Abstract
The City of Ann Arbor has committed to a just and equitable transition to community-wide carbon neutrality by 2030. Our guiding plan, A2ZERO, outlines seven strategies and 44 actions that were chosen by the community to achieve this goal. One of the seven strategies is “Changing the Way We Use, Reuse, and Dispose of Materials”, including the action: “move toward a circular economy”. Many cities are trying to move towards a circular economy, tailoring policies, actions, and outreach towards their unique circumstances. Regardless of context, becoming circular requires an array of actions including collaboration and partnership, policy setting, program development, and education. This paper explores how the concept of the circular economy is discussed in the peer reviewed literature and in practitioner circles, exploring similarities and differences. Following this, we undertake a critical instance case study on the City of Ann Arbor’s materials management programs and efforts towards achieving a more circular local economy. We conclude by offering pathways that Ann Arbor and other cities across the U.S. can pursue to advance a circular economy.
Highlights
Two primary analysis methods were utilized in this paper: (1) a review of proposed activities to advance a circular economy as highlighted in the gray literature; and (2) a critical case study analysis of the City of Ann Arbor’s materials management initiatives
Literature that helps design holistic circular economy strategies, those focused on the twelve action types identified in this paper, are scarce
As more communities look to design and operationalize actions to create a circular economy, greater attention needs to be paid to what is happening in practice and how this informs and is informed by theory
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Other research on the circular economy has looked at how the concept is used as a boundary-spanning term [5,20], uniting approaches such as zero waste [21], sustainable development [22,23], and environmental and natural resource protection [21]. In this way, a circular economy creates space for people from various backgrounds to come together and co-create unique definitions and pathways for action [24]. Our research question is : what lessons from theory and practice can inform the City of Ann Arbor as it moves forward in advancing a circular economy?
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