'State of Play for Circular Built Environment in North America' regional report
To provide a report compiling the regional state of play for circularity in the built environment in North America across the United States of America. This can then be used to conceive of measures to help in a transition away from a linear throughput economy to a circular one.
Along with characterizing the current context of the US in terms of circularity in the built environment, a number of key enablers towards circular built environments in the US are offered in the report. For example, we highlight that evidence suggested that building certification programmes act as cross-cutting policy instruments. US Green Building Council's 'Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design' programme has been adopted and promoted by state and local governments across the US. Design and life cycle thinking is encouraged by the American Institute of Architects' 'Framework for Design Excellence' which offers circular design measures, high-impact strategies and case studies. The report studies the impact of the built environment, current and prospective urbanization trends in the US, waste streams and materials management, policies at play in this area, as well as incentives and design issues. We're most proud of the synthesis of the report covering a very broad topic. Feedback has been good including that the report is easy to navigate and gives a good overview of the current conditions and issues facing the US. Expected outcomes: Transitioning to a circular built environment requires the design of multi-beneficial policies that take a whole building life cycle and systems-thinking approach. Such policies would enable multi-stakeholder engagement and cross-industry collaboration. Technology and big data have a role to play especially within the construction sector.
