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interfaculty institute for
socio-ecological transformations


owards Urban Circularity - Exploring and analysing circularity-inspired ambitions in Theory, Practices, and Projects

Campus Usquare - Hall AC.0.01 - and online

— 16:00

This doctoral research critically explores the concept of Urban Circularity (UC) as a transformative lens for rethinking urban planning and design disciplines, with a specific focus on the Brussels Capital Region (BCR).

Situated within the broader discourse of the Circular Economy (CE), the thesis investigates how circu-larity-inspired ambitions can be interpreted, spatialised, and operationalised across three interrelated dimensions: theory, practices, and projects. In response to escalating ecological, social, and material cri-ses, the research proposes UC as a paradigm shift toward more resource-conscious, inclusive, and less polluting urban systems. It critiques dominant technocratic, optimisation-driven, and growth-oriented narratives of CE, advocating instead for a holistic, inter-scalar, interdisciplinary, and context-sensitive approach that foregrounds sufficiency, care, and inclusivity. The thesis adopts a mixed-methods frame-work, combining literature reviews, territorial mapping, qualitative analysis of case studies, interviews and focus groups, and quantitative assessments using simplified material stock and flow analysis. This methodological approach supports both theoretical reflection and practical application.

Further information: here

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