Urban circularity assessment framework
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | Stift The Stockholm Environment Institute Sei - Stiftelsen The Stockholm Environment Institute SEI |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 6 500 000 |
| Project duration | November 2019 - July 2023 |
| Status | Completed |
| Venture | Innovations for a sustainable society |
| Call | Innovations for a climate-neutral future |
Important results from the project
The overall purpose of our project was to support cities in becoming more circular, thereby reducing the pressures on the environment. More specifically, we achieved: we co-developed an urban circularity assessment framework, allowing to measure the level and potential for circularity at city level; we identified opportunities for recovery of resources and energy, through the application of the assessment framework to a specific city; we mapped the impact of the transition to a circular economy, allowing to uncover any adverse effects of the transition.
Expected long term effects
Our project resulted in 8 academic publications, 4 popular science pieces and was presented at 11 events. It resulted in national and international exposure of the project and Vinnova, with new collaborations being set up for continued work.
Approach and implementation
We achieved what we set out in the project: We organized a series of workshops throughout the project duration, allowing for partners to understand the progress, co-design the framework, discuss and agree on case studies, and brainstorm on next steps (WP1). We reviewed how circular cities have been understood in literature, and then designed a framework, testing what indicators could be put forward in it (WP2). We applied the framework to Umeå and Stockholm (WP3). We mapped how social impacts had been understood, and then applied it to the city of Umeå (WP4).