After COVID: A Circular Recovery in Western European Cities

Abstract

The pandemic has highlighted and exacerbated problems already prevalent in cities. It has also provided us with the opportunity to re-evaluate what cities are for and how they could be in the future. Many utopian visions have been posited. It is not the intention of this chapter to merely add to this literature. Instead, the chapter discusses how circular development, which had already emerged in some European cities pre-pandemic, might help to address the problems which have been highlighted by the pandemic. These include: the poor health of urban inhabitants; urban reliance on imported resources and unreliable, long supply chains; limited adaptability in the built environment, vacant buildings and spaces; lack of space for more sustainable activities in cities; lack of diverse economic opportunities in cities; and social inequalities (especially poor access to resources—food, energy and housing and green spaces—for the urban poor). The chapter begins with a definition of circular development. It demonstrates how five circular development strategies could address the problems outlined, thus creating more resilient and liveable post-pandemic cities. The analysis draws from Western European examples. For each strategy, the chapter also reflects upon the challenges in implementing circular development. Thus, it goes beyond the rhetoric of many papers written about urban utopias’ post-pandemic, as it is evidence-based and considers the factors influencing the potential for implementation.