Ex ante analysis of circular built environment policy coherence

Abstract

As European governments adopt new circular built environment policies to cope with the socio-ecological crisis, the need for evaluating such policies gains in urgency. Ex post evaluation is, however, difficult as these policies have not been in place long enough to have had significant effects. Nonetheless, ex ante policy evaluation may be possible by assessing policy coherence or the alignment and synergies of policy goals, instruments and implementation practices. This paper proposes a framework to analyse circular built environment policies. This framework is based on a combination of two existing analytical frameworks: circular city development and policy coherence analysis. The framework is tested for the case of a circular built environment in campus development at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, which is regarded as an urban development proxy. Policy documents and semi-structured interviews were analysed and coded. Results confirm previous findings about a prevailing focus on looping actions and indicates limited policy instrumentalisation across governance levels. Identified multilevel (in)coherence in circular city policy is pointed out as consequence of siloed-led and supply chain-based thinking and underdeveloped circular policy frameworks. Finally, the analytical benefits of circular city development and policy coherence frameworks are discussed. Policy relevance Circular economy policies are conceptually limited in delivering a more circular city and built environment. By proposing and testing a circular city policy coherence framework, this article reveals the limited effect of circular economy policies in coping with unsustainable urbanisation. Policymaking and implementation for circularity in the built environment require frameworks that embrace urban complexities instead of reductionist approaches seeing the built environment as a mere agglomeration of supply-chains. Policymakers may use the proposed circular city policy coherence framework as a tool for ex ante policy evaluation in diverse areas of urban development, and specifically for built environment interventions. The combination of both content- and process-based frameworks enables the identification of possible (in)coherence in current and future policy goals, instruments and implementation practices. This can improve policy in early stages of implementation and create more effective policy outputs and outcomes in the long term.