Circular city transformation: 5 pathways and 15 actions towards circular urban environments

In this Urban Insight report by Sweco, “The circular city transformation - 5 pathways and 15 concrete actions towards circular urban environments", we demonstrate how cities should leverage their roles as innovation hubs, economic centres and accessible spaces to set an example of how to design out waste, regenerate natural systems and keep products and resources in use.

It's the cities, where two thirds of the world's population will live, that need to be the frontrunners in the urgent and nece…

In this Urban Insight report by Sweco, “The circular city transformation - 5 pathways and 15 concrete actions towards circular urban environments", we demonstrate how cities should leverage their roles as innovation hubs, economic centres and accessible spaces to set an example of how to design out waste, regenerate natural systems and keep products and resources in use.

It's the cities, where two thirds of the world's population will live, that need to be the frontrunners in the urgent and necessary transition from a linear to a circular system.

Today 20 of 27 EU member states have a government plan for the circular economy as part of the European Green Deal. Pioneer cities such as Amsterdam and Glasgow are solid proof that circularity can be applied on a large scale.

To help your city make the shift and turn visions into reality, this report showcases projects and suggests five pathways for the circular transition: mindset shift, ecological resilience, track trace and connect, governance measures, and systemic thinking.

Through a new European calculation from Sweco's experts, we show how urban symbiosis can become a reality in 2040 in a circular Swedish city of 90,000 inhabitants, with cities saving as much as 75% of their total energy needs compared to today.

At the end of the report, we present a checklist with 5 pathways and 15 concrete actions for a circular city transformation.