Can development activities that promote the circular economy also support local people? Does today’s sustainable urban development pay sufficient attention to social sustainability?
When sustainability is discussed, the focus is usually on environmental and economic aspects, and its third central element, people, is forgotten. Social sustainability describes aspects such as the well-being of a community and people’s opportunities to make an impact. It is a relatively new concept that has not been studied as much as the ecological and economic aspects of sustainability. Therefore, there is no precise definition for the concept, and the meaning varies according to the object of study. The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, for example, include the eradication of poverty and gender equality as essential goals, while the Sustainable Cities Index assesses people-related indicators such as availability of services and general well-being.
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation has defined three basic principles of the circular economy, which are designing out waste and pollution, keeping products and materials in use, and regenerating natural systems. In recent years, these principles have gained momentum in urban development as the circular economy has become an asset in international markets. It is true that the circular economy can be used to create economic opportunities in an environmentally friendly way, but this approach also often excludes the perspective of the local community. For citizens, the only clear benefit of such circular economy activities would be new jobs.
However, to create well-functioning and desirable areas, it is important to pay attention to local people’s wishes and needs in any urban development project. Without people, a city is not a city. How, then, should circular urban development and social sustainability be combined?
Practical examples from Finland and the Netherlands
The City of Tampere in Finland has encouraged its residents to participate in the planning of Hiedanranta, a former industrial area, since 2014 when the city bought the area. Public events have been organised in the area since 2016 to familiarise people with the area, and around the same time, Hiedanrannan paja, an artisan coworking space, was opened in a former factory building. The renovation of the Jukola building in Hiedanranta was carried out as on-the-job training for unemployed people, and the factory complex is used as a learning environment for property maintenance students from the Tampere Vocational College Tredu. Many higher education institutions in Tampere participate in the circular economy experiments in the area. Immigrants take care of a floating garden in the area as part of their integration programme that aims to connect them with the local culture and residents. There is also a public sauna that serves as a meeting place and a pilot for a solar powered sauna stove.
Werkspoorkwartier is an area in Utrecht, Netherlands, which has received awards for its circular economy activities. Among other things, it includes a central community garden, which is tended to and used by the entrepreneurs who work in the surrounding buildings. The entrepreneurs who rent the office facilities have been given the opportunity to redecorate the building using recycled material. According to them, the gardening and crafts have provided a nice counterbalance to their office work and brought the work community members close together. The former factory hall Werkspoorfabriek has been renovated using a box-in-box system consisting of wooden modules, which makes it possible to move the walls and resize the office spaces as necessary. The attractive communal spaces and regular networking events bring enterprises together and promote innovations. The roof of the 175-metre-long building also features solar panels, which enabled the end of gas use in the building and were the initiative of tenants interested in energy-efficiency.
Creation of a positive circle
As the above examples demonstrate, it is possible to implement circular economy activities by including elements that support the local community. Moreover, paying attention to local residents also contributes to the achievement of circular economy objectives if people are motivated to use the opportunities offered to them and to advance developments that appear desirable to them. More research is needed on social sustainability in industrial areas, so that this link could be confirmed.
Iida Iloniitty
Student of environmental and energy engineering at Turku University of Applied Sciences
Photo by Jeroen van de Water on Unsplash.
