Urban circularity as a planning challenge: The ‘forgotten’ pillar of circular city agendas?

Abstract

Concepts like circular urbanism, circular development and the proliferation of circular city agendas across Europe and beyond all highlight an ‘urban or territorial turn’ in circular economy (CE) scholarship. However, challenges emerge in translating the CE into tangible urban practices, given that urban space is far from an empty slate. This Euro-commentary article argues for the importance of conceptualizing the spatial planning system as the overlooked ‘fourth pillar’ of the CE trifecta. I argue for a re-examination of multi-scalar planning strategies and tools to assess the systems’ capacity to integrate circularity into urban development. Drawing on the case of the Brussels Capital Region, I examine how contradictions across planning levels reflect a lack of vertical and horizontal territorial coherence. I conclude by proposing a set of practice-oriented policy recommendations for cities and regions seeking to engage in circular planning.