Closing the Loop: Circularity in the Built-Environment

Industrialization and urbanization have created an immense amount of wealth and prosperity in countries around the world. However, the process of wealth creation has also led to the over-exploitation of natural resources with negative consequences for the environment and the communities that directly depend on such natural resources for their livelihoods. This degradation of the natural assets drives greater divisions between the rich and poor, between and within countries. As the global population continues to grow, and urban centers expand correspondingly, the demand for material resources also increases. The unabated extraction of raw materials and generation of post-consumer waste products create environmental and public health hazards that degrade the living environment. This is clearly unsustainable, yet the material demand from the expanding built environment has not peaked.

Recycling and reuse are increasingly being introduced in material and product streams. Likewise in the built environment, the transition from linear to more circular systems is needed to ensure sustainability. Some solutions are presented at this session, with the aim to stimulate explorations into further circularity. Ultimately, the transition away from use-and-dispose culture to more circular practices requires much more than technical solutions. This conversation hopes to accelerate commitment to action for bringing about the circular transition to close material loops in cities and communities.