Degrowing circular cities: emerging socio-technical experiments for Transition

Urban Farm DB summary

A paper examines how the circular economy applied to urban contexts, within a growth-oriented neoliberal paradigm, tends to focus on environmental performance while overlooking socio-political implications. Analyzing three socio-technical assemblages—Transition Towns, Repair Cafes, and Community Gardens—as cases, it develops a counter-perspective grounded in degrowth debates and identifies the effectiveness of urban practices where circularity extends beyond purely economic interactions or eco-efficiency parameters, outlining the potential for a 'degrowing circular city' based on inclusiveness, social justice, and reciprocity.