2.5 Conclusion
3.1.3 Circular development benefits (ecological, social, and eco-
In this section, the author wishes to illustrate how the findings of inductive content analysis of the literature highlight the benefits of circular development, using examples from key texts. The analysis suggests that adopting a circular development path will provide many sustainability benefits.
Ecological benefits
According to inductive content analysis, 12 ecological benefits are highlighted related to adopting circular development in cities. These are distinguished into five categories:
- reducing resource consumption (energy, water, materials, and land);
- restoration of urban ecosystem services;
- reduction of greenhouse gas emissions;
- increasing urban capacity to adapt to climate change; and - to increase environmental awareness among the public.
The author asserts three circular actions, they are looping, regenerating, and adapting. All of them contributed to the reduction of urban resource consumption
such as energy, materials, water, and land. There are different types of examples when we examine the cities which are good examples for the circular actions. Some of the examples are:
- Reuse of heat emitted from buildings and anaerobic digestion of organic wastes reduce fossil fuels consumed.
- Adaptive reuse of buildings bypasses the wasteful demolition and rebuilding process while saving energy.
- Green infrastructure can reduce air and surface temperature in cities, thereby reducing the energy used for air conditioning.
Gray water recycling and reuse in combination with storm water collection and storage in blue-green infrastructure reduce drinking water consumption for non-potable purposes.
Overall, a reduction in resource use can also improve resource security in urban systems.
Circular actions have an improving effect on the health of urban ecosystem services.
Circular and ecologically regenerative actions have been instrumental in restoring the urban ecosystem services necessary to combat pollution. Supporting carbon sequestration; regulation of the local climate; managing hydrology; Increasing bio-diversity and producing fertile soils in cities are examples of these. Local resource production, such as food and fuel, increases through the restoration of ecosystem services. It provides clean water and air necessary for a healthy population. It also provides access to recreational areas.
The author claims that these three circular actions reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
He explains this as follows; The cycle designs waste and reduces greenhouse gas emissions throughout the value chain. Thus, the reuse of steel in construction can reduce the carbon footprint of buildings, and the reuse of food can reduce the amount of methane emitted from landfills. Adaptation keeps infrastructure and materials in use to conserve the energy embodied in both. For example, adaptive reuse of infrastructure avoids emissions from demolition, production, transportation, and construction of buildings. Renewing urban ecosystems helps sequester carbon in soil and vegetation. It also increases urban capacity to adapt to climate change.
Local cycling such as local circular food systems, community energy; and regener-ative actions like community gardening, conservation projects, urban agriculture raise environmental awareness among the public. However, increased resource efficiency and consequent reduction in procurement costs can also have a backlash effect[8].
Social benefits
The author distinguished the social benefits into two; health, and community benefits. The inductive content analysis highlighted that ecological regeneration produces significant health benefits in urban populations. Green infrastructure regulates the local climate, water, noise, and air pollution, all of which have a direct impact on the mental and physical health of those living in cities. It can also increase the resilience of the urban population to pandemics by addressing health-related comorbidities such as respiratory, heart problems, type II diabetes, and obesity that increase mortality rates among those with the disease.
However, green spaces must be accessible to have a significant impact on the mental and physical health of urban residents. This is especially important for children, the elderly, and people from lower socio-economic groups who spend most of their time close to home. However, there are still large disparities in access to green space among socio-economic groups in cities.
Providing green infrastructure can also promote active lifestyles among the wider population. Green corridors with integrated active transport networks strengthen walking and cycling in cities. Active lifestyles reduce obesity, stress levels, and im-prove the mental health of city dwellers, helping to build long-term health resilience.
Circular actions include community projects such as energy and agricultural coop-eratives; Help strengthen local communities through the operation of food reuse and repair plans. These projects build stronger social capital, in other words, social networks, and human capital, skills, and experience, through people’s participation in circular actions. For example, repair cafes: develop technical skills; reduce the cost of goods for low-income groups; provide meeting places and increase social cohesion within communities. The author emphasizes that similar benefits were found among those engaged in community farming cooperatives. However, commu-nity projects often encounter significant barriers to scaling up.
Through community projects, it can also generate local economics such as financial returns and physical capital like infrastructure systems that support circular ac-tivities that increase the resilience and adaptability of communities. For example, renewable energy cooperatives provide new infrastructure and generate economic capital, as well as foster greater social cohesion and pro-environmental behavior.
Adaptively reused buildings also provide spaces for new pop-up events. This form of tactical urbanism increases adaptability, creating more resilient and stable com-munities.
Circular actions can increase access to resources in communities such as goods, accommodation, heat, clean air, green spaces. For example, furniture reuse schemes have been shown to reduce challenges and help build human capital. In practice, however, there is also evidence to suggest that the benefits of circular actions may not be experienced equally across communities. For example, green space is often less accessible to the urban poor. Low-income households are also less likely to participate in and benefit from urban agriculture projects[8].
Economic benefits
According to the paper, there are 10 economic benefits of circular development in circular, bio, and pop-up economies. They can be divided into four main sections and they are:
- supply and production costs to manufacturers;
- economic value creation;
- diversification of the economy;
- create employment.
By reducing waste, using recycled products, and localizing supply chains, cir-cular actions can minimize procurement and production costs. With the new approach that the circular economy will bring, it is usual for it to create new economic sectors, industries, and businesses, thus creating new job opportunities.
Valued construction and organic waste streams seem particularly viable in urban areas.
Research indicates that the circular economy will require a heterogeneous skill base with opportunities for everyone. However, experience with the informal waste recycling sectors in India and China shows that poorer groups will tend to be employed in these less safe, low-paying, and potentially dangerous jobs. There is also disagreement over the scale of economic opportunities provided by the circular economy. The OECD suggests that opportunities may be more modest than originally anticipated and differ between countries. Research shows that the economy has the potential to support many sustainability goals. Urban bioeconomy uses hidden urban assets in the form of biological models and processes for various direct or indirect economic benefits. The two processes are an integral part of the bioeconomy. The first involves utilizing biological assets provided by ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, resource generation, pollution and flood reduction, and biological remediation. This ecological renewal process improves land and property values. It can also bring brownfield sites back into use.
Ecological regeneration can be a source of value creation if ecosystem services
are valued appropriately. The author says ecosystem services will also help avoid health, flood, and pollution remediation costs. Managing these living assets gener-ates new resources and cregener-ates local employment opportunities in areas as diverse as urban forestry, conservation, agriculture, energy, water management, carbon sequestration, recreation, health, and tourism.
The second phase focuses on the evaluation of biological waste. This is the circular urban bioeconomy, which overlaps with activities in the circular economy.
Biological waste is evaluated through biological exploration or biological processes that reduce waste. In the bioeconomy, new industrial sectors and businesses are already emerging and creating jobs. More than 17 million people were employed in the European bioeconomy in 2017. This added 614 billion Euros to the European economy. Growth areas included bio-based electricity, biochemicals, and forestry.
According to the author, the pop-up economy can also make a significant contri-bution to economic growth. For example, pop-up activities are estimated to be worth more than GBP 2.3 billion for the UK economy alone and employ more than 26,000 people. The ephemeral nature of urban pop-up events also increases a city’s ability to adapt to changes in the landscape. Pop-up activities remove excesses that are created by economic shocks in the urban system, such as vacant spaces, properties, underutilized utilities.
The author suggests that pop-up events reactivate unused areas, increasing local vitality, increasing local land values, and stimulating the local economy. This action strips the hidden value from temporarily unused sites. Tactical urbanism is a valuable urban model that reduces economic risk, unlocks the potential of sites, and creates a capital flow. However, the author adds that the gentrification process associated with increased value can also result in social exclusion[8].