Cities of the global north are traditionally dominated by linear 'take-make-waste' habits. This is the Wasted City: an urban settlement in which it is difficult to develop circular systems on a mainstream basis. We currently see urban hot spots of circularity proliferating across the world, where reducing, recycling and reusing meet progressive policymaking and economic innovation. But the truly circular city remains utopian.
The Wasted City makes us rethink our urban habits, asking how we can approach systemic circularity in our cities. Looking at the city as an ecosystem, urban planning, design and architecture practices adapt the built environment in which people and materials interact within a complex system. This book explores how different approaches to circularity connect and what is needed to make circular urban development the new sustainable standard. It is designed as a toolkit to kick-start new dialogue and action around circular city making. It can be used to inform, advance, integrate and establish support for circular approaches. The conclusion provides a series of statements that help citizens, designers, architects, city makers, politicians and academics ignite and instil circularity as the undeniable common denominator for systemic change.
Cases: Wasted Amsterdam (NL); Lena Fashion Library (NL); Stichting Biomeiler (NL); Instock (NL); Vandebron (NL); CityLab010 (NL); Flanders’ Materials Programme (BE); Solidarity Fridge (ES); The Brighton Waste House (UK); Library of Things (UK); Fintry Development Trust (UK); Plant Chicago (US); Brooklyn Microgrid New York (US); The Empowerment Plan (US); Closed Loop Fund (US); United States Business Council for Sustainable Development (USBCSD) (US); Toronto Tool Library (CA); Sharing City Seoul (KR); Green Aims Ljubljana (SVN); Nightingale Housing (AUS, NZL)
Cities of the global north are traditionally dominated by linear 'take-make-waste' habits. This is the Wasted City: an urban settlement in which it is difficult to develop circular systems on a mainstream basis. We currently see urban hot spots of circularity proliferating across the world, where reducing, recycling and reusing meet progressive policymaking and economic innovation. But the truly circular city remains utopian.
The Wasted City makes us rethink our urban habits, asking how we can approach systemic circularity in our cities. Looking at the city as an ecosystem, urban planning, design and architecture practices adapt the built environment in which people and materials interact within a complex system. This book explores how different approaches to circularity connect and what is needed to make circular urban development the new sustainable standard. It is designed as a toolkit to kick-start new dialogue and action around circular city making. It can be used to inform, advance, integrate and establish support for circular approaches. The conclusion provides a series of statements that help citizens, designers, architects, city makers, politicians and academics ignite and instil circularity as the undeniable common denominator for systemic change.
Cases: Wasted Amsterdam (NL); Lena Fashion Library (NL); Stichting Biomeiler (NL); Instock (NL); Vandebron (NL); CityLab010 (NL); Flanders’ Materials Programme (BE); Solidarity Fridge (ES); The Brighton Waste House (UK); Library of Things (UK); Fintry Development Trust (UK); Plant Chicago (US); Brooklyn Microgrid New York (US); The Empowerment Plan (US); Closed Loop Fund (US); United States Business Council for Sustainable Development (USBCSD) (US); Toronto Tool Library (CA); Sharing City Seoul (KR); Green Aims Ljubljana (SVN); Nightingale Housing (AUS, NZL)
Contributors: Francesca Miazzo, Mehdi Comeau, Alex Thibadoux, Barbara Koole, Anna Hult, Marijana Novak, Maarten Hajer, Michiel Schwarz, Joost Beunderman, Konstantinos Kourkoutas, Federico Savini, Jurn De Winter, Joke Dufourmont.
