Workshop: Systemic implementation of the circular economy on the local evel

The goal of this workshop was to bring the full context of urban circularity closer to local decision-makers in six local governments in Serbia, City Šabac, City Novi Pazar, Municipality of Bajina Bašta, Municipality of Medveđa, Municipality of Ćuprija and Municipality of Čajetina. It aimed to educate public officials about the innovative potential of CE, discover the local willingness to adopt circularity, and prepare the dialog setup between different cities

The Urban Circularity Hotspot is one tool in the method of creating systemic policy mixes that address business, civil society, policymakers, and research and innovation. During workshops, one of the steps was to address cross-relations between different actor groups, one of which was consumers – citizens. In that way, discussions and policy prototypes created were directed towards reduction, or rather a change of the type of consumption and the necessity of collaboration with local (manufacturing) companies and SMEs in relation to systemically decreasing reliance on major material and energy throughput. One of the conclusions was that the two-sided lever, production and consumption must be jointly addressed to change the habits of citizens, but also to incentivize sustainably, but viable development in cities.

Workshops held were actually designed to initiate collaborative, systemic thinking and find necessities and ways how the production/consumption urban system could be less wasteful and more circular including innovation as its driving force. In this, one city should gain an advantage in attracting citizens and prevent emigration, especially brain-drain, to reduce waste obligations and create a healthier environment and more responsible environment to create business and transform into a circular city.