ZirkuläR

The aim is to describe, understand and evaluate urban-regional circular spaces and to contribute to their development, using and expanding existing resource-related, spatial science and transdisciplinary competences.
We are guided by the following research questions:

1. Which spatial characteristics and conditions are relevant with regard to potentials and effects of circular concepts, with a focus on physical spatial characteristics, taking into account societal (e.g. institutional, political or cultural) framework conditions?
2. How can Industrial Ecology methods, such as material flow analysis, process chain analysis, life cycle assessment and land use valuation approaches, be combined with spatial analysis methods to develop spatial models of materiality in the built environment that assist in designing, substantiating and evaluating circular business models, in particular with regard to resource conservation, grey emissions and land use effects?
3. How can technical and social innovations in circular construction be described and systematised and assessed in terms of their potential to strengthen circularity?
4. How to integrate spatial analysis, evaluation and modelling approaches into the development and realisation circular business models, process chains or modes of action in such a way that corresponding real-world processes can be triggered and strengthened?