The Circular City Centre – C3’s Post

From idea to impact: how Turku, Finland, took its circular economy strategy off the ground. This UN-Habitat (United Nations Human Settlements Programme)'s #UrbanOctober, we're sharing insights from the Circular City Advisory (CCA) pilot programme by The Circular City Centre – C3. As part of the programme, Circle Economy’s experts contributed their expertise in guiding several European cities through their circular transitions. Turku, Finland, used the CCA pilot programme to create a structured pipeline for circular projects in the built environment. Over four workshops, city representatives worked with experts to tackle challenges, assess impact, and explore new project ideas. One of the key projects was the Linnanniemi area, where circular economy and nature-based solutions will help control stormwater. They also discussed nearby areas like the Forum Marinum Centre and explored financing options for these initiatives. Turku now plans to apply this knowledge to other sectors, including food systems and manufacturing. Inspired by Turku’s progress? Join the next phase of CCA. Find out more about the CCA programmes here: https://lnkd.in/e5e2wExz Apply today to receive free consultancy for your city: https://lnkd.in/eSbm4HiU

🚀 𝐒𝐏𝟑 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞: 𝐄𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲-𝐄𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐑𝐄𝐒 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 🚀 🌐 ASCEND partners from #Porto, #Munich, #Lyon, #Budapest, and #Prague exchanged strategies for integrating circular approaches into energy-efficient buildings and onsite renewable energy sources (RES). The session, facilitated by Rosalía Simón de Lama and Jonatan Viejo from CARTIF, explored how cities can implement circular economy practices in their built environments. 🔍 Challenges: • Circularity vs. Regulations: Building and insurance standards can conflict with circular construction practices. • Procurement Barriers: Public procurement processes need adaptation to prioritize circular materials and practices. 📌 Takeaways: • Circularity from Design: Circular economy principles must be integrated from the early design phase to ensure sustainable building practices. • Leading Examples: Porto already requires 10% recycled materials in public tenders, setting a precedent for circular procurement. 💬 QUOTE: “It was inspiring to collectively brainstorm with ASCEND cities on innovative solutions that can be implemented within the cities’ project locations... The potential role of having green public procurement can offer a high impact via standardising application requirements of circular approaches.” – Almos Papp, Budapest 📄 For more details, see the attached document. #ASCEND #EnergyEfficientBuildings #CircularEconomy #OnsiteRES #CommunityOfPractice #SustainableDevelopment #Innovation #Collaboration #CityDevelopment #CommunitiesOfPractice #SP3 🚀 Eduardo Blanco, Sebastián Oviedo, Energy Cities, Baptiste Mougeot, Etienne Vignali, Andreas Baernreuther, Dr. Stefan Synek, Selina Lorenz, Laura Dieguez, Michal Kuzmic, Jana Vanicka Civinova, Denisa Pevná, Ana Isabel Silva, Adeeb Sidani, Kinga Lőcsei-Tóth, Philippe Fournand, Veronika Cerna, BKK - Budapesti Közlekedési Központ, Czech Technical University in Prague, OICT, Pražská developerská společnost, LYON CONFLUENCE, Métropole de Lyon, Urban Practices, Stadtwerke München GmbH, Technical University of Munich, Isarwatt eG, AVANCIS GmbH, Spectrum Mobil GmbH, UnternehmerTUM, AdEPorto - Agência de Energia do Porto, Águas do Porto, EM, Porto Digital

Title: Navigating New Horizons: How Floating Cities Revolutionize Global Trade In the not-too-distant future, imagine a world where cities no longer cling to the earth's surface but float majestically upon the sea. These are not mere vessels of travel but sprawling metropolises, capable of housing up to 10,000 residents each. These floating cities, constantly on the move, bring about a paradigm shift in international trade and commerce. The concept of floating cities is not a futuristic fantasy but an imminent reality. Technological and engineering advancements, such as sustainable energy sources, advanced materials, and innovative waste management systems, make these cities viable while ensuring a high quality of life for their residents. Floating cities could act as mobile trade hubs, facilitating seamless transactions between countries. With the ability to dock in multiple countries daily, these cities offer a dynamic and flexible approach to international commerce, reducing the reliance on traditional port cities and opening up new trade routes. Moreover, floating cities could serve as bridges between disparate economies, linking remote areas with major trade networks. They have the potential to significantly reduce transportation and logistics costs, making goods more accessible and affordable. These cities bring not just goods, but also tourists and investors, fostering economic development and cross-cultural exchanges. The adoption of floating cities could lead to more sustainable trade practices globally, leveraging renewable energy sources, reducing carbon footprints, and promoting green technologies. However, the implementation of floating cities poses challenges, from legal and regulatory hurdles to safety and security concerns. International cooperation is needed to establish guidelines and standards for the operation of these cities. In conclusion, floating cities could transform the global trade landscape, charting uncharted waters. They represent a new horizon in international commerce, fostering unprecedented economic growth and connectivity.

From idea to impact: how Turun kaupunki - Åbo stad - City of Turku took its circular economy strategy off the ground.    The Circular City Advisory (CCA) programme by The Circular City Centre – C3 offers specialised #training to help #cities achieve their circular economy goals. Many European cities have developed #circulareconomy strategies, but securing #finance for projects remains a common challenge. CCA addresses this by offering two advanced advisory tracks: CCA 2 | Next steps: Facilitate and act, and CCA 3 | Final steps: Invest and implement.  These programmes are designed for cities like Turku, Finland, which already have a detailed circular economy strategy. Turku used the pilot phase of the CCA 2 programme to develop a structured pipeline for circular projects in the built environment. During four workshops, Turku representatives discussed with experts the challenges, impact, and feasibility of three selected projects as well as generated new project ideas. One of the projects discussed was the Linnanniemi area of Turku, where the city will implement circular economy and nature-based solutions to better control stormwater. Other areas nearby were also discussed as the Forum Marinum Centre. Additionally, the city gained valuable insights into securing #finance for these initiatives. Turku can now apply this knowledge to develop project pipelines in other sectors, such as the food system and manufacturing. If Turku’s example inspires you, consider joining the new phase of CCA. “The C3 pilot provided us with useful learnings from other cities’ circular economy construction projects. During the pilot, we also started to develop stronger collaboration between the teams and managers who have a key role in implementing full-scale circular economy actions in on-going and future construction projects.” - Niina Ruuska – Senior Specialist in the Climate team / Green transition for the city of Turku. Find out more about the CCA programmes here: https://lnkd.in/e5e2wExz  #EURegionsWeek #EIBAdvisory Circular Cities EU

According to new figures released by Helsinki city, Helsinki has reduced carbon emissions per capita by 60% since 1990. Emissions fell dramatically across all indicators in 2023, except for transport. Total carbon emissions were 25.4% lower overall and by 27% per capita from 2022 figures, the biggest recorded drop in numbers to date. Forbes shares the story of Helsinki in their newly released article, link in comments. Helsingin kaupunki – Helsingfors stad – City of Helsinki has set a goal of being carbon neutral by 2030. 👏 The city council is also keen to make a difference in “Scope 3” carbon emissions, which are not directly generated in the city but still contribute to overall emissions. According to Forbes, “the city council has already introduced a binding target for the life cycle carbon footprint for residential buildings, which will affect the building materials and therefore decrease emissions in other locations than Helsinki.” The deputy mayor of Helsinki Anni Sinnemäki shares the key factors of Helsinki’s success and lessons learned: The first is a comprehensive and systematic approach to reducing carbon emissions. Secondly, setting ambitious targets. Setting mid-term timetable targets for 2030, as opposed to longer-term targets, has helped create a sense of urgency. “It’s important to have an overall ambitious overall target, because it helps private sector investors, the national government, and other municipalities to understand where we are going. It also sends out a message that we are the kind of city who takes this seriously,” says Sinnemäki. The third one is cooperation. Local leaders have a lot of power in driving sustainability. “But to get the best results, you do need the European, national, and local leaders pushing in the same direction”, Sinnemäki continues. I feel so privilegded living in Helsinki where our politicians and officials are showing the way towards greener cities. 🌿🌱 #sustainability #carbonreduction #CO2 #sustainablecities #urbanisation #netzero

In just two years, 54 European cities made visible progress towards a circular economy! 👏👏👏 According to the Circular Cities Declaration Report 2024 published today, more than 200 circular measures were implemented across cities with a combined population of 16 million. And the first outcomes are already here! The cities reported progress on all ten commitments of the Circular Cities Declaration—from establishing clear targets to engaging stakeholders. The report was led by ICLEI Europe, Circle Economy and Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Discover practical insights from the cities committed to the circular economy in the full report: https://lnkd.in/gVfr7p7F #circulareconomy #circularcities #sustainablecities

In order to meet their #climateneutrality objectives, several cities are developing local agencies to streamline and transform production processes - involving their local economic actors in the green transition. These bodies work alongside local authorities and their aim is to boost the #localeconomy through project-based innovation. Click here to see three different approaches to this method and how well that has played out for them: https://lnkd.in/ejt92tKs Stad Leuven, City of Vienna, VCIE

🏛️𝗙𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗕𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘀, 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀. The good part, which makes me very happy, is that 20 cities received the Mission Label, and among them we have also Bucharest and Suceava. 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿, we will probably have the 𝟭𝟬𝟬 𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 selected to become 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗨. 𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 I would like to see implemented in cities: 🇳🇱 𝗜𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝗴𝘂𝗲, 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀, 7 multinational companies have partnered with the municipality to fight against carbon footprint reduction. Companies like Siemens have launched sustainable transport initiatives for their employees: 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗯𝗶𝗸𝗲𝘀, 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗽𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴, a mix that makes transportation more nature-friendly. Another priority in Dutch cities is the 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴. The Vice-Mayor of The Hague mentioned that they invest nearly 𝟭 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗼𝘀 in local start-ups and SMEs through public tenders for green solutions. 🇩🇪 𝗜𝗻 𝗔𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗻, 𝗚𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆, there are over 𝟭𝟰𝟬 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 involved, some certified as Gold, others as Basic. The Gold partners have committed to 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗯𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟯𝟬. They have also established a 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆, independent but financially supported by the city hall, giving them the freedom to generate projects. 🇸🇮 The mayor of a small Slovenian city mentioned that they purchased 𝟭𝟬𝟬 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝘀, used by employees until 4 PM, and afterwards they are shared with the community to reduce the carbon footprint. "Dream Big or Go Home" was his motto, emphasizing the importance of involving young people under 25. 💶 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗸 is preparing 𝟮 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗼𝘀 to support ambitious projects in European cities. The future of these investments is a mix between public and private funds, as 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 to transform cities. 🇷🇴I took pride in the national platform M100.ro, with the 𝟭𝟬 𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 that will be selected at the end of the month, and with the 𝟯 𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 part of the European program. Romania has been well-regarded, and the 𝗡𝗲𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗻 from this summer was appreciated 🏞️. We hope to continue on this path even 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. 🏛️𝗔𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗕𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘀, it's cold, rainy, and gloomy ☔ but the future looks bright.

How did Circular City Advisory (CCA) help Vienna kickstart its #circulartransition?  The Circular City Advisory (CCA) programme offered by The Circular City Centre – C3 is welcoming new cities to their support them in their circular economy transition. With three different programmes, CCA is designed to assist cities at different stages of the transition, from developing a circular economy strategy to preparing circular projects for #financing and implementation. The Austrian capital City of Vienna used the CCA 1 | First Steps: Prepare and Plan programme to shape a circular economy strategy for the built environment, a key sector already selected as priority by the city. During four workshops spread over six months, city representatives and built environment experts consolidated existing goals and initiatives supporting the circular transition in this sector and defined key actions to progress in the implementation. Several circular economy initiatives had already been undertaken in Vienna, giving the city a strong start. In addition to creating a framework for existing initiatives, the workshops helped the city understand how to secure funding for circular projects. Thanks to the programme, Vienna was able to reflect on the measures defined in the city's own “DoTank Circular City Wien 2020-2030” implementation programme with international experts, develop them further and embed them in a consolidated transformation process. The programme is presented on a website initiated by the city specifically for the topic of circular economy in the #construction sector.   “The workshops organised by C3 have been very valuable for our ‘DoTank Circular City Vienna 2020-2030’ programme. Our work benefits immensely from the exchange with other cities, as we are in the process of transitioning from a linear to a circular economy in the construction sector. Such a highly complex transformation process requires expertise, #innovation and courage – all of them enhanced through collaboration and transdisciplinary cooperation.“ - Bernadette Luger, Head of Coordination Unit for Resource Conservation and Sustainability in the Construction Sector in Vienna. To discover the benefits of the circular economy for your city and start developing your own circular economy strategy, consider enrolling in the CCA 1 programme.  Find out more about the CCA programmes here: https://lnkd.in/e5e2wExz   Apply to participate here: https://lnkd.in/eSbm4HiU   #EURegionsWeek #EIBAdvisory 

The industrial strategy and the big cities 🏙️ According to the recent Green Paper, the main aim of the industrial strategy is to tackle barriers to growth in Britain’s highest-potential, growth-driving, sectors and places. In total, the Green Paper identifies eight such sectors and three sets of places. Among the places singled out are the big cities. What role do they currently play in the target sectors? Read the our latest blog from James Robert Evans 👇 https://loom.ly/wQBQyNs