IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v12y2020i24p10351-d460341.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A Materials Bank for Circular Leuven: How to Monitor ‘Messy’ Circular City Transition Projects

Author

Listed:
  • Julie Marin

    (OSA Research Group Urbanism & Architecture, Department of Architecture, KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 1, 3001 Leuven, Belgium)

  • Luc Alaerts

    (Department of Materials Engineering, KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 44, 3001 Leuven, Belgium)

  • Karel Van Acker

    (Department of Materials Engineering, KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 44, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
    Center for Economics and Corporate Sustainability (CEDON), KU Leuven, Warmoesberg 26, 1000 Brussels, Belgium)

Abstract

In recent years, cities have revealed themselves as being prominent actors in the circular economy transition. Besides supporting and initiating urban projects catalyzing circularity, cities are looking for monitoring tools that can make their progress towards circularity visible. Adopting Leuven’s pilot project for a building materials bank as a case study, this paper notes the particular challenges and opportunities in the pilot project to assess its progress and impact, in combination with gathering data for overall circular city monitoring purposes. Firstly, the paper names tensions between the “messy” transition process from policy ambitions to implementation and the question of data and monitoring. Secondly, the paper identifies relevant dimensions and scales to evaluate progress and impacts of a building materials bank, drawing from its development process. Thirdly, it proposes guidelines to monitor and evaluate circular city projects from the bottom up, combining quantitative indicators with guiding questions in a developmental evaluation. The analysis serves a critical reflection, distills lessons learned for projects contributing to circular cities and feeds a few concluding policy recommendations. The case study serves as an example that, in order to move beyond the tensions between circularity monitoring and actual circular city project development, monitoring instruments should simultaneously interact with and feed the circularity transition process. Therefore, dedicated data governance driven by enhanced stakeholder interactions should be inscribed in transition process guidance. Bottom-up projects such as a building materials bank provide opportunities to do this.

Suggested Citation

  • Julie Marin & Luc Alaerts & Karel Van Acker, 2020. "A Materials Bank for Circular Leuven: How to Monitor ‘Messy’ Circular City Transition Projects," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-23, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:24:p:10351-:d:460341
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/24/10351/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/24/10351/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Nancy M. P. Bocken & Elsa A. Olivetti & Jonathan M. Cullen & José Potting & Reid Lifset, 2017. "Taking the Circularity to the Next Level: A Special Issue on the Circular Economy," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 21(3), pages 476-482, June.
    2. António Cavaleiro de Ferreira & Francesco Fuso-Nerini, 2019. "A Framework for Implementing and Tracking Circular Economy in Cities: The Case of Porto," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-23, March.
    3. Julie Marin & Bruno De Meulder, 2018. "Interpreting Circularity. Circular City Representations Concealing Transition Drivers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-24, April.
    4. Daniela Perrotti, 2019. "Evaluating urban metabolism assessment methods and knowledge transfer between scientists and practitioners: A combined framework for supporting practice-relevant research," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 46(8), pages 1458-1479, October.
    5. Korhonen, Jouni & Honkasalo, Antero & Seppälä, Jyri, 2018. "Circular Economy: The Concept and its Limitations," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 37-46.
    6. Antonia Gravagnuolo & Mariarosaria Angrisano & Luigi Fusco Girard, 2019. "Circular Economy Strategies in Eight Historic Port Cities: Criteria and Indicators Towards a Circular City Assessment Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(13), pages 1-24, June.
    7. Donald A. Chapman & Johan Eyckmans & Karel Van Acker, 2020. "Does Car-Sharing Reduce Car-Use? An Impact Evaluation of Car-Sharing in Flanders, Belgium," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-27, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Rabia Charef, 2022. "Is Circular Economy for the Built Environment a Myth or a Real Opportunity?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-5, December.
    2. Jennifer Petoskey & Missy Stults & Eileen Naples & Galen Hardy & Alicia Quilici & Cassie Byerly & Amelia Clark & Deja Newton & Elizabeth Santiago & Jack Teener, 2021. "Envisioning a Circular Economy: The Journey of One Mid-Sized Midwestern City," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-18, March.
    3. Fedra Vanhuyse, 2024. "The Urban Circularity Assessment Framework (UCAF): a Framework for Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning from CE Transitions in Cities," Circular Economy and Sustainability, Springer, vol. 4(2), pages 1069-1092, June.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Pamučar, Dragan & Durán-Romero, Gemma & Yazdani, Morteza & López, Ana M., 2023. "A decision analysis model for smart mobility system development under circular economy approach," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    2. Luigi Fusco Girard & Francesca Nocca, 2019. "Moving Towards the Circular Economy/City Model: Which Tools for Operationalizing This Model?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(22), pages 1-48, November.
    3. Juli Nurdiana & Maria Laura Franco-Garcia & Michiel Adriaan Heldeweg, 2021. "How Shall We Start? The Importance of General Indices for Circular Cities in Indonesia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-22, October.
    4. Elena Simina Lakatos & Geng Yong & Andrea Szilagyi & Dan Sorin Clinci & Lucian Georgescu & Catalina Iticescu & Lucian-Ionel Cioca, 2021. "Conceptualizing Core Aspects on Circular Economy in Cities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-21, July.
    5. Mohammadreza Akbari & John L. Hopkins, 2022. "Digital technologies as enablers of supply chain sustainability in an emerging economy," Operations Management Research, Springer, vol. 15(3), pages 689-710, December.
    6. Gilbert Silvius & Aydan Ismayilova & Vicente Sales-Vivó & Micol Costi, 2021. "Exploring Barriers for Circularity in the EU Furniture Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-25, October.
    7. Wisdom Kanda & Martin Geissdoerfer & Olof Hjelm, 2021. "From circular business models to circular business ecosystems," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(6), pages 2814-2829, September.
    8. Isabel Mendes, 2020. "The Circular Economy: an Ancient Term that Became Polysemic," Working Papers Department of Economics 2020/02, ISEG - Lisbon School of Economics and Management, Department of Economics, Universidade de Lisboa.
    9. Henrique Sala Benites & Paul Osmond & Deo Prasad, 2022. "A Future-Proof Built Environment through Regenerative and Circular Lenses—Delphi Approach for Criteria Selection," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-33, December.
    10. Jarmo Uusikartano & Hannele Väyrynen & Leena Aarikka-Stenroos, 2020. "Public Agency in Changing Industrial Circular Economy Ecosystems: Roles, Modes and Structures," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(23), pages 1-27, November.
    11. Ginevra Balletto & Mara Ladu & Federico Camerin & Emilio Ghiani & Jacopo Torriti, 2022. "More Circular City in the Energy and Ecological Transition: A Methodological Approach to Sustainable Urban Regeneration," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-18, November.
    12. Fernanda Cortegoso Oliveira Frascareli & Marcelo Furlan & Enzo Barberio Mariano & Daniel Jugend, 2024. "A macro-level circular economy index: theoretical proposal and application in European Union countries," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(7), pages 18297-18331, July.
    13. Julie Marin & Bruno De Meulder, 2018. "Interpreting Circularity. Circular City Representations Concealing Transition Drivers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-24, April.
    14. Rikke Marie Moalem & Mette Alberg Mosgaard, 2021. "A Critical Review of the Role of Repair Cafés in a Sustainable Circular Transition," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-25, November.
    15. Antonia Gravagnuolo & Mauro Varotto, 2021. "Terraced Landscapes Regeneration in the Perspective of the Circular Economy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-20, April.
    16. Philipp Schäfer & Mario Schmidt, 2021. "Model-based analysis of the limits of recycling for its contribution to climate change mitigation [Modellgestützte Analyse der Grenzen des Beitrags von Recycling zum Klimaschutz]," Sustainability Nexus Forum, Springer, vol. 29(2), pages 65-75, June.
    17. Elena Rangoni Gargano & Alessia Cornella & Pasqualina Sacco, 2023. "Governance Model for a Territory Circularity Index," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-15, February.
    18. Nesrin Ada & Yigit Kazancoglu & Muruvvet Deniz Sezer & Cigdem Ede-Senturk & Idil Ozer & Mangey Ram, 2021. "Analyzing Barriers of Circular Food Supply Chains and Proposing Industry 4.0 Solutions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-29, June.
    19. Lahcen, Bart & Eyckmans, Johan & Rousseau, Sandra & Dams, Yoko & Brusselaers, Jan, 2022. "Modelling the circular economy: Introducing a supply chain equilibrium approach," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 197(C).
    20. Temmes, Armi & Peck, Philip, 2020. "Do forest biorefineries fit with working principles of a circular bioeconomy? A case of Finnish and Swedish initiatives," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 110(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:24:p:10351-:d:460341. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.