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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 social fabric of the community and well-being of the individuals and families.

Social 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

Impact on the health and happiness of human populations

Well-being

Scalability

Reduced green house gas emissions released into the biosphere

Reduce Emissions (SDG13)

Producing transporation equipment and providing services for thetransportation of goods and people

Transportation and Logistics

Providing air, water, rail, and land transportation for passengers, such as airlines, airports, ferries, cruise-ships, tour boat operators, marine ports, railways, train stations, tour bus operators, vehicle rental, and taxi companies, travel agencies and related services

Passenger Transport Services

Ensure renewable, reusable, non-toxic resources are utilised as materials and energy in an efficient way

Prioritise regenerative resources

Account for the systems perspective during the design process, to use the right materials, to design for appropriate lifetime and to design for extended future use

Design for the future

Work together throughout the supply chain, internally within organisations and with the public sector and communities to increase transparency and create joint value

Team up to create joint value

Replace energy sources with less impactful alternatives and enact energy efficiency measures

Regenerative energy

Designing products that are made to last and to ensure longer use

Design for durability

Engage with the government on circular policies and programmes

Government collaboration

Converting fossil fuel based operations to electric

Electrification

Designing products to resist damage and wear, and serve a long and useful life.

Design for physical durability

Participating in government programmes that support and advance the circular economy

Government programmes

Other

'Manage' influences the use and function of physical and material elements within the urban environment. 

Manage

Infrastructure

Develop infrastructure to support sustainable lifestyles

'Mobilise' sets the direction of and builds momentum towards long-term change, while also determining how this direction is determined and governed.

Mobilise

Visions and Ambitions

Roadmaps and strategies and targets

Govern the Transition

Cross-departmental collaboration and engagement

'Incentivise' sends market signals and support to businesses, citizens and governments to promote certain activities.

Incentivise

 Direct Financial Support

Incubator and investment programmes

Public-private partnerships

 Fiscal Frameworks

Subsidies

Economic Frameworks

**Harmonize with nature** by promoting infrastructure, production systems and sourcing that allows natural ecosystems to thrive




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Regenerate

Do better with less by using and supporting infrastructure, processes and products that are designed to minimize material, water and energy use and waste generation from production to end of use


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Reduce

Prioritize solutions that use the power of functioning ecosystems as infrastructure to provide natural services to benefit society and the environment; consider nature-based replacements for grey infrastructure.

Prioritise renewable resources 

Put enablers in place that allow circular businessesto grow, thrive and innovate (e.g. incubators, start-up funding, partnerships, innovation deals, business capacity building and testing groundsfor new business models).


Support circular and resource-efficient business innovations

Cities consume about 75% of global energy and emit between 50% and 60% of global greenhouse gases (UN-Habitat). To reduce the negative impact of their energy consumption, cities need to shift away from fossil fuels and move towards renewable energy sources. Such a shift will help cities work towards their climate change mitigation and adaptation action plans. Renewable energy technologies such as wind, water, solar, and geothermal can also help improve access to energy in vulnerable and marginalised neighbourhoods through, for example, decentralised, off-grid solutions.

Renewable energy technologies can harvest the energy in nature’s processes, such as wind, and solar radiation and geothermal heat, that can be replenished within a human lifespan. In contrast, fossil fuels are materials that are not replenished within a human lifespan and are combusted for energy, losing the fuel material and resulting in emissions.

Local governments can develop sustainable energy plans, considering different energy resources and requirements, to develop a robust strategy for the development of renewable energy technologies and infrastructure throughout the city. They can also institute specific legislation and tax systems to regulate energy production and consumption, incentivise research and development of cleaner, more efficient technologies. Via Power Purchase Agreements cities can buy renewable energy from green energy providers and fix the price in order to provide security to financial institutions to finance renewable energy infrastructure. Furthermore, increasing awareness and facilitating capacity-building on planning urban sustainable energy projects can help the uptake of clean energy across the city by different stakeholders—from citizens to businesses and institutions. Facilitating collaboration, then, will be crucial, since private companies operate most of the world’s energy systems.


⚡ Energy Systems

The demand for transport is rising globally—but current modes are heavily material- and fossil-fuels-intensive. Emissions from the transport system could grow by 60% by 2050, and transport is the number-one user of oil worldwide. GHG emissions result not only in warming global temperatures, but also in ocean acidification, which has severe consequences for entire ecosystems and further destabilises our climate. The transport system also drives land-use change and biodiversity loss through the development of infrastructure—also releasing harmful pollutants into the ocean. Key circular solutions:

- Embrace and enable car-free lifestyles
- Invest in high-quality public transport
- Rethink unnecessary air travel
- Electrify remaining vehicles

🚌 Mobility Systems

Businesses

Governments

In cities, logistics is a key part of the mobility system, with freight transport making up on average 25% of traffic in cities, while taking up 40% of the road space, and generating 40% of transport-related emissions ([ICLEI](https://sustainablemobility.iclei.org/framing-sustainable-urban-logistics-in-cities/)). Often, urban logistics and freight vehicles commonly carry loads that are below full capacity, since much of urban logistics is centred around the last- or first- mile which has a strong preference for speed and convenience. This therefore means that more vehicles are on the streets, contributing to increased emissions, congestion and air pollution in urban areas. 

Optimisation of urban logistics systems can reduce the total quantities of vehicles on the roads and associated emissions and congestion. In addition to this, cities that are intrinsically linked to a port can optimise the incoming freight, the logistics of unloading, before such loads enter the urban mobility system. One such example is shared logistics systems that pool resources intelligently via digital systems that can match available load capacity with demand to minimise the total quantity of kilometres travelled and the number of vehicles required. Furthermore, decentralised distribution centres throughout cities can act as hubs for low-carbon and non-motorised logistics vehicles and achieve similar benefits in reducing the number of vehicles driving in cities, which can be particularly effective for last- and first-mile logistics.

Local governments can support such optimisation systems by providing financial and in kind aid to innovations and initiatives that are focused on improving the technologies and processes that underpin and enable urban logistics. To this end, cities can share real-time transport related data to optimise logistics routes and support such innovations. Finally, cities can also leverage regulations to establish a minimum load capacity for logistics vehicles entering (certain parts of) the city. 


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🚌  Optimised & low-carbon freight and logistics systems

The mobility system is a major consumer of fossil fuels. All modes of transportation that consume fossil fuels contribute to global greenhouse gas emissions, as well as air and water pollution. Despite growing recognition of electric mobility, global oil demand for transportation (personal and freight vehicles, aircraft, rail and also marine) over the next two decades are expected to exceed demand for the previous two, largely because of projected transportation sector growth in the global south ([APS](https://www.aps.org/policy/reports/popa-reports/energy/transportation.cfm)).

A shift towards sustainable energy sources for transportation is needed to counteract the escalating climate crisis and its threat to our planet's ecosystem and society. Increased electrification and use of low-carbon fuels must be a priority over the next decade to decrease the negative impact of the mobility system. Electrification must be coupled with a decarbonisation electricity system, moving away from power generation from fossil fuels, in order to gain the potential carbon emission reduction benefits. Low-carbon fuels (LCF) such as biodiesel, bioethanol, green hydrogen and renewable compressed natural gas (R-CNG), for instance, can also help to lower carbon emissions from transportation.

Local governments can stimulate the use of low-carbon energy throughout the urban mobility system by improving the availability of electric charging infrastructure to help ensure that it can be financially attractive compared to that of fossil fuels. Additionally, cities can transition their own mobility fleet towards electric vehicles or to be powered with low-carbon fuels. The production of such low-carbon fuels can be produced by residual materials that are collected and managed by the municipality (such as developed biofuel from food loss and waste, which can power buses or waste collection vehicles). 


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🚌  Low-carbon energy input for mobility

Designing vehicles for maximum efficiency of resources is key in the circular economy. Circular design can allow vehicles to be manufactured using less resources, be easily remanufactured, parts to be swapped in and out (‘modular’), and/or space in the vehicle be reconfigured. Whereas digital technology can advance resource effective manufacturing techniques and support the automation of vehicles for sharing and mobility-as-a-service schemes.

For instance, vehicles can be ‘retrofitted’ to run off batteries, remanufactured, or designed to be dismantled and allow the reuse of parts and recycling of materials. And when batteries cannot be reused to power a passenger car any longer, they can be reused for less demanding tasks, such as storage of electricity from wind turbines and solar farms.

Cities can support business innovation towards these directions via direct financial and fiscal business support, by collaborating and engaging with circular businesses through urban Living Labs or other mechanisms, as well as setting up eco-industrial parks where by-products of one company can become a resource for another. 


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🚌  Circular vehicle design and circular business models

Slow strategies aim to keep materials in use for as long as possible, for example through design for durability and repairability. A more circular economy is also a slower one: materials, components, and products—and even buildings and infrastructure—that we lock in stocks are made to last. This will lower material demand in the long run, in essence also serving to narrow resource flows.

Slow

Regenerate strategies phase out hazardous or toxic materials and processes and substitute them with regenerative biomass resources. A circular economy aims to mimic natural cycles—by shifting to more regenerative farming practices, for example—while also maximising the share of circular biomass that enters the economy. Regeneration can happen both at the systems level (by designing regenerative processes) as well as at the product level (by switching synthetic to organic fertilisers, for example).

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

Policies

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

Nace Sectors

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 2017, Shenzhen became the first city in the world to electrify all public buses with a view to cutting emissions, reducing noise pollution and improving air quality. The initiative also helped to further develop electric mobility. The adoption of new service models incentivises manufacturers to design vehicle components so that they are maintained and kept in use, retaining value. There are now over 16,000 electric public buses (e-buses) on the road.In addition, the city has engaged heavily in urban infrastructure, incorporating more than 500 bus charging stations and 5,100 bus charging points.While e-buses have replaced fuel vehicles - which were estimated to be contributing towards 20% of the city’s air pollution - further development is underway to increase the provision of renewable energy sources in line with circular economy principles. Work is also underway to improve battery technologies to encourage their reuse, charging speeds and suitability for a wider range of vehicles.Time frameIn 2009, Shenzhen was selected by the national government as one of 13 electric vehicle pilot cities. In 2017, the city became the first in the world to reach a goal of 100% electrically run buses. Further work is ongoing, including on opportunities to expand the programme to other vehicles such as taxis.Focus areas The focus has been on the mobility sector as a whole, including infrastructure, electric vehicle technology, and business models.FinanceThis public mobility initiative has been supported by a combination of national government funding and subsidies from the Finance Commission of Shenzhen Municipality.The project financing has also made use of, and benefited from using, cost-effective service models.Core team and participantsDirectly overseen by the Shenzhen Mayor, various departments within the municipality are involved in the implementation:The Development and Reform Commission of Shenzhen Municipality, which receives direction from the National Development and Reform Committee of China and coordinates local implementationUrban Planning, Land and Resources Commission of Shenzhen Municipality, which identifies suitable developed and underdeveloped land and oversees locations of the charging points and stationsDistrict government, which supports the provision of land permits for the charging points and charging stationsTransport Commission of Shenzhen Municipality, which facilitates e-bus movement by granting preferential road access.Outcomes to dateIn 2011, two years after being selected as an electric vehicle city pilot, Shenzhen hosted the Summer Universiade, a world student games event, at which 200 e-buses and 300 e-taxis were deployed. The first fully electrified bus route was launched in 2012.Starting in 2015, bus companies have been able to rent e-buses and batteries from manufacturers through service models, relieving the bus companies of large upfront investments and the need for technological expertise, thereby increasing the uptake of vehicles.The national piloting scheme has encouraged the development of the electric vehicle industry in China, which was estimated to be worth CNY 100 billion in 2017. Many companies across the value chain have also benefited from this development. For example, BYD, the largest Chinese electric vehicle producer headquartered in Shenzhen is now selling e-buses to 300 cities in Japan, Europe, the USA and other countries globally.The lessons from the pilot are being extended to other mobility forms. Shenzhen now has electrified 16,000 buses and 23,000 taxis in the city.The journeyOriginsThe development of this initiative is heavily driven by local and national policy with a view to cutting emissions, reducing noise pollution and improving air quality - in addition to managing current overcapacity of electric power. The Shenzhen New Energy Industry Development Plan 2009-2015, the Shenzhen New Energy Industry Development Policy and the 13th Five-Year Plan for Strategic New Industry Development, together reinforce the priority of developing this sector.The route to a city-wide e-bus systemShifting to a 100% electric vehicle system creates opportunities and potential for additional revenue streams. As organisations make use of new business models that improve material management and costs, and receive public financial support, it encourages the initiative to scale, and infrastructure and technologies to develop.VehiclesPrior to 2016, an e-bus was priced at approximately CNY 1.8 million. Through the use of service models, third-party financial institutions purchase the assets and rent them to bus operating companies who are thus relieved of large upfront capital investments. For example, eight-year rental agreements are arranged through a third-party financial institution which, for a limited time period, take on the financial risk if the vehicle or components fail. Shenzhen Eastern Bus Company (a state-owned organisation) and Shenzhen Western Bus Company Ltd (a public-private organisation) have both rented e-bus services from locally headquartered BYD and other manufacturers via third-party financial institutions such as China Development Bank Leasing and China Construction Bank Financial Leasing. In such service models, manufacturers remain responsible for maintenance and repair of the key components, keeping them in use. It also incentivises circular designs for durability and reuse.Bus manufacturers are also provided with national government subsidies, which are matched by the city government. In the case of Shenzhen, bus manufacturers can apply for approximately CNY 500,000 from each, totalling around CNY 1 million to be deducted from the price. As the electric vehicle industry matures, the national and municipal subsidies have reduced and will eventually cease.BatteriesAt the end of their usable life, batteries will be sent to government approved recyclers with a view to extracting useful materials, such as rare earth elements. This practice is expected to grow with the development of Extended Producer Responsibility policies which are due by 2020.Many electric vehicle batteries are estimated to start reaching end of life status in 2019, which will increase the quantity of batteries available for recycling, in turn augmenting the demand for the required recovery skills and technologies. Material sourcing, design for multiple use, and design for recycling are amongst the circular economy priorities for the EV industry.Electric charging technology and infrastructureThe technology and infrastructure required for charging vehicles involves large capital investment. In addition to government subsidies, new partnerships have been key. Shenzhen Eastern Bus Company, for example, partneredwith charging point manufacturing businesses, which post-construction, are also responsible for the maintenance and upgrade of charging points. Charging point manufacturers receive a service fee through units of electricity used, which facilitates further development of the infrastructure. The Shenzhen Eastern Bus Company’s e-bus versus charging point ratio reached 2:1 as at the end of 2018.One charge will sustain an e-bus for a full day, meaning that charging can take place at night when buses are not in use and when demand on the grid is less. Rapid charging technology is under development to increase charging speeds that improve bus turnaround rates. Regulations are also applied to ensure new charging facilities complement population size and land availability.Measuring progressCombustion engine buses used to contribute to 20% of air pollution, but through the transition it is now estimated the city will see an annual reduction of 4.316 million tons of particulate matter. In addition, the average GHG emissions per e-bus kilometre is 40% less than a diesel vehicle, which, as of 2017, had reduced carbon emissions in the city by 0.63 million tons.A further benefit is that the e-buses produce less noise and heat, thereby contributing to a reduction in urban noise pollution and heat island effects.At present, renewable energy sources only make up approximately 1% of the total energy mix in the initiative and further development is required to increase this. China’s 13th Five-Year Plan also highlights the overall requirement for a shift from fossil fuels. The partners in the initiative are also looking at metrics to capture the material benefits resulting from the increased focus on remanufacturing and public transport use.ReflectionsPolicy providing a mandate for change. A combination of national- and city-level policy measures have created the enabling conditions for an electric mobility system in the city to develop. This includes the national government’s ambition to expand the electric vehicle sector, China’s 13th Five-Year Plan, the Strategic New Industry Development Plan, the Shenzhen New Energy Industry Development Plan 2009-2015, Shenzhen New Energy Industry Development Policy, and Shenzhen’s status as China’s first Special Economic Zone, permitting Shenzhen to have bespoke trading and business rules to stimulate economic activity and innovation.Enabling innovation through the use of new business models and financial support. Financial support from national subsidies and match funding from the city government has enabled the initiative to grow enough to become self-supporting. In addition, the provision of e-buses on a rental basis has also alleviated initial capital outlays, mitigated against potential ongoing financial risks for the bus companies, and supported the refurbishment and reuse of components and parts.Development of the broader electric vehicle industry has also been encouraged through the pilot. For example, incentives such as free licence plates for e-vehicle drivers and the removal of a passenger levy for fuel in e-taxis. Improvements in urban air quality and reduced noise are also bringing broader environmental, health, and productivity benefits to the city.In a circular economy, power is generated through renewable resources and materials are kept in use. Research to increase the percentage of renewable energy provided to the charging poles is underway, as is the research to improve the circularity of battery technology.For more informationWebsite: www.english.sz.gov.cnContact: This case study has been developed in partnership with ICLEI East Asia.This case study is part of Circular economy in cities, Ellen MacArthur Foundation

You have to keep your eyes peeled for the bus at the station in Shenzhen’s Futian central business district these days. The diesel behemoths that once signalled their arrival with a piercing hiss, a rattle of engine and a plume of fumes are no more, replaced with the world’s first and largest 100% electric bus fleet.Shenzhen now has 16,000 electric buses in total and is noticeably quieter for it. “We find that the buses are so quiet that people might not hear them coming,” says Joseph Ma, deputy general manager at Shenzhen Bus Group, the largest of the three main bus companies in the city. “In fact, we’ve received requests to add some artificial noise to the buses so that people can hear them. We’re considering it.”We’ve received requests to add artificial noise to the buses so people can hear themJoseph MaThe benefits from the switch from diesel buses to electric are not confined to less noise pollution: this fast-growing megacity of 12 million – which was a fishing village until designated China’s first “special economic zone” in the 1980s – is also expected to achieve an estimated reduction in CO2 emissions of 48% and cuts in pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, non-methane hydrocarbons and particulate matter. Shenzhen Bus Group estimates it has been able to conserve 160,000 tonnes of coal per year and reduce annual CO2 emissions by 440,000 tonnes. Its fuel bill has halved.Shenzhen was a fishing town of 30,000 people in the late 1970s. Photograph: Getty Images“With diesel buses I can remember standing at the bus stop and the heat, noise and emissions they generated made it unbearable in the summer,” says Ma. “The electric buses have made a tremendous difference.”China’s drive to reduce the choking smog that envelops many of its major cities has propelled a huge investment in electric transport. Although it remains expensive for cities to introduce electric buses – one bus costs around 1.8 million yuan (£208,000) – Shenzhen was able to go all-electric thanks to generous subsidies from both central and local government.“Typically, more than half of the cost of the bus is subsidised by government,” says Ma. “In terms of operation there is another subsidy: if we run our buses for a distance of more than 60,000km we receive just under 500,000 yuan [£58,000] from local government.” This subsidy is put towards reducing the cost of the bus fares: “The government looks at the public transport very much as social welfare.”To keep Shenzhen’s electric vehicle fleet running, the city has built around 40,000 charging piles. Shenzhen Bus Company has 180 depots with their own charging facilities installed. One of its major depots in Futian can accommodate around 20 buses at the same time. “Most of the buses we charge overnight for two hours and then they can run their entire service, as the range of the bus is 200km per charge,” says Ma.Availability of charging stations is a major factor in why it is it difficult for other cities around the world to switch to all-electric bus fleets, but China being a one-party state hasn’t necessarily made it any easier in Shenzhen. “We have some of our own depots, but we also have to rent some from the municipal government, as well as from the private sector,” says Ma. “Aside from the subsidies in terms of purchasing the buses, we are very much left to ourselves to how we look for resources for our charging infrastructure.”Shenzhen Bus Company deputy general manager Joseph Ma. Photograph: Matthew KeeganGetting the required charging infrastructure for taxis is proving more challenging. By the end of this month, all of Shenzhen’s 22,000 taxis are required to switch to electric. Shenzhen Bus Company has switched its entire fleet of 4,600 taxis to electric ahead of schedule.“For taxis it’s more about distribution than the number of charging pillars because taxis run all over the place and they have no fixed routes,” says Ma. “We are looking at all sorts of different solutions – from parking spaces in public areas like municipal parks and some of the major government venues, as well as temporary sites in local villages that might have communal land we can hire.”The lack of charging stations is causing friction between taxi drivers. “You always hear about fights between taxi drivers trying to get into the charging stations and things like that,” says Ma. “It’s difficult for the drivers because obviously they can’t go too far out of the way to charge the taxis.”His firm is developing an app to track where charging spaces are available and notify drivers in real time.Too expensive outside China?More than 30 Chinese cities have made plans to achieve 100% electrified public transit by 2020, including Guangzhou, Zhuhai, Dongguan, Foshan and Zhongshan in the Pearl River Delta; and Nanjing, Hangzhou, Shaanxi and Shandong.Urban mountains: Shenzhen's green rooftop project – in picturesBut with central government planning to withdraw subsidies by 2020, introducing electric buses elsewhere could be too expensive.There is also geography to consider. Shenzhen is fairly flat, but the hills of nearby Hong Kong have proven too much in trials of electric buses. Other cities in northern China have struggled with battery power in the extreme cold of winter.A hybrid electric bus in midtown Manhattan. Photograph: Peter Foley/EPAMeanwhile, cities such as London and New York are accelerating their drive towards electric buses. London plans to make all single-decker buses emission-free by 2020, and all double-deckers hybrid by 2019. New York plans to make its bus fleet all-electric by 2040.Riding the 222 bus the length of Shenzhen’s CBD, you hear little sound other than a soft whine when the driver accelerates. The easy-to-clean hard plastic seats are not the most comfortable but most passengers opt to stand anyway – a choice made easier by the smoothness of the ride.Rolling into our destination, the doors open with a beep, beep, beep – the loudest noise the bus has made the entire journey.“It’s quieter, smoother and I only pay the same fare as before,” says Lai, a regular passenger. “I would say most people here are happy with the switch.”Follow Guardian Cities on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to join the discussion, and explore our archive here

Shenzhen

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Municipality of Shenzhen

The city of Shenzhen has struggled with high amounts of pollution, noise and heat being generated by its traffic. As a reaction, the city has become the first city in the world to electrify its 16,000 public buses.National and local government has heavily subsidised the move and supported the construction of charging infrastructure. Despite China's electricity still largely coming from non-renewable sources, Shenzhen has reduced its emissions significantly and reduced the noise and heat pollution generated by its buses.

Shenzhen's electric mobility plan

Impact on the ease of innovation, and facilitating uptake of innovations

Innovation

Reduced use and withdrawal of water and rate of recycling and reuse of water

Save Water (SDG6)

Contributing to the improvement of biodiversity including species diversity, total number of protected species, and ecosystem health

Biodiversity

Societal Services

Providing water and sewage services, including water collection and distribution, water treatment systems and sewage treatment facilities

Water and Sewage

Replace freshwater with less impactful alternatives and enact water efficiency measures

Regenerative water

Enacting measures that optimise water use

Water efficiency

'Inform' increases the overall levels of awareness and builds the necessary skills and knowledge around the circular economy to foster long-term change.

Inform

Implement innovation programmes

Develop regenerative infrastructure

Public-civil partnerships

Awareness raising events

Promote solutions inspired and supported by nature

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

Communities

Cities worldwide are facing significant water-related challenges, including urban water runoffs, flooding, reduced water quality and severe water scarcity—exacerbated by rapid urbanisation and more frequent extreme weather events. On top of this, urban water runoff continues to be a major cause of water pollution in urban areas, carrying trash, bacteria, and other pollutants through gutters and stormwater systems into local waterways, typically without treatment.

City governments can pursue a “sponge city” approach by redesigning the urban fabric and integrating blue and green infrastructure (BGI) (e.g. rain gardens, permeable pavements, storage ponds, etc.) along traditional grey infrastructure (e.g. pipe networks, storage tanks, flood walls). This can help to absorb, store, filter and purify these water flows, in turn replenishing aquifers, reducing the need for expanding grey water management and minimising flood risk, while also reducing the heat island effect. 

Cities can do so by, for example, integrating requirements for BGI into municipal urban planning rules for newly built up areas of city districts, industrial parks and development zones, and integrating sponge city building requirements into municipal urban planning rules. Then, local governments could also strengthen collaboration between all relevant stakeholders—from real estate developers to engineers, to water-utility organisations—to identify locally relevant opportunities for sponge cities. 


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💧  Blue and green infrastructure for sustainable urban drainage

One of the greatest challenges of a city is to provide its inhabitants with safe, clean water from a limited fresh water supply. Improving the city’s water infrastructure efficiency, such as minimising leakages, reduces the strain put on the limited supply, which in turn, helps to ensure inhabitants gain access to clean and affordable water.

The water infrastructure of a city typically consists of components such as surface water diversions, wells, pumps, transmission pipes and canals, treatment and storage facilities, and distribution network elements ([Burian et al.](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780123847034005098)). Options for improving the efficiency of the system include investing in water loss reduction systems, creating and following a regular maintenance program, and better matching water supply and demand ([Global Water Partnership](http://www.cawater-info.net/policybriefs/pdf/tec_brief_4_water_efficiency.pdf)).

Cities can improve the efficiency of their water system infrastructure by conducting a water audit, in which all water flows are traced and losses in the system are identified to map where the most efficiency improvements can be gained. Alongside this, asset management can be used to create a short-term and long-term strategy of investing in new equipment, refurbishing existing equipment and developing maintenance programmes to ensure infrastructure is as efficient as possible, and leaks are minimised. Such management programmes create financial transparency amongst all stakeholders and provide useful long-term planning for larger infrastructure changes ([US EPA](https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-water-infrastructure/things-local-officials-should-do-sustainable-water-infrastructure)).

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💧  Improving water infrastructure efficiency

Harvesting and utilising the rainwater harvesting that falls across a city can reduce the pressure on water local reserves and catchments, while at the same time enabling stormwater runoff and providing water for human use. This practice is not new, it has long been used in many parts of the world.

Cities can introduce various water saving infrastructure solutions that harvest rainwater, from roofs, paved and unpaved areas, parks, and other buildings—either to use it or to replenish local aquifers. Reworking city-wide master plans that promote policy alignment is vital, as well as the involvement and cooperation of the communities vital for implementation.  Cities can also incentivise their citizens to capture and reuse rainwater through subsidy schemes. This in turn can reduce costs for the city in maintaining the local water system.


💧 Rainwater harvesting

The Chinese city of Shenzhen turned a 105-acre abandoned agricultural experiment station into a park that incorporates sponge city principles. The city's embrace of the sponge city concept has been driven by its spirit of innovation, but also by the fact that the effects of an unbalanced water cycle are often plain to see here.&nbsp;The sponge city concept uses nature-inspired water management solutions, including small swales to catch runoff, ponds with native rushes and permeable pavement, to capture, store and purify rainwater. Sponge city infrastructure functions to reduce the risk of flooding while also providing habitat for urban biodiversity.