A narrative for circular economy in Cities: Conditions for a Mission-Oriented innovative system

Abstract

In response to the adverse consequences of urbanisation, including the production of over 70% of global emissions and the increase in social inequalities, cities have set ambitious missions to devise a set of innovative solutions in their transition to a circular economy. This exploratory research examines the conditions that should be met for such missions to trigger the development of an innovative system that could support cities in such a transition. While several studies have been conducted on the narrative of the circular economy as a 'way of doing', this article adopts the circular economy as a 'way of thinking'. To further explore the conceptual diversity of the circular economy, this article uses rapid ethnography as a method in the context of a Dutch region by pursuing a circular mission. The results highlight that a mission alone is not enough to create an innovative and inclusive system as the underlying narrative lacks congruence; this, thus, suggests that the circular economy may not be the most compelling narrative for the mission of cities toward a more sustainable development.