The evolutionary circular and human centered city: Towards an ecological and humanistic re-generation of the current city governance

BACKGROUND: Local governments are fundamental for achieving the ecological transition of our societies/cities. Also COVID-19 has shown that many of the barriers and bottlenecks in implementing public top-down initiatives are not technical (financial, economic, administrative, etc.) but cultural. They generate a lack of consensus with the risks of reducing the effectiveness of public interventions and investments. OBJECTIVE: The paper proposes the profile of a circular governance (i.e. that assumes the model of the circular economy) that is also human centered, capable of reducing inequalities, enhancing the processes of real participation in the construction of a desirable future for cities, through its capacity to regenerate material and no-material components/values. This perspective intersects with the cultural/educational dimension to which the new governance should devote much greater attention. CONCLUSION: A critical test is the transformation of abandoned urban spaces into attractive places for activities, investments and people. These disused spaces, which have often become repulsive waste deposits, are especially abundant in port cities. They are most often included in areas of particularly high landscape and cultural value. The paper suggests the elaboration of prototypes of circular heritage symbiotic ecosystems that are able to respect some general conditions (or principles). Suitable and effective assessment tools must be available to public, private and social actors to verify the proposal consistency and then to build new win-win-win partnerships. But it is also necessary to strengthen the educational perspective in the activities of the new governance, because preferences, values and needs should not be considered as already given, but should be constructed, thus nourishing the critical spirit of citizens so that they can creatively combine private interests and common good, thus becoming artist of citizenship/civic engagement.

Automated summary

This paper emphasizes the importance of local governments in ecological transition and proposes the concept of circular governance, highlighting its human-centered approach and attention to cultural/educational dimensions. It points out the significance of transforming abandoned urban spaces and suggests developing prototypes of circular heritage symbiotic ecosystems.