Circular cities and regions in Canada: exploratory analysis of policy instruments and territorial and political-administrative conditions inherent in various circularity strategies

This project is led within the context of the latest report by the Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement, entitled L’état des lieux et la gestion des résidus ultimes, which identifies circular economy as the first strategy to implement to reduce ultimate waste in Québec.

Based on an approach rooted in urban geography and political science, it aims to develop operationalizable tools for the design and implementation of area circular economy initiatives by local and regional governments. With these tools, cities will not only be able to identify optimal areas of excellence adapted to their particular territorial contexts but also target public interventions (e.g., zoning) to create conditions conducive to the circularity initiatives they seek to set in motion.

The project explores the key question of the processes, policies and instruments that could enable cities and regions to design and deploy circular economy policies tailored to their spatial and socio-economic contexts.