Rotterdam municipality has committed itself to the Dutch ambition of achieving a fully circular economy by 2050. This transition will change material flows and stocks. The municipality wants to ensure that its current strategic decisions drive the necessary change and makes physical room for future steps in the transition.
Fabrications took the lead in a consortium which is supporting the municipality with understanding the spatial implications of the transition to a circular economy at the level of the region, the harbour and city, a street or building. The transition effects are categorised in 1) space for static new functions like the temporary storage of secondary construction materials, 2) dynamic space for new systems and material flows, like reverse logistics, and 3) transition space which should provide room for a transition period in which both the linear and circular system co-exists.
Shifting Paradigms supported the municipality with a workshop to explore the spatial implications of the circular economy transition for three types of products: products that expire/nourish, products that flow and products that last. The workshop covered topics like understanding the rebound effect and related need to set clear policy priorities and explore centralisation and decentral solutions. For each of the product types it covered trends, trade-offs, pitfalls and common misrepresentations of the issue along with national and international developments.
