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Circular Cities and Buildings: Social, Technical and Digital Innovation for...
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Circular Cities and Buildings: Social, Technical and Digital Innovation for Planning and Design

A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Architectural Design, Urban Science, and Real Estate".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 February 2024) | Viewed by 6444

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Koen Steemers

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Guest Editor
The Martin Centre for Architectural and Urban Studies, Department of Architecture, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1PX, UK
Interests: sustainable buildings; sustainable and circular cities; architecture and wellbeing; behaviour and building performance
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Anastasia Panori

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Spatial Planning and Development, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: dregional development; regional policy; twin transition; sustainability
Dr. David Peck

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, TU Delft, 2628 BL Delft, The Netherlands
Interests: manufacturing; product development; industrial engineering; sustainable design; critical materials; circular materials economy
Artemis Psaltoglou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
White Research, Avenue de la Toison d'Or 67, 1060 Brussels, Belgium
Interests: urban planning; social innovation; digital platforms; participatory design; sustainability

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cities, as hubs of material and energy consumption, spatial and building density, socio-economic activity, and digital and social innovation, present unique opportunities for closing resource loops. Achieving a circular economy in urban contexts requires a socio-technical understanding of urban infrastructure, including buildings, as valuable resources that shape human and spatial networks, waste and material flows, as well as commercial and industrial scenarios. Circularity in cities relies on resource efficiency, which is driven by alternative production and consumption patterns that are intertwined with social practices and behaviours. This entails promoting resource efficiency via alternative production and consumption patterns that are intertwined with social practices and behaviours. Therefore, integrated approaches, tools and case studies that attend to a range of scales, from materials and tools, individuals and communities, to buildings and cities, are required.

This Special Issue aims to explore the challenges and opportunities of circularity in cities, and acknowledges that implications for urban spatial and policy strategies are likely to require cross-disciplinary understanding. As such, contributions from experts in diverse fields, including articles on new circular models and typologies that demonstrate social, environmental and economic sustainability, are anticipated.

The Special Issue welcomes papers that focus on the intersection of material flows, technological developments, and social practices in order to advance our understanding of circularity as a means by which to achieve sustainable urban development. The findings presented in this Special Issue are expected to have implications for practitioners, policymakers, and researchers alike, and serve as a valuable resource for advancing circularity in urban contexts.

Prof. Dr. Koen Steemers
Dr. Anastasia Panori
Dr. David Peck
Guest Editors

Artemis Psaltoglou
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Buildings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • circular economy
  • planning
  • policy
  • building design
  • material flows
  • sustainability
  • socio-technical
  • social innovation
  • digital innovation
  • social entrepreneurship

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

32 pages, 5246 KiB  
Article
Designing Temporary Use: Prototyping a Framework towards Material-Wise Projects
by Gabrielle Kawa, Xantippe Van Schoor, Waldo Galle and Niels De Temmerman
Buildings 2024, 14(7), 1888; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14071888 - 21 Jun 2024
Viewed by 263
Abstract
The growing awareness of the value of temporary use projects in reactivating unused buildings has led to their increased implementation and acceptance by local authorities and building owners. Encouraging such reactivation can help to address the large number of unused spaces in cities. [...] Read more.
The growing awareness of the value of temporary use projects in reactivating unused buildings has led to their increased implementation and acceptance by local authorities and building owners. Encouraging such reactivation can help to address the large number of unused spaces in cities. Additionally, the construction sector’s substantial contribution to environmental damage amplifies the imperative for material-wise approaches to building reactivation, particularly when undertaken on a temporary basis. This study therefore delves into the overlooked dimensions of materialization and design within the realm of temporary use, shifting the discourse from the conventional emphasis on awareness raising to a more holistic approach encompassing sustainability and circularity. Through an in-depth case study analysis of nine pioneering temporary projects in and around Brussels, supported by semi-structured interviews and site visits, this paper first delves into the ‘material approach’ and the ‘design’ of temporary use projects. Second, through a comparative analysis of the cases, a framework of guidelines is prototyped, structured around three perspectives—materialization, design, and stakeholders—and their actionable steps, guidelines, and attention points. The proposed framework, presented and evaluated for the first time in academic research, serves as a proof of concept for the analysis and guidance of temporary use through three integrated perspectives towards resource efficiency. This innovative approach offers a holistic perspective that goes beyond mere standardization and awareness raising, acknowledging the complex dynamics inherent in temporary use projects and providing a comprehensive framework for analysis and action. Ultimately, translating this prototype into a user-friendly pamphlet holds potential to advance the knowledge in this field and facilitate the more effective and sustainable utilization of resources in temporary contexts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Circular Cities and Buildings: Social, Technical and Digital Innovation for Planning and Design)
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18 pages, 5486 KiB  
Article
Hybrid Makerspaces and Networks for the Circular City: A Case Study of Leuven, Belgium
by Ingrid Schroder, Reham Elwakil and Koen Steemers
Buildings 2024, 14(1), 137; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14010137 - 5 Jan 2024
Viewed by 1116
Abstract
This study addresses the questions of how makerspaces can be drivers for urban circular development and what are the roles of coordinating policy, makers, and materials to achieve success. The network of maker activities in the city of Leuven is a flagship initiative [...] Read more.
This study addresses the questions of how makerspaces can be drivers for urban circular development and what are the roles of coordinating policy, makers, and materials to achieve success. The network of maker activities in the city of Leuven is a flagship initiative that illustrates the mechanisms that support integrated circular urban production. This study draws on the Pop-Machina project, funded by EC Horizon 2020, which identifies the links between the maker movement and the circular economy in seven European cities. The case study project in Leuven, confirmed as the most impactful amongst those studied in the Pop-Machina project, is examined to assess how local knowledge and policy measures can provide a means of activating a circular maker ecology. Through desk research, spatial urban analysis, and interviews with key stakeholders, this study provides a critical narrative of the development, success factors, and hurdles related to circular making processes in the city. The study introduces the notion of hybrid makerspaces as a manifestation of linking maker activities to create critical mass and share material, human, and spatial resources. It demonstrates how successful hybrid makers are supported by local, national, and international policy on the one hand and by integration with the city’s community, educational, and business groups on the other. It is this constellation of social, political, and spatial conditions that lies at the success of the project. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Circular Cities and Buildings: Social, Technical and Digital Innovation for Planning and Design)
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22 pages, 8048 KiB  
Article
Circular Maker Cities: Maker Space Typologies and Circular Urban Design
by Reham Elwakil, Ingrid Schroder and Koen Steemers
Buildings 2023, 13(11), 2894; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13112894 - 20 Nov 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1619
Abstract
Maker spaces can contribute significantly to the circular economy of cities; they demonstrate not only the economic potential of inner loop circularity, but also provide tangible evidence of spatial and social integration of production into the urban context. This paper presents findings from [...] Read more.
Maker spaces can contribute significantly to the circular economy of cities; they demonstrate not only the economic potential of inner loop circularity, but also provide tangible evidence of spatial and social integration of production into the urban context. This paper presents findings from a typological analysis of 326 maker spaces in seven European cities, with a focus on selected exemplar case studies to reveal design characteristics, principles, and opportunities for circular city development. The research shows that circular economy principles of ‘reduce-reuse-recyle’ are aligned with maker spaces such as repair cafés, secondhand shops, and fab labs, but requires additional definition with respect to material flow and spaces for recycling to underpin circular making. In the context of cities, circularity is revealed by a spatial tightening of resource cycles that close the loops of product life cycles. Furthermore, urban maker spaces demonstrate social engagement and a relationship to local production that inherently includes maintenance, repair, reuse, and redistribution. This paper defines five maker typologies, presents exemplars of each from different urban contexts and posits hybrid design strategies for the transition to circular maker cities. Through the adoption of these findings into urban planning policy, it is possible accelerate circular urban production and close the sustainability gap between small-scale local and large-scale regional manufacturing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Circular Cities and Buildings: Social, Technical and Digital Innovation for Planning and Design)
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33 pages, 17562 KiB  
Article
Circularity Indicators as a Design Tool for Design and Construction Strategies in Architecture
by Francesco Incelli, Luciano Cardellicchio and Massimo Rossetti
Buildings 2023, 13(7), 1706; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13071706 - 4 Jul 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2320
Abstract
This study addresses the challenges and barriers associated with the implementation of circular economy principles in architectural design and construction practices. It highlights the fragmented knowledge and lack of a unified approach to circular design as a major obstacle hindering the adoption of [...] Read more.
This study addresses the challenges and barriers associated with the implementation of circular economy principles in architectural design and construction practices. It highlights the fragmented knowledge and lack of a unified approach to circular design as a major obstacle hindering the adoption of circularity. The existing frameworks for assessing circularity, such as the Material Circularity Indicator (MCI) protocol and the Level(s) assessment protocol, are applied to two projects with a high degree of deconstruction to understand their applicability in the architectural design process and identify their limitations. The study emphasises the significance of considering structural connectivity and circularity strategies during the concept-design stage, advocating for the incorporation of circularity at various scales beyond the microscale of materials. Furthermore, it emphasises the need for early implementation of Design for Disassembly (DfD) strategies on circularity scoring to enable meaningful comparisons of alternative designs using circularity metrics. The findings reveal the variability of circularity indicators based on the hierarchy of disassembly and highlights an early-stage design approach to deconstruction strategies to achieve circularity in architectural design. Overall, this study upscales the significance of a comprehensive and integrated approach to circularity in architectural design practices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Circular Cities and Buildings: Social, Technical and Digital Innovation for Planning and Design)
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