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Circularity in the Built Environment: A Goal or a Means?

In: SDGs in Construction Economics and Organization

Author

Listed:
  • Tom B. J. Coenen

    (Civil Engineering & Management, University of Twente)

  • Klaasjan Visscher

    (University of Twente)

  • Leentje Volker

    (Civil Engineering & Management, University of Twente)

Abstract

To reach a circular built environment, the changes and solutions of such mission need to align with the challenges a Circular EconomyCircular economy (CE) aims to solve. Despite the rather uniform policies on the goals and challenges of circular construction, the understanding of CE among practitioners appears divergent. Using the concept of problem space and solution space in relation to missions, the various perceptions, interpretations and framingsFramings of the CE mission in the Dutch construction industryConstruction industries were studied by means of 20 semi-structured interviews. Results indicate that the perceptions of the underlying challenges vary from mere resource scarcity to wide societal reforms, including social equity and climate neutrality. Also, the relation with other concepts seems contested, particularly regarding sustainabilitySustainability. The problems CE aims to address and the solutions to reach such CE turned out to interact and even intertwine in the conceptualizations of CE. Mission achievement hence calls for convergence of both the problem and the solution space acknowledging the mission’s co-evolving nature. Given the resulting positioning of CE as both a means for underlying challenges and a goal in itself, we propose to understand CE as a mediation concept that couples directed solutions to a wide set of societal challenges. This implies that rather than aiming for a uniform definition, action should be aimed at dynamically guided solutions towards addressing the evolving societal challenges. Further research in other sectoral and geographical contexts is required to explore the validity and implications of CE as a mediation concept.

Suggested Citation

  • Tom B. J. Coenen & Klaasjan Visscher & Leentje Volker, 2023. "Circularity in the Built Environment: A Goal or a Means?," Springer Proceedings in Business and Economics, in: Göran Lindahl & Stefan Christoffer Gottlieb (ed.), SDGs in Construction Economics and Organization, chapter 0, pages 253-267, Springer.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:prbchp:978-3-031-25498-7_18
    DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-25498-7_18
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    Cited by:

    1. Angstmann, Marius & Gärtner, Stefan & Angstmann, Marius, 2023. "Abriss, Neubau oder Sanierung - CO2-Emissionen im Gebäudesektor: Nicht nur sparsamer, sondern auch weniger," Forschung Aktuell 09/2023, Institut Arbeit und Technik (IAT), Westfälische Hochschule, University of Applied Sciences.

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