Circling the square: Governance of the circular economy transition in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area

• Authors: Erwin Heurkens , Marcin Dąbrowski
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

Circular economy (CE), the new ‘buzzword’ in urban and regional studies and policy debates, is about shifting from a linear production process towards a circular one in which the generation of waste is minimised, materials circulate in ‘closed loops’, and waste is not considered a burden but rather a resource that brings new economic opportunities. However, while there is a consensus on the need to facilitate a transition towards a circular economy, the governing of this endeavour remains extremely challenging because making a circular economy work requires cutting across sectoral, scalar, and administrative boundaries. Drawing on the sustainability transitions literature and the case of the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area, arguably one of the frontrunners on the strive towards a circular built environment and economy, the paper seeks to identify and understand barriers for CE transition at a regional scale. The findings underscore the multi-faceted nature of the challenge and offer lessons for the governance of emerging regional circular spatial-economic policies.

Keywords

EN

circular economy; transitions; urban regions; governance; sustainability; planning

• Publisher: Uniwersytet Łódzki. Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego
• Journal: European Spatial Research and Policy
• Year: 2020
• Volume: 27
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 11-31

Dates

published

2020-12-30

Contributors

author

Erwin Heurkens

• Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, Department of Urbanism, Julianalaan 134, 2628 BL Delft, the Netherlands

• https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8236-6166

author

Marcin Dąbrowski

• Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, Department of Urbanism, Julianalaan 134, 2628 BL Delft, the Netherlands

• https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6775-0664

References

• AMA (2018a), Ontwikkelplan Circulaire Economie Metropoolregio Amsterdam, Amsterdam: Amsterdam Metropolitan Area.
• AMA (2018b), Ruimtelijk-economische Actie-Agenda 2016–2020, Amsterdam: Amsterdam Metropolitan Area.
• AMENTA, L., ATTADEMO, A., REMØY, H., BERRUTI, G., CERRETA, M., FORMATO, E., PALESTINO, M.F. and RUSSO, M. (2019), ‘Managing the transition towards circular metabolism: Living labs as a co-creation approach’, Urban Planning, 4 (3), pp. 5–18. https://doi.org/10.17645/up.v4i3.2170
• ARCINIEGAS, G., ŠILERYTÉ, R., DĄBROWSKI, M., WANDL, A., DUKAI, B., BOHNET, M. and GUTSCHE, J.M. (2019), ‘A geodesign decision support environment for integrating management of resource flows in spatial planning’, Urban Planning, 4 (3), pp. 32–51. https://doi.org/10.17645/up.v4i3.2173
• ARLATI, A., BERRUTI, G., DĄBROWSKI, M., FRASER, T., HEURKENS, E., KNIELING, J., MEZEI, C., OBERSTEG, A., OPPE, O., PALESTINO, M.F. and VARJÙ, V. (2017), D6.1 Governance and Decision-making Processes in Pilot Cases, REPAiR: REsource Management in Peri-urban AReas: Going Beyond Urban Metabolism.
• BODE, N., BUCHEL, S., DIERCKS, G., LODDER, M., LOORBACH, D., NOTERMANS, I., VAN RAAK, R. and ROORDA, C. (2019), Staat van Transitie: Dynamiek in mobiliteit, klimaatadaptatie en circulaire economie, Rotterdam: DRIFT.
• Circle Economy (2016), Banen en Vaardigheden in de Circulaire Economie, Amsterdam: Gemeente Amsterdam en Metropoolregio Amsterdam.
• Circle Economy (2017), Circulair Noord-Holland: Kansenkaart circulaire economie, Amsterdam: Circle Economy.
• DĄBROWSKI, M., HEURKENS, E., BERUTTI, G. and PALESTINO, M.F. (2019), ‘Overcoming governance challenges to transitions for circular economy’, presentation at the Regional Studies Association (RSA 2019) Conference, Santiago, Spain.
• DOMENECH, T. and BAHN-WALKOWIAK, B. (2017), ‘Transition towards a resource efficient circular economy in Europe: Policy lessons from the EU and the Member States’, Ecological Economics, 155, pp. 7–19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2017.11.001
• Ellen MacArthur Foundation, SUN and McKinsey Center for Business and Environment (2015), Growth Within: A Circular Economy Vision for a Competitive Europe, Ellen McArthur Foundation.
• ELZEN, B., GEELS, F.W. and GREEN, K. (eds.) (2004), System Innovation and the Transition to Sustainability, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, UK, 2004. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781845423421
• ESPON (2019), CIRCTER – Circular economy and territorial consequences, Applied research (draft synthesis Report, version 09/01/2019), Luxembourg: ESPON.
• ERNST, L., DE GRAAF-VAN DINTHER, R.E., PEEK, G.J. and LOORBACH, D. (2016), ‘Sustainable urban transformation and sustainable transitions: Conceptual framework and case study’, Journal of Cleaner Production, 112, pp. 2988–2999. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.10.136
• European Commission (2015), Closing the loop: An EU action plan for the Circular Economy, COM/2015/0614 final.
• FARLA, J., ALKEMADE, F. and SUURS, R.A.A. (2010), ‘Analysis of barriers in the transition toward sustainable mobility in the Netherlands’, Technological Forecasting & Social Change, 77, pp. 1260–1269. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2010.03.014
• FISCHER, A. and PASCUCCI, S. (2017), ‘Institutional incentives in circular economy transition: The case of material use in the Dutch textile industry’, Journal of Cleaner Production, 155, pp. 17–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.12.038
• FRANTZESKAKI, N., LOORBACH, D. and MEADOWCROFT, J. (2012), ‘Governing transitions to sustainability: transition management as a governance approach towards pursuing sustainability’, International Journal of Sustainable Development, 15 (1/2), pp. 19–36. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJSD.2012.044032
• FRANTZESKAKI, N., WITTMAYER, J. and LOORBACH, D. (2014), ‘The role of partnerships in ‘realising’ urban sustainability in Rotterdam’s City Ports Area, The Netherlands’, Journal of Cleaner Production, 65, pp. 406–417. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2013.09.023
• FRANTZESKAKI, N., BROTO, V.C., COENEN, L. and LOORBACH, D. (eds.) (2017), Urban Sustainability Transitions, Routledge, New York. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315228389
• FRATINI, C.F., GEORG, S. and JØRGENSEN, M.S. (2019), ‘Exploring circular economy imaginaries in European cities: A research agenda for the governance of urban sustainability transitions’, Journal of Cleaner Production, 228, pp. 974–989. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.04.193
• GEISSDOERFER, M., SAVAGET, P., BOCKEN, N. and HULTINK, E.J. (2017), ‘The Circular Economy - A new sustainability paradigm?’, Journal of Cleaner Production, 143, pp. 757–768. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.12.048
• GELDERMANS, R.J., WANDL, A., STEENMEIJER, M.A., FURLAN, C., STREEFLAND, T., FORMATO, E. and IODICE, S. (2018), D3.3 Process model for the two pilot cases: Amsterdam, the Netherlands & Naples, Italy, REPAiR: REsource Management in Peri-urban AReas: Going Beyond Urban Metabolism.
• GLADEK, E., VAN ODIJK, S., THEUWS, P. and HERDER, A. (2015), Circular Buiksloterham: Vision and Ambition: Transitioning Amsterdam to a circular city, Amsterdam: Metabolic, Studioninedots & DELVA Landscape Architects.
• GRIN, J., ROTMANS, J., SCHOT, J., in collaboration with GEELS, F. and LOORBACH, D. (2010), Transitions to sustainable development – part 1. New directions in the study of long term transformative change, Routledge: New York. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203856598
• JACKSON, M., LEDERWASCH, A. and GIURCO, D. (2014), ‘Transitions in theory and practice: Managing metals in the Circular Economy’, Resources, 3, pp. 516–543. https://doi.org/10.3390/resources3030516
• KORHONEN, J., HONKASALO, A. and SEPPÄLÄ, J. (2018), ‘Circular Economy: The concept and its limitations’, Ecological Economics, 143, pp. 37–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2017.06.041
• LOORBACH, D. (2007), Transition management: New mode of governance for sustainable development, PhD thesis, Erasmus University, Rotterdam.
• LOORBACH, D. (2010), ‘Transition management for sustainable development: a prescriptive, complexity-based governance framework’, Governance, 23 (1), pp. 161–183. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0491.2009.01471.x
• MARIN, J. and DE MEULDER, B. (2018), ‘Interpreting circularity. Circular city representations concealing transition drivers’, Sustainability, 10 (5). https://doi.org/10.3390/su10051310
• MEADOWCROFT, J. (2005), ‘Environmental political economy, technological transitions and the state’, New Political Economy, 10, pp. 479–498. https://doi.org/10.1080/13563460500344419
• MERLI, R., PREZIOSI, M. and ACAMPORA, A. (2018), ‘How do scholars approach the circular economy? A systematic literature review’, Journal of Cleaner Production, 178, pp. 703–722. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.12.112
• Metabolic (2017), Circular Amsterdam: Spatial Implications, Amsterdam: Metabolic.
• Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment and Ministry of Economic Affairs (2016), Nederland circulair in 2050: Rijksbreed programma Circulaire Economie, Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment and Ministry of Economic Affairs.
• MOREAU, V., SAHAKIAN, M., VAN GRIETHUYSEN, P. and VUILLE, F. (2017), ‘Coming Full Circle Why Social and Institutional Dimensions Matter for the Circular Economy’, Journal of Industrial Ecology, 21 (3), pp. 497–506. https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.12598
• Municipality of Amsterdam (2016), Circular Amsterdam: A vision and action agenda for the city and metropolitan area, Amsterdam: Municipality of Amsterdam.
• Municipality of Amsterdam (2017), Roadmap Circulaire Gronduitgifte, Amsterdam: Municipality of Amsterdam.
• Municipality of Haarlemmermeer (2015), Haarlemmermeer naar een circulaire samenleving Duurzaam 2015–2018, Hoofddorp: Municipality of Haarlemmermeer.
• Municipality of Haarlem (2017), Haarlem Circulair in 2040, Haarlem: Municipality of Haarlem.
• NEVENS, F. and ROORDA, C. (2014), ‘A climate of change: A transition approach for climate neutrality in the city of Ghent (Belgium)’, Sustainable Cities and Society, 10, pp. 112–121. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2013.06.001
• NEVENS, F., FRANTZESKAKI, N., LOORBACH, D. and GORISSEN, L. (2013), ‘Urban transition labs: Co-creating transformative action for sustainable cities’, Journal of Cleaner Production, 50, pp. 111–122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2012.12.001
• OBERSTEG, A., ARLATI, A., ACKE, A., BERRUTI, G., CZAPIEWSKI, K., DĄBROWSKI, M., HEURKENS, E., MEZEI, C., PALESTINO, M.F., VARJÚ, V., WÓJCIK, M. and KNIELING, J. (2019), ‘Urban regions shifting to circular economy: Understanding challenges for new ways of governance’, Urban Planning, 4 (3), pp. 19–31. https://doi.org/10.17645/up.v4i3.2158
• OECD (2019), Waste Management and the Circular Economy in selected OECD Countries: Evidence form Environmental Performance Reviews, OECD.
• OLSSON, P., GUNDERSON, L.H., CARPENTER, S.R., RYAN, P., LEBEL, L., FOLKE, C. and HOLLING, C.S. (2006), ‘Shooting the rapids: Navigating transitions to adaptive governance of social-ecological systems’, Ecology and Society, 11 (1), art. 18. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-01595-110118
• PRENDEVILLE, S., CHERIM, E. and BOCKEN, N. (2018), ‘Circular Cities: Mapping Six Cities in Transition’, Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, 26, pp. 171–194. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eist.2017.03.002
• Provincie Noord-Holland (2017), We maken het rond: Ontwikkelingsperspectief circulaire economie, Haarlem: Provincie Noord-Holland.
• REMØY, H., FURLAN, C., WANDL, A., DĄBROWSKI, M., AMENTA, L., ARCINIEGAS, G., MUÑOZ UNCETA, P., STREEFLAND, T., GELDERMANS, B., HEURKENS, E., MEISTER, K., CRAIGEN, A. and ŠILERYTÉ, R. (2018), D5.2 Catalogue of solutions and strategies for Amsterdam, REPAiR: REsource Management in Peri-urban AReas: Going Beyond Urban Metabolism.
• Rijkswaterstaat and Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment (2015), Beleidsverkenning circulaire economie in de bouw: Een perspectief voor de markt en overheid, Den Haag: Rijkswaterstaat & Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment.
• ROORDA, C., WITTMAYER, J., HENNEMAN, P., VAN STEENBERGEN, F., FRANTZESKAKI, N. and LOORBACH, D. (2014), ‘Transition management in the urban context’, Guidance manual, Rotterdam: DRIFT.
• ROTMANS, J. (2003), Transitiemanagement, Sleutel voor een duurzame samenleving, Van Gorcum, Assen.
• ROTMANS, J., KEMP, R. and VAN ASSELT, M. (2001), ‘More evolution than revolution. Transition management in public policy’, Foresight, 3 (1), pp. 15–31. https://doi.org/10.1108/14636680110803003
• RoyalHaskoningDHV, FABRICations and Circle Economy (2018), Grondstoffen Atlas MRA, Amsterdam: Amsterdam Metropolitan Area.
• SCHOT, J. and GEELS, F.W. (2008), ‘Strategic niche management and sustainable innovation journeys: Theory, findings, research agenda, and policy’, Technological Analysis & Strategic Management, 20 (5), pp. 537–554. https://doi.org/10.1080/09537320802292651
• SONG, J., SUN, Y. and JIN, L. (2017), ‘PESTEL-analysis of the development of the waste-to-energy incineration industry in China’, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 80, pp. 272– 289. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2017.05.066
• STEEN, K. and VAN BUEREN, E. (2017), Urban Living Labs: A living lab way of working, Amsterdam: Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions (AMS).
• TURCU, C., GILLIE, H., TURCU, C. and GILLIE, H. (2020), ‘Governing the Circular Economy in the City: Local Planning Practice in London Governing the Circular Economy in the City: Local Planning Practice in London’, Planning Practice & Research, 35 (1), pp. 62–85. https://doi.org/10.1080/02697459.2019.1703335
• VOß, J.P., BAUKNECHT, D. and KEMP, R. (2006), Reflexive governance for sustainable development, Edward Elgar: Cheltenham/Northampton. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781847200266
• WILLIAMS, J. (2019), ‘Circular cities’, Urban Studies, 56 (13), pp. 2746–2762. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042098018806133
• WINANS, K., KENDALL, A. and DENG, H. (2017), ‘The history and current applications of the circular economy concept’, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 68, pp. 825–833. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2016.09.123
• WITTMAYER, J.M., SCHÄPKE, N., VAN STEENBERGEN, F. and OMANN, I. (2014a), ‘Making sense of sustainability transitions locally: How action research contributes to addressing societal challenges’, Critical Policy Studies, 8 (4), pp. 465–485. https://doi.org/10.1080/19460171.2014.957336
• WITTMAYER, J.M., ROORDA, C. and VAN STEENBERGEN, F. (eds.) (2014b), Governing urban sustainability transitions: Inspiring examples, DRIFT, Rotterdam.
• WITTMAYER, J.M. and LOORBACH, D. (2016), ‘Governing transitions in cities: Fostering alternative ideas, practices, and social relations through transition management’, [in:] LOORBACH, D., WITTMAYER, J.M. , SHIROYAMA, H., FUJINO, J. and MIZUGUCHI, S. (eds.), Governance of Urban Sustainability Transitions: European and Asian Experiences, Springer, Tokyo.
• WOLFRAM, M. and FRANTZESKAKI, N. (2016), ‘Cities and systemic change for sustainability: Prevailing epistemologies and an emerging research agenda’, Sustainability, 8 (2), 144. https://doi.org/10.3390/su8020144

Identifiers

DOI

10.18778/1231-1952.27.2.02