“Scaling Up the Circular Economy in Cities” (WCEF2019)

ORANJESTAD, ARUBA – The Circular Economy Platform of the Americas (CEP-Americas) represented by founder and chair, Kevin de Cuba, and Chilean colleague Irina Reyes Donoso participated among other eight (8) regional hubs from across the globe in the “Scaling Up the Circular Economy in Cities” event organized by the Holland Circular Hotspot and Circle Economy during the World Circular Economy Forum 2019 (WCEF2019) in Helsinki, Finland.

The objective of the meeting was to share lessons learned and best practices from across the European, African, and the American continents regarding opportunities, efforts and early successes booked in applying circular economy principles in city planning and development.

The Circular Economy Platform of the Americas, an initiative launched in 2016 by the Americas Sustainable Development Foundation (ASDF), presented multiple case studies of circular economy initiatives and projects in cities such as Mexico City, Mexico, Bogota, Colombia and Santiago, Chile.

By 2050, it is estimated that the population of the Americas will increase by 23% (1.2 billion people), with 80% of the population living in urban areas (United Nations 2015). The challenges we face with the cities of the future are multiple.

This meeting was critical to set forth the importance of adopting the Sustainable Circular Economy principles to urban planning and the design of cities that should become regenerative and accessible. Moreover, it is important innovating in urban metabolism design, by rethinking the way in which material flows are managed in order to eliminate the concept of waste. In addition, preserving the value of assets is also important, in this case we can rethink how to preserve the value of buildings, vehicles, roads and other urban assets over time through models of repair and remanufacturing. The goal of a circular city is to increase resilience and citizens’ quality of life.

Visit our website at www.cep-americas.com for more information about circular economy in the Americas and how our members engage in building a Circular Conscious Continent.