{"id":1219,"date":"2026-06-17T13:39:26","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T13:39:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mycrochettips.com\/?p=1219"},"modified":"2026-06-18T12:58:06","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T12:58:06","slug":"why-cities-are-the-engine-room-of-the-circular-economy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.mycrochettips.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/17\/why-cities-are-the-engine-room-of-the-circular-economy\/","title":{"rendered":"Why cities are the engine room of the circular economy"},"content":{"rendered":"
\u00a0<\/div>\n

\"Circular<\/h4>\n

Circular economy expert Wayne Hubbard explains why cities are the engine room of the circular economy.<\/h4>\n

The circular economy has been a buzz term for more than a decade now, but we are yet to see circular approaches embedded in local authorities, across geographies, up and across national government policy, and deep into the communities where everyday consumption happens. In short, we are yet to see the circular economy scale.<\/p>\n

I believe the solution to the scale problem lies in cities, and that is because cities have four structural characteristics that combine in a way that no other actor or institution can replicate or match.<\/p>\n

1. Density<\/strong><\/p>\n

Diverse populations and institutions concentrated in a defined geography mean that pilots can be run faster, more cheaply, and be more representative than almost anywhere else. A repair cafe, a materials reuse hub, or a clothing hire scheme can be tested and demonstrate real results within months, not years.<\/p>\n

2. Networks\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cities sit at the intersection of local government, business, civil society, and national policy in ways that no single sector can replicate independently. While I was CEO of ReLondon<\/a>, we called this the \u2018pinch point\u2019 between policy and delivery. The ability to bring a landlord, a retailer, a community group, and a local authority into the same room, around a shared geography, is powerful. Crucially, cities also talk to each other across geographies, forming powerful global networks that are independent of national governments. (ICLEI, C40, GCoM).<\/p>\n

3. Political scale\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

A city-level position carries disproportionate weight with national government. A single local authority making representations on extended producer responsibility or deposit return schemes may find it difficult to get its voice heard. A megacity or a coalition of cities, speaking with one voice and backed by operational evidence, is very hard to ignore.<\/p>\n

4. Diversity<\/strong><\/p>\n

Urban populations reflect a nation\u2019s full range of incomes, cultures, and circumstances. Solutions that hold up in a city, particularly if they work across different neighbourhoods and communities, are far more likely to be successful elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Why cities are unique<\/h2>\n

No other single type of actor has all four of these characteristics. National governments have political reach but are removed from local delivery. Businesses have delivery capability but often have limited convening power. Community-based organisations have place-based trust but limited scale.<\/p>\n

The great thing is that towns and cities are everywhere, and most people globally live in them. The UN’s \u2018World Urbanisation Prospects 2025\u2019<\/a> provides some new and compelling data on cities and towns. The UN has developed a new and consistent approach to assessing urbanisation with their \u2018Degree of Urbanisation\u2019 methodology (DEGRUBA). Using national data and satellite imagery, they have discovered that over 80% of the world\u2019s population now lives in towns and cities. Previously, relying on national definitions, the UN had thought that this number was nearer 50%<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Using this new methodology, cities are defined as having at least 1,500 inhabitants per km2 and a minimum population of 50,000. They are home to 45% of the world’s 8.2 billion people. Two-thirds of all global population growth between now and 2050 is projected to occur in cities.<\/p>\n

The 12,140 cities tracked by the UN range from 33 megacities of 10 million or more, through 429 medium-sized cities of between one and five million and down to 9,807 very small cities with populations below 250,000. 96% of the world’s cities have fewer than one million inhabitants<\/a>. The interesting thing is that about half the world\u2019s city dwellers live in larger cities (above 1 million) and the other half live in smaller cities (below 1 million).<\/p>\n

When we think about where the circular economy needs to take root, we tend to think that the largest cities would lead. In fact, except for London and Paris, it is the medium cities that have led the way; cities like Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Phoenix. Like London and Paris, these cities all have the resources, the networks, and the political profile to act.<\/p>\n

They are also largely in the global north. So what is needed is twofold:<\/p>\n