Strategy Framework to enable circular lifestyles in cities

We are happy to share that one of the outputs of the ‘From Niche to Centre – City Centres as Places of Circular Lifestyles’ (NiCE) Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE project, the Strategy Framework to enable circular lifestyles in cities has been published as a book!

The Strategy Framework has been developed by colleagues of the BME Department of Environmental Economics and Sustainability: Mariann Szabó, Noémi Csigéné Nagypál, Ádám Csuvár, György Ádám Horváth & Tibor Princz-Jakovics based primarily on the ‘Synthesis report – Status quo assessment and needs analysis of our target groups’ and ‘Short synthesis reports on political framework conditions’ of NiCE Partners (LP: UBA – German Environment Agency, Germany; PP2: ENVIROS, Czechia; PP3: StadtLABOR, Austria; PP4: Scientific Research Centre Bistra Ptuj, Slovenia; PP5: Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, Italy; PP6: Research and Innovation Centre Pro- Akademia, Poland; PP7: Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Hungary; PP8: Creative Industry Košice, n.o., Slovakia; PP9: Municipality of Brzeg Dolny, Poland). The language review was done by Katalin Käsz, Head of Secretary, Certified Translator, BME Department of Environmental Economics and Sustainability.

The finalized Strategy Framework shows ways for the promotion and establishment of circular lifestyles in cities / city centres. It serves as guidance for local and regional public authorities that would like to enhance the implementation of circular lifestyle in their cities and regions.

The Strategy Framework is available on the official website of the NiCE project: https://www.interreg-central.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Strategy-framework-Nice.pdf, as well as published on the webpage of the publisher, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, at: https://www.pubblicazioni.enea.it/le-pubblicazioni-enea/edizioni-enea/anno-2024/strategy-framework-to-enable-circular-lifestyles-in-cities.html.

The development of the Strategy Framework is an important milestone in the three-year-long project, a crucial output of the first project year, and the result of a continuous and effective collaboration among all partners. The assessment of political measures, action plans, development plans, strategies and programmes that support circular lifestyles have been carried out in NiCE partner countries (Austria, Czechia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Slovakia & Slovenia) as well as in pilot cities/towns (Bologna and Porto-Saragozza district in Italy, Brzeg Dolny in Poland, Budapest and Újbuda district in Hungary, City of Jihlava in Czechia, Graz in Austria, Košice in Slovakia, Ptuj in Slovenia and Würzburg in Germany) by interviewing political stakeholders and conducting desk research. Sustainable consumption patterns and supporting business models that play a role in the circular development of cities/towns have been assessed on an urban level. Partners have analysed the needs and visions of their target groups (cities and initiatives/providers of new business models, existing networks) to identify transnational challenges and potentials.

By the end of the preparatory phase (at the end of February 2024) a draft document of the Strategy Framework has been developed, suitable for discussion in the framework of a joint, hybrid Transnational Think Tank workshop with the involvement of political stakeholders and partners from the eight participating countries.

The workshop took place in a hybrid format on 6 March 2024, back-to-back with the Partner Meeting in Košice. The participants of the workshop included the consortium of NiCE, some associated partners (e. g. networks), representatives from NGOs and policymakers. During the workshop participants had the opportunity to listen to presentations about the political framework conditions and the research conducted in order to support the status quo assessment, the needs analysis of the target groups through the assessment the sustainable consumption patterns, and the circular business models in NiCE pilot cities. Besides the presentations, discussions were held in smaller groups, where the invited participants and experts could express their opinions about the Strategy Framework and discuss the drivers and barriers of circular lifestyles in cities. Participants got familiar with the SWOT analysis about circular lifestyle patterns in partner cities/towns based on the research findings of the consortium partners, followed by a proposal and a discussion regarding the creation of a common statement (Mission Statement) for the project.

The final Strategy Framework for the promotion and establishment of circular lifestyles in cities/ city centres thereafter is based on the identified

1. needs and challenges
2. potentials assessed during the analysis of sustainable consumption patterns and supporting business models that play a role in the circular development of cities as well as
3. the joint Think Tank workshop.

The Strategy Framework serves as guidance for local and regional public authorities and can be used e.g. by the cities of our pilots. It can be regarded as a living document that will be reevaluated and updated in the last period of the project.