European city centres used to be busy resource-intensive centres of consumption, but due to Corona pandemic and shift to online trade, numerous shops had to close, and the supply chains were interrupted. Alternative and sustainable consumption models leading to more circularity and sufficiency increase, but due to the current framework conditions, these models usually only remain in their niche. Consumers therefore lack a central and easily accessible offer of alternative forms of consumption.
The NiCE project focuses on two main challenges – a transformation of central places in cities that make it easy for their inhabitants to implement sustainable lifestyles and at the same time to (re)animate centres in a more circular way.
The partnership will show various practical approaches in different settings that strengthen new forms of consumption and make them visible in urban centres while bringing all relevant stakeholders together.
Educational, inspirational, and exchange formats at transnational, national and regional level will transfer the project results to municipalities, regions, providers of alternative consumption and business models, citizen associations and policymakers and invites for further joint activities to establish circular city centres throughout Central Europe.
As part of the project, the primary task of the Department of Environmental Economics and Sustainability at BME is to provide scientific background, to lead the first workpackage (Workpackage 1) on the topic of circular economy, as well as to support the preparation of pilot projects, monitor their implementation and develop an indicator-based framework for performance evaluation.
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