Smart District and Circular Economy: The Role of ICT Solutions in Promoting Circular Cities

Cities will have a decisive role in reducing the consumption of resources and greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Various experiences of urban regeneration have exploited Information and Communication Technology (ICT) potentialities to optimize the management of complex systems and to encourage sustai...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sustainability 2021-11, Vol.13 (21), p.11732
Main Authors: Viglioglia, Massimiliano, Giovanardi, Matteo, Pollo, Riccardo, Peruccio, Pier Paolo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Air pollution
Big Data
Case studies
Circular economy
Cities
Complex systems
Consumption
Data management
Design
Economic aspects
Greenhouse effect
Greenhouse gases
Internet of Things
Metabolism
Natural resources
Neighborhoods
Optimization
Sustainability
Sustainable development
United Kingdom
Urban areas
Urban regeneration
Urban renewal
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Summary:Cities will have a decisive role in reducing the consumption of resources and greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Various experiences of urban regeneration have exploited Information and Communication Technology (ICT) potentialities to optimize the management of complex systems and to encourage sustainable development models. This paper investigates the role of ICT technologies in favouring emerging design for Circular Economy (CE) in the urban context. The paper starts by defining the theoretical background and subsequently presents the goal and methodology of investigation. Through a scoping review, the authors identify case studies and analyse them within the Ellen MacArthur Foundation classification framework that splits the urban context into three urban systems: buildings, mobility and products. The research focuses on nine case studies where the ICT solutions were able to promote the principles of CE. The results show, on the one hand, how data management appears to be a central issue in the optimization of urban processes and, on the other hand, how the district scale is the most appropriate to test innovative solutions. This paper identifies physical and virtual infrastructures, stakeholders and tools for user engagement as key elements for the pursuit of CE adoption in the urban context.
ISSN:2071-1050
2071-1050
DOI:10.3390/su132111732