Circular planning: the case of Amsterdam

Abstract

Circularity is an increasingly often mentioned ambition of governments of various levels, yet the translation into concrete plans and policies is limited. The Metropole Region of Amsterdam (MRA) is a pioneer in this field, initiating a research for circular rebuilding of a neighbourhood in 2016 and the development of a roadmap for circular urban development in 2017. This year, the port of Amsterdam and the municipalities of Amsterdam and Haarlemmermeer together commissioned the analysis of the effects of circular construction on material flows, transport movements in the MRA, and land use in the harbour area. These effects were analysed by means of a building material model (BOB), combined with logistic models and construction and demolition forecasts of the Economic Institute for Construction and Housing (EIB). The results showed a mismatch between the supply of secondary building materials and the construction demand, ranging from factor 7 (more demand than supply) in the coming years to a factor 4 in the period 2041-2050. An evaluation of circular construction concepts revealed high potential for the reuse of structural elements, leading to a 20% decrease of material need for new buildings, 21% less transport kilometres and 20% less land use. The concept of demountable constructions was calculated to have no impact on total material use between 2018-2050, while increasing the transport kilometres and land use. Several concrete recommendations were given, for example on the interaction between logistics and land use and need for a more in-depth comparison of a variety of circular strategies.