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Circular Area Design or Circular Area Functioning? A Discourse-Institutional Analysis of Circular Area Developments in Amsterdam and Utrecht, The Netherlands

Author

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  • Karel Van den Berghe

    (Department of Management in the Built Environment (MBE), Delft University of Technology, P.O. Box 5043, 2600 GA Delft, The Netherlands)

  • Martijn Vos

    (Department of Management in the Built Environment (MBE), Delft University of Technology, P.O. Box 5043, 2600 GA Delft, The Netherlands)

Abstract

The hypothesis of this paper is that the circular economy (CE) has the potential to (re)balance the conflict within urban spatial planning between ‘place as a location’ and the ‘organization of space’. The former dominates the latter following a shift from a Fordist towards a finance and real-estate driven regime. A consequence is that existing manufacturing areas are increasingly transformed into residential and commercial areas. However, this conflicts with the rationale of CE, namely that to end the linear economy, externalized activities, such as the (re)manufacturing of waste, should be internalized again, especially within urban regions. Emphasized by the EU, The Netherlands have the ambition to become fully circular in 2050. To test our hypothesis, we focus on two ongoing circular area developments in Amsterdam and Utrecht. By performing a discourse-institutional analysis, we detect in both case studies a change in discourse towards CE. Our results show that in contrast to our hypothesis, the concept of circularity is not emphasizing the ‘organization of space’, but even accelerating ‘space as a location’, increasingly transforming urban industrial areas into circular built residential and commercial areas. We conclude with spatial policy recommendations regarding the ambitions of a future CE.

Suggested Citation

  • Karel Van den Berghe & Martijn Vos, 2019. "Circular Area Design or Circular Area Functioning? A Discourse-Institutional Analysis of Circular Area Developments in Amsterdam and Utrecht, The Netherlands," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(18), pages 1-20, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:18:p:4875-:d:264696
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    Cited by:

    1. Maurice Jansen & Amanda Brandellero & Rosanne van Houwelingen, 2021. "Port-City Transition: Past and Emerging Socio-Spatial Imaginaries and Uses in Rotterdam’s Makers District," Urban Planning, Cogitatio Press, vol. 6(3), pages 166-180.
    2. Kees Terlouw, 2020. "Towards a Neomedieval Urban Future: Neoliberal or Sustainable?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-15, September.
    3. Van den Berghe, Karel & Dąbrowski, Marcin & Ersoy, Aksel & Wandl, Alexander & van Bueren, Ellen, 2019. "The Circular Economy: a Re-Emerging Industry? [working paper]," SocArXiv tgvzj, Center for Open Science.
    4. Gavin Melles, 2023. "The Circular Economy Transition in Australia: Nuanced Circular Intermediary Accounts of Mainstream Green Growth Claims," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-18, September.
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    6. Elvira Haezendonck & Karel Van den Berghe, 2020. "Patterns of Circular Transition: What Is the Circular Economy Maturity of Belgian Ports?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-15, November.
    7. Karel Van den Berghe & Felipe Bucci Ancapi & Ellen van Bueren, 2020. "When a Fire Starts to Burn. The Relation Between an (Inter)nationally Oriented Incinerator Capacity and the Port Cities’ Local Circular Ambitions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-18, June.

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