1. Mieke De Schoenmakere 13 September 2016, Studiedag circulaire economie, Mechelen
Transition towards more sustainability: the role of resource efficient cities

2. The key challenge for the 21st century
Within
environmental
limits
(Global Footprint Network, 2012; UNDP, 2014)
‘good life’

3. Limits to efficiency and technological gains
Source: Tesla
The scale of the needed improvements in environmental efficiency demands systemic innovation.
It requires system transitions, driven by more ambitious actions on policy, knowledge, investments and innovation
For example: The objective is not to change the transport system (change of technology) but to change mobility => that means we need to change not only the way to move but also urban planning (public spaces, morphology, density, urban design), the way to use a city (to work, to live, to socialize), the organisation of the daily life, lifestyle, values, perception, etc.
Solutions such as ‘Smart cities’ or ‘ecodistricts’ are not at the scale of the problem.
Society is the key component

4. Low carbon economy Circular economy
An increasingly integrated, systemic policy setting
Low carbon economy
Decarbonisation
Resi l
ience
Well
being
Water
Materials
Carbon
Land
Food
Mobility
Energy
Urban
Resource efficiency
Circular economy
Areas of activities, strategic area 2
Challenge to respond to the unprecedented change, interconnected risks and increased vulnerabilities the European environment faces (increasing complexity, and appreciation of the human-made systemic risks and vulnerabilities which threaten long-term ecosystem security.)
A fundamental transition to a green economy – as called for, for example, in the Roadmap to a Resource-efficient Europe, the Low Carbon Economy Roadmap, the Energy Roadmap, the EU’s climate policies, and the 7th EAP requires proper consideration of the interplay between socio-economic and environmental factors, and an understanding of the linkages between environmental trends, emerging issues, associated uncertainties and the resulting systemic risks.
Assessing these systemic risks is the focus of SA2 area, with the 5 year state of the environment reports (SOER) and annual indicator reports being the vehicles for drawing together all the relevant threads of knowledge developed through the activities in SA1 and 2.
The need to provide a path to renewed economic growth and job creation in response to the current severe economic crises facing Europe and longer term prospects is widely acknowledged. In its simplest form, the overarching policy concept of a green economy recognises that ecosystems, the economy and human well-being, and the related types of capital they represent, are intrinsically linked.

5. International and European framework
UN Sustainable Development Goals
SDG 11:
Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
European
EU 2020 – strategy to promote smart, inclusive and sustainable growth
Flagship initiative ‘Resource efficient Europe’
7 EAP:
Priority objective 9: help cities become more sustainable
Aim: by 2020, most cities in the EU are implementing policies for urban planning and design.
Low-carbon, resource efficient, competitive and well-being

6. Enhance the knowledge base and support policy development
Three reports
‘What is a resource efficient city?’
‘Resource efficient cities: good practices’
‘Enabling resource efficient cities’

7. Enhance the knowledge base and support policy development
Why resource-efficient cities matter?
What are the main challenges and what can be done?
What solutions can be implemented on different scales (time and space) and across sectors?
What are the main drivers making urban transformation possible?
How cities can be governed to achieve the transition to resource-efficient urban areas?
How can the society be involved in the decision making proces?

8. Cities -factors of complexity
A majority small and middle size cities in Europe
Cities with no clear limit
Continuum Urban - Rural
What is a city?
Adiminstrative city (Core city)
Physical lay-out (UMZ)
´The Real´ city (LUZ)
Around 1/3 of the European population lives in small cities and peri-urban areas
Cities are a complex system
Integration of different dimensions
Urban technical system
Green infrastructure
Society

9. Ecological support systems
The urban system
drivers
Urban system
sources
sinks
Ecological support systems
patterns
lifestyles

10. The urban system- source of opportunities

11. Lineair metabolism

12. The lifespan of people, assets and infrastructure

13. Sequential investment for a better return

14. The key characteristics of a compact city

15. The consequences for the water system

16. Distribution of water consumption by household type

17. Green urbanism

18. A vision for the future

19. A vision for the future – challenges
Source Lerablog.org

20. Thank you Marie.Cugny-Seguin@eea.europa.eu
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