Cities & Regions
The city of the future is inclusive and circular.
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‘Circular Charlotte’ explores how Charlotte can start implementing a strategy to become the first circular city in the United States. We investigate how many valuable resources are currently lost through Charlotte’s waste system, and how these could be diverted into new, high-value uses; present a vision, co-created with city stakeholders, for a how a Circular Charlotte could look and function; and describe a roadmap with five business cases as a starting point for action.
How we work towards circular cities
Our expertise ranges from urban planning and systems science to stakeholder engagement and new venture building. We prioritize long-term partnerships, from vision development all the way through to practical business case implementation.
Urban metabolism scan
Quantifying and visualising a city's 'metabolism' can quickly highlight major impact reduction and economic opportunities. Mapping material, energy, water and waste flows through a city is a critical first step to understanding where impacts are highest and value is being lost, serving as a robust basis for a circular economy strategy.
Living lab development
An action-oriented approach to developing urban spaces and processes for circular economy experimentation and education. Bringing public and private sector partners together, and promoting circular education and entrepreneurship.
Urban mining assessment
Mapping opportunities to recover valuable materials for reuse from post-consumer sources like products, buildings, infrastructure, and landfills. These can then be connected to new circular supply chains.
Business case development
With industry expertise in the food, construction, textiles, chemicals, finance, and manufacturing sectors, we develop concrete business cases with which to engage the private sector and stimulate a systemic circular economic transition.
Circular city strategy
Working closely with city staff and community members to co-create a city-wide circular economy strategy and roadmap that fits the local context and stakeholders. Goals are accompanied by a measurement framework to monitor progress.
Measuring and monitoring
Cities must provide for the needs of all citizens while keeping within the limits of the planet. How can you measure progress towards achieving your circular economy and sustainability goals?
Circular area development
Together with local government, urban designers and planners and other relevant stakeholders, we develop applicable strategies to integrate circular principles and interventions early on in the planning and development process.
Capacity building and organizational change
Changing the way cities are planned and developed requires a change in the way city governments, developers, and financiers work. We provide the tools, insights and knowledge needed for this new way of working. And we help you transition the way you work as an organisation, by applying these tools and knowledge in your core operations.
Team
Elisabeth den Boer
Rianne Stelwagen
Guillermo Corella Dekker
Gerard Roemers
Toni Kuhlmann
Andrew McCue
Nico Schouten
Jorrit Vervoordeldonk
Projects
SoTecIn Factory: New solutions for Europe’s seven industrial value chains
Circular Charlotte: Becoming a zero waste and inclusive city
Circular Rotterdam: New jobs in a zero waste economy
Monitoring circularity in the Metropolitan Region of Amsterdam
Prospecting the Urban Mines of Amsterdam
De Ceuvel: A cleantech playground
News
The interconnected city:
Imagining our urban lives in 2050
Video: Circular Cities in Practice: From the Netherlands to North Carolina
China recycling import ban: two cities not letting crisis go to waste
New geo-design tool helps cities turn waste into value
‘Socio-Technical City’: a design vision for the city of the future
Pillars of the circular economy: seven cities showing the way
connect with us
Specializing in urban and regional metabolism analysis, Gerard and his team develop strategies to transition cities and regions towards more circular and sustainable states.