Aug 2026· Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal· 0 citations
Abstract
This article interrogates the potential of the circular economy as a structuring paradigm for ecological transition and sustainable development in Tunisia, with particular emphasis on the management of construction and demolition waste (CDW). Situating the analysis within critiques of the dominant linear economic model, it elucidates how the circular reconfiguration of material flows may contribute to reducing environmental externalities, preserving natural capital, and stimulating territorially embedded forms of green employment. The study adopts a multidimensional and interdisciplinary methodological framework, combining a critical review of academic literature, the analysis of institutional and policy reports, qualitative interviews with key public and private stakeholders, and an in- depth case study of the RE-MED project, implemented notably in the Greater Tunis region. The study's results demonstrate the development of novel socio-technical configurations for reclaiming and recycling construction and demolition waste (CDW). Concurrently, they underscore how deeply entrenched institutional inertia, regulatory deficiencies, economic hurdles, and socio-cultural pushback continue to obstruct the widespread systemic adoption of circular economy models. The article concludes by advancing a set of policy-relevant recommendations aimed at reinforcing governancearchitectures, consolidating recycling value chains, and fostering the societal embedding of circular economy principles within the Tunisian context.
The green transition is increasingly perceived as unjust by various stakeholders. Academic debates revolve around decarbonisation and coal phase-out legislation, the rush for critical minerals, new forms of renewable energy, regional strategies and the lack of effective coordination mechanisms, and policy gaps between economic and workforce development strategies and socio-ecological protections. Based on six case studies carried out between 2023 and 2025, this article identifies future vulnerabilities arising from the reproduction of intersectional socio-environmental inequalities in the EU’s just transition, thereby expanding the frame of socio-environmental justice (SEJ) through the lens of prospective environmental justice (PEJ). By centring analysis on the prospective production of SEJ and creation of green sacrifice zones, PEJ encourages scholarship and policy to confront the cross-sectoral and structural inequalities that green transition policies, as expressions of green capitalism, often inherit and amplify. We address a gap in comparative studies that empirically and qualitatively engage with the grassroots effects of the transition in Southern and Eastern Europe, discussing its structural conditions and evidencing place-based lived experiences. This article contributes to mapping prospective (re)vulnerabilisation in Europe’s green/just transition and the making of green sacrifice zones, wherein certain groups, identities, lands, and livelihoods are precast as dispensable in the pursuit of climate goals. Our contribution builds understanding of what it means to be made vulnerable in the technocratic shadow of the green transition in Europe’s periphery.
Marcus Erridge, Gea Eleanora Piccardi, Irina Velicu et al.· Politics and Governance· 0 citations
Globally, construction and demolition of the built environment contribute significantly to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and generate vast amounts of waste. In New York State, buildings and waste management rank as the first and fourth largest GHG emitters, collectively responsible for 43% of annual emissions. To address this, a network of academic labs and community leaders developed a vision for deconstruction and building material reuse, aiming to foster a circular construction economy. The network and the vision it promotes represent growing niches of innovation against a backdrop of COVID-19 and pandemic recovery, uneven urban development pressures, and climate and political change. Using the multi-level perspective (MLP) framework, this article explores how micro-level innovations in New York State can be scaled and institutionalized, and identifies actionable pathways and policy recommendations for advancing a circular construction economy. The result is a study of the roles of state and local governments, private industry, nonprofits, and citizens in creating a new socio-technological configuration. The authors argue that New York’s circular construction initiatives, viewed through the MLP lens, are transitioning from experimentation to early stabilization, with the potential for wider diffusion. The article further examines the implications of scale and multi-level governance in advancing these innovations.
Jennifer S. Minner, Courtney Bower, Felix Heisel et al.· Urban studies· 0 citations
The urgent environmental challenges of resource depletion, waste generation, and climate change necessitate a paradigm shift in architecture from the conventional linear "take-make-dispose" model toward a regenerative circular economy. This study seeks to analytically investigate the key drivers and barriers to implementing sustainable circular architecture, with a specific focus on high rise residential buildings. Employing a qualitative case study methodology, this research analyzed the design, implementation, and ecological performance of Bosco Verticale in Milan against established circularity principles and LEED certification standards. According to the study’s results, Bosco Verticale exemplifies circularity because it combines biodiversity with many features, including: sequestration of 30 tons of CO₂; having more than 1,600 different species; features for reusing greywater; and the use of durable modular building materials. However, the study has identified many significant barriers to adopting these types of buildings more broadly: very high costs associated with construction; a need for intense, highly specialized maintenance; and structural complexity associated with each design. Moreover, it was found through the research that (BIM) and (AI) are two new technologies that may help reduce the roadblocks that have been encountered in the adoption of circular buildings. The result of this study is that the circular built environment can be adopted and implemented in an environmentally sustainable manner; however, it will take a concerted effort by architects, policymakers and urban designers to break down the legal, financial and social barriers that are preventing the sustainable construction of buildings with a circular design.
Kais Abdulhusein Abbas· Muthanna Journal of Engineer...· 0 citations
Objective: This study proposes and analyzes Circular Economy Centers (CECs) as frameworks for territorial governance to integrate the circular economy, adaptive governance, and socio-ecological resilience in artisanal fishing communities.
Theoretical Framework: The empirical study focuses on Piratininga Lagoon and Itaipu Beach in Niterói (RJ) and was conducted in partnership with the Niterói Municipal Government as part of a Ph.D. program in Production Engineering.
Method: An exploratory-interpretive qualitative design was adopted, combining participatory action research, semi-structured interviews (n=24), and the eight stages of the Momentum Method—a prospective decision-support framework for complex socio-ecological systems—with SWOT analysis, an influence × impact matrix, and the construction of prospective scenarios.
Results and Conclusion: The CECs, structured around four pillars—circular infrastructure, productive valorization, adaptive governance, and institutional partnerships—demonstrate significant potential for territorial transformation. The Adaptive Coastal Transformation Scenario projects a 55–65% reduction in illegal waste disposal, the creation of 40–60 direct green jobs, and a 25–35% increase in household income over five years.
Originality/value: The originality of this research lies in the unprecedented integration of the Momentum Method with the design of circular coastal infrastructures (CCIs). The study breaks new ground by applying a mathematical and prospective decision-support model to the adaptive governance of traditional fishing territories.
José Augusto Paixão Gomes, Joana Ribeiro, O. Longo et al.· Revista de Gestão Social e A...· 0 citations
In light of the socio-environmental challenges faced by cities and the climate threats intensified by the linear economic model, it has become increasingly urgent to understand how local governments can lead the transition to more sustainable urban models, such as the Circular Economy. This research analyzes the actions and policies adopted by local governments to promote this transition in major Brazilian cities. The municipalities of Salvador (BA) and São Paulo (SP) were investigated through a multiple-case study and cross-case synthesis. The results indicate that these governments may assume roles and mobilize mechanisms consistent with institutional entrepreneurship by performing five key roles: strategic direction, normative adaptation, capacity building and collaboration networks, support for innovation and circular businesses, and circular urban management. In this research, the findings reveal a predominance of coercive institutional pressures, with a lower presence of normative and mimetic mechanisms, which limits the broader institutional diffusion of circular practices. It is concluded that promoting the CE requires an integrated and multilevel approach that articulates planning, regulation, and stakeholder engagement, as well as the strengthening of institutional capacities and collaborative networks to expand urban transformation. The study contributes by showing that the role of local governments in circular transition depends not only on the existence of governmental initiatives, but on how strategic roles, governance arrangements, and institutional pressures are combined to induce change toward circularity.
Marcone Ambrósio Trindade, Alair Ferreira de Freitas, W. Alves et al.· Circular Economy and Sustain...· 0 citations
This paper aims to critique the prevailing linear growth model in hospitality, which is associated with volume-driven expansion, intensive resource use and the externalisation of environmental and social costs. It examines the implications of these practices for environmental sustainability, community stability and economic resilience, and proposes a circular value ecosystem as an alternative framework through which hospitality systems can generate regenerative ecological, social and economic value.
As a critical reflection, the paper uses a conceptual synthesis of literature and theory to interrogate dominant growth assumptions, contrast them with socio-ecological alternatives and develop a regeneration-orientated research and practice agenda, calling for a shift in the underlying logic through which hospitality growth, performance and responsibility are understood.
The paper argues that dominant growth-orientated models misalign with long-term environmental and social goals, and that indicators such as RevPAR and occupancy maximisation fail to capture wider value creation. It develops the Circular Value Ecosystem (CVE) as a regenerative alternative and introduces three novel conceptual metrics, namely, the Regenerative Value Index (RVI), the Resource Circularity Score (RCS) and the Community Embeddedness Ratio (CER), to operationalise multi-capital value creation in hospitality contexts.
It proposes three metrics (regenerative value, resource circularity and community embeddedness) to support strategic decision-making and performance assessment and shows how business models can be reconfigured to operate within environmental limits while strengthening the role of hospitality firms within their local ecosystems.
This paper provides practical tools and guidance for hospitality managers to move beyond incremental sustainability. It introduces clear metrics – such as regenerative value, resource circularity and community embeddedness – that can support performance assessment and strategic decision-making. The findings also outline how business models can be adapted to operate within environmental limits while strengthening the role of hospitality firms as active contributors to their local ecosystems.
This paper offers an original contribution by integrating circular and regenerative thinking into a hospitality-specific framework, underpinned by three novel metrics, that collectively reorients the trajectory of hospitality innovation toward regeneration, circularity and place-based stewardship.
A. Elbaz, I. Salem, Mohamed Gamal Abdel Rasheed et al.· International Journal of Con...· 0 citations
