Urban planning catalyses the implementation of circularity
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Urban planning emerges as a key lever in steering the trajectory and growth of cities toward a more circular and thriving future for both people and the planet. However, there is still a fundamental gap in the understanding of what it means to accommodate circular measures in the urban planning processes of local governments. This session explores how cities steer their urban development, from high-level policy to implementation on the ground.
Organisers: ICLEI Europe and Circle Economy Foundation
Programme
Setting the scene
Jordi Pascual Torner
Cities Programme Manager
Circle Economy
Jordi is driven by systemic transformation and the creation of a new economic model that delivers prosperity for people, society and the planet. He is convinced cities are the sweet spot to catalyse this transformation. He works with cities worldwide to help them understand the potential of the circular economy and integrate it into their ways of working and urban intervention plans.
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Kristin Strandberg
Cities Strategist
Circle Economy
Kristin has extensive experience and a multidisciplinary knowledge base in urban development. She previously worked in the public sector in Sweden as an environmental urban planner, guiding city development sustainably for people, planet and the environment. At Circle Economy, she is responsible for research and analysis behind circular city support, including creating strategies, road maps and guidance documents. Additionally, Kristin facilitates workshops, providing expertise and insights to promote sustainable urban planning practices, emphasising ecological and societal well-being. Her work focuses on innovative circular solutions for urban challenges, fostering environmentally friendly and socially inclusive urban spaces.
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Urban planning as an impactful tool for implementation
Jo Williams
Professor of Sustainable Development and Director of the Circular Cities Hub
University College London
Jo Williams is an academic, author, designer and founder of the Circular Cities Hub. She is an expert in regenerative, low carbon, resource looping, adaptive urban systems. She fuses systems-based and design approaches to generate implementable solutions. She has developed a circular development concept and has researched the territorialisation of circular systems. She has acted in an advisory capacity for international organisations (e.g. UN Habitat, UNEP, European Environment Agency, EIB and OECD), countries, consultants and cities. She is the author of over 100 publications, including “Circular Cities: a revolution in urban sustainability”.
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Elsa Lefevre
Programme Manager, Cities Unit
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Elsa works to support sustainable urban development with practitioners and experts at the international, regional and local levels. She focuses on the development of UNEP’s work in integrated and sustainable neighbourhood design and coordinates the advocacy component of UrbanShift, aiming to promote the importance of cities in the achievement of the Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) and to raise awareness of the programme at the global and regional level.
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Wayne Hubbard
Chief Executive Officer
ReLondon
Wayne is responsible for helping London’s boroughs to reduce waste and increase recycling rates, and accelerating the development of a low carbon circular economy by supporting circular businesses. He has been working for ReLondon since 2008. Prior to this he was the head of waste policy at the Greater London Authority. Wayne is a trustee on the board of the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management and a trustee of the international development body, Waste Aid. He has over 25 years’ experience in the waste and resource management industry.
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Jordi Pascual Torner
Cities Programme Manager
Circle Economy
Jordi is driven by systemic transformation and the creation of a new economic model that delivers prosperity for people, society and the planet. He is convinced cities are the sweet spot to catalyse this transformation. He works with cities worldwide to help them understand the potential of the circular economy and integrate it into their ways of working and urban intervention plans.
Read full bio
Kristin Strandberg
Cities Strategist
Circle Economy
Kristin has extensive experience and a multidisciplinary knowledge base in urban development. She previously worked in the public sector in Sweden as an environmental urban planner, guiding city development sustainably for people, planet and the environment. At Circle Economy, she is responsible for research and analysis behind circular city support, including creating strategies, road maps and guidance documents. Additionally, Kristin facilitates workshops, providing expertise and insights to promote sustainable urban planning practices, emphasising ecological and societal well-being. Her work focuses on innovative circular solutions for urban challenges, fostering environmentally friendly and socially inclusive urban spaces.
Read full bio
Planning in practice: Cities illustrating circular implementation
Tseng Tse-Fong
Professor, Dr.-Ing.
Feng-Chia University
Tseng Tse-Fong has held numerous roles in academia and city governance. His significant role as the CEO of the "IBA Kaohsiung 2030" Preparatory Team is central to transforming Kaohsiung from a traditional industrial city into a NetZero, circular and smart city by 2050. His leadership emphasises citizen co-innovation and experimentation, positioning the community at the heart of sustainable urban development. By fostering a participatory approach, Tseng is not just driving environmental sustainability but also ensuring social justice and community ownership in the transformation process. His work in Kaohsiung showcases a forward-thinking model for urban development that balances technological advancements with citizen engagement, offering a replicable blueprint for other cities aiming for a sustainable future.
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Thomas van Oppens
Deputy Mayor
Leuven
Thomas Van Oppens is Leuven's deputy mayor for waste management or, as he prefers to call it, material management. Leuven is one of the 100 European cities on a mission to become climate neutral. But what about all the materials that are needed to accomplish that? And what about the materials that are already in the city? How can we connect the dots? Thomas takes you from the high-level plans and translates them into local policies and realisations.
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Ying-Chih Deng-Sommer
Senior Officer
ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability World Secretariat
Ying-Chih Deng-Sommer is a motivated sustainability professional driven to create meaningful change. He is dedicated to managing environmental impacts and leading initiatives that advocate circular development and transform business models.
