving worden de kwaliteiten van het historische gebouw versterkt. Het omringende en sterk versnipperde terrein is als hoogwaardig park opnieuw ingericht.
De verschillende gebouwdelen zijn gegroepeerd rondom het monument, waarbij een continue interactie tussen oud en nieuw mogelijk is. Het transparante publieke binnengebied is gevormd door de ruimte die tussen oud en nieuw is ontstaan. Deze compacte opzet zorgt voor korte looplijnen en bevordert samenwerking tussen medewerkers.
  
  
     

Brummen

Municipality of Brummen

<p>Due to concerns over frequently shifting municipality borders, the municipality of Brummen commissioned a building for a service life of 20 years. The answer to this proposal was a design made for disassembly and consistent use of reusable and renewable, high quality construction materials. The building’s foundation is a historic structure dating back to 1890. The qualities of the historic building kept intact, restored where necessary and connected to a new addition with a glass roof. Approximately 90 per cent of the materials in the newly added space can be dismantled and reused at the end of its service life. After this period, only the original 1890 building will remain on the site. The supporting structure, façade and floors are made from wood in pre-fabricated components. The use of concrete has been minimized. The wooden components can easily be dismantled and reused in a new building. The building also received the first materials passport turning it into a raw materials depot in which the details of every piece are known, including the destination in a second life for some elements.</p>

A new circular Townhall in Brummen designed for extended use

Using borrowed materials for temporary construction

 Public Procurement

<p>The Dutch town of Brummen was looking for a temporary expansion to their town hall for about twenty years, a difficult task because it is too long for truly temporary construction, but not long enough to justify traditional construction. As a solution, the town hall was constructed as a materials depot. The supporting structure, façade and floors are made from wood in pre-fabricated components. The use of concrete has been minimised. The wooden components can easily be dismantled and reused in a new building. Suppliers and manufacturers of the materials have agreed to take them back after the end of the use period.</p>