Circular Economy for Cities

Examining household contributions to the urban circular economy at the dwelling scale

Housing is a major contributor to the energy consumption and material footprint of cities, but it is also a basic need. In growing cities, there is the question of how to build decent, affordable housing that meets human needs without locking the city in resource dependency and negative climate impacts. In aging cities, there is the question of how to transform old building stock towards environmental sustainability. Meeting greater future housing needs without rapid housing expansion (and consequent resource consumption) is theoretically possible, but the challenges differ per urbanisation context.

Circular economy promotes renovation to lengthen the lifespan of buildings and reduce their operational energy use; and the recycling of building components and construction and demolition waste to reduce the embodied energy of new buildings. However, research on circular economy has so far paid insufficient attention to households’ practises, and their contribution to urban sustainability. Investigating household practices requires understanding of the context-specific interrelationship between the physical, technical constraints of a dwelling and the practical constraints of a household, both of which become explicit in the residential renovation process.

The goal of this research is to examine the effects of circular household practices in reducing the dwelling’s environmental footprint while meeting household needs. We investigate technical levers for renovation and sufficiency, and the socio-spatial determinants and barriers for households to engage in sustainability practices.

I am contributing to this research with my doctoral project – Circular economy at the dwelling scale: meeting household needs within planetary boundaries.