Develop Process Instruments

The level of coordination required for the integrated design is as subtle as the conductor's invisible strings punctuating the tempo of an orchestra producing, sometimes, the most wonderful melodies that have fallen from the divine sky.

Integrated design can only be thought as an interactive process where interdisciplinary work has to become the mantra of such a process. One design decision can affect other areas and disrupt the synergy between the plan components. Silo thinking has to be given up for design iteration to happen in the attempt to find the optimal solution. This begs one question:

How can we develop an integrative process to enable circularity?

A good integration requires profound changes in transforming practices and methods, which is not an easy task given that we tend to reproduce what we have been acquainted with. This precise change requires strong leadership and commitment, innovative idea, financing strategies and citizens’ support. Integrating the process involves looking at setting a strong governance with a vision that would attempt to build partnership in order to establish clear, ambitious and measurable goals back up with policy instruments. Also, since sustainable neighbourhoods are constructed over long time periods, phasing programmes will have to be put in place and indicate the number of stages proposed together with the work needed for the completion of every step. This should also ensure the provision of the physical and social infrastructure alongside growth. Integrating the process cannot be thought of without homeowners and residents’ engagement together with a mix of national regulations and city land contracts for which the national government and the private sector could provide the extent of investment needed to kick-start and develop ambitious solutions for the project.

Local governments can play a catalytic role in bringing the parties together for implementing circular economy through adjusting tendering condition, stimulating innovative research and start-ups, establishing financial incentives, or by investing in good infrastructure to increase the exchange of resources. Since such projects revolve around cooperation and partnerships, cities could also provide companies with technical knowledge, connecting firms with unused or residual resources such as material, energy, water, assets, logistics and expertise.

Moving from a linear to a circular economy process requires innovative models of resource and waste management that can help cities rethink their need for traditional collection and disposal infrastructure, which could be further enhanced by putting in place some mechanisms that could monitor resources. A city is a living organism that can trigger momentous changes through financial instruments, or as a regulator for policy development where they could stimulate free flow of materials ensuring testing, repairing and maintaining of goods throughout the product life-cycle.