Circular cities: an evidence map of research between 2010 and 2020

• Published in: Discover sustainability Vol. 2; no. 1; pp. 1 - 17
• Main Authors: Vanhuyse, Fedra, Haddaway, Neal R., Henrysson, Maryna
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01-12-2021; Springer Nature B.V; Springer
• Subjects: 10R principles; Circular economy; Cities; Consumption; Digital technology; Earth and Environmental Science; Economic growth; Environment; Environmental impact; Evidence mapping; GDP; General Medicine; Gross Domestic Product; Planering och beslutsanalys; Planning and Decision Analysis; Principles; Review; Strategier för hållbar utveckling; Strategies for sustainable development; Sustainability; Sustainable Development; Urban transitions; Evidence mapping; Circular economy; Cities; 10R principles; Urban transitions
• ISSN: 2662-9984; 2662-9984
• DOI: 10.1007/s43621-021-00059-2

Worldwide, cities are implementing circular economy (CE) strategies to reduce the resources they consume and their environmental impact. To understand the CE strategies and sectors cities have been focusing on, we have conducted an evidence map describing the literature published in the last ten years. The main outputs are a searchable database comprising 178 publications showing which cities have been discussed, what CE strategy they are focusing on, and the sectors under review. The results show that most research has focused on European countries. Those efforts mainly concentrate on waste and wastewater management, and recycling and recovery strategies are considered the “lower-level” strategies in the CE taxonomy. It highlights the potential for further research in other cities and regions, looking across sectors and analyzing strategies that tackle the “higher-level” CE strategies. Higher-level strategies include reducing, repurposing, remanufacturing and reusing opportunities to achieve the potential attributed to a CE model by governments across the world.