A city concept based on a circular economic model, with a special focus on small and medium-sized cities

Abstract

Circular economy is a key pillar of the EU's strategy to achieve the objectives of the European Green Deal. The majority of cities already have development plans for different time horizons. Still, they now need to rethink their sustainability targets in a new framework, taking into account the principles of the circular economy model. There is also the challenge of what concrete steps a city needs to take to develop a circular economy, and how it can achieve its vision.

Cities are growing year by year, not only in terms of population but also in their role in environmental protection and energy management. This trend is particularly true in Hungary, where the ratio of the urban population is much larger than the global average. From a legal point of view, local authorities currently have little responsibility in regulating sustainability and are mainly able to influence these processes only indirectly. The characteristics of the small and medium-sized cities analysed in this article differ from that of large cities in several aspects. Sustainability problems are typically smaller, but fewer financial resources are available to solve these problems and knowledge of circular management is generally more limited.

In this study, we focus on the following areas: the areas of urbanization, the characteristics of small and medium-sized cities, the circular economy options that can be applied to them, briefly present some good practices and, based on our research, the types, levels, pillars, sequencing and basic elements of interventions needed to develop a circular economy locally. We believe that coherently applying them at the right level can make it possible to establish a local circular economy model, maintain the system, and finally get the support of the local inhabitants, businesses, and possibly external actors.

In the framework of our related research work, a unified model, measurement and evaluation system focusing on small and medium-sized cities has been developed, including the main drivers of sustainability and the circular economy. Still, at the same time, they can be utilized in the context of municipal and urban planning and operation. In this paper, we present some partial results of this research. The results of our research work may draw attention to some elements of the logic of the circular economy, highlighting the interventions that are possible for small and medium-sized towns to reach their sustainability goals.