Challenged by a global pandemic, detrimental effects of climate change on natural resources along with impact of rapid urbanization, the emergence of Circular Economies as a concept for creating more sustainable and resilient futures offers genuine hope for us all. However, there is a real danger that the concept will be overly influenced by top down technological solutions with minimal bottom up engagement. The world is already awash with new technologies for reducing or eliminating wasteful use of energy, water and materials. Yet often both people and civic organizations do not put these technologies or processes into practice for a variety of reasons. The conundrum appears to be more about people’s lack of individual awareness and engagement with a new ecological agenda rather than the need for more technology. Part of the problem is that any engagement can often be confused with austerity measures and financial cut backs rather than accepting the need to reduce wasteful consumption of rare resources in order to create a sustainable and resilient world for future generation. Part of the problem is that the new technologies and protocols can be more technology focused than people focused by often making the solutions more difficult to use in practice such as the ubiquitous room temperature control unit. Instead greater emphasis needs to be placed on promoting people centered approaches for creating Closed Cycles for reducing or eliminating wasteful use of energy, water and materials as a move towards a Circular Economy and Society. As part of that emerging debate, the keynote reflects on lessons learnt from championing people centred solutions as part of a bottom-up approach. One of those lessons comes from ethnographic field studies into the remarkable change processes that enabled Scandinavian Cities of Vaxjo and Sonderborg to transition themselves towards becoming Zero Carbon Cities. Likewise, the creation of a novel Framework for Hard and Soft City Infrastructures led to better understanding of connections and disconnections between soft and hard infrastructures that stalled urban re-development for the historic city of Lucca. Lastly, closer to home in New Zealand, the development of Linguistic Data Analysis allowed analysis of Big Data from mass public engagement processes to construct Data Storytelling for future Design Briefs based on shared Communal Values and Qualities. Each of these lessons point to an urgent need to up-scale public participation for development of Closed Cycles.

Speaker

Mark Dyer - University of Waikato