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The built environment requires extraction and consumption of enormous quantities of raw materials, water, and energy. While these materials remain in use for several years or decades, growing global populations and aging infrastructure are driving widespread generation of one of the largest and most challenging waste streams to manage. There is growing interest from communities in integrating circular economy (CE) strategies in the context of construction & demolition (C&D) material management. Many approaches for doing so focus on small-scale CE applications like individual products, materials, or projects. However, greater understanding is needed at the city-scale given communities’ complex position at the frontlines of local development, resource consumption, and waste management. This study summarizes the development of an evaluative framework for community-based C&D circularity at a city or regional level. The framework expands upon a mixed methods approach called the Circularity Assessment Protocol (CAP), which integrates aspects of urban metabolism, geospatial analysis, and qualitative research methods to examine plastic waste management in communities. To advance convergent CE research, here, we aim to adapt the CAP framework to C&D. We describe our adaptation of the CAP to C&D through a conceptual review describing research, methods, and strategies related to seven elements of a local CE context: C&D Analytics, Building Material and Design, Community, Use, Collection, End-of-Cycle, and C&D Emissions. This work describes a novel yet preliminary conceptualization for developing a baseline understanding of circular C&D material management and a holistic examination of barriers, affordances, and opportunities for improving city-wide circularity.
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Urban Metabolism and Digital Twin Technologies for a Sustainable Built Environment: Towards a Framework for a Campus Application
Abstract With rapid urbanization necessitating innovative strategies for urban adaptation, combining technological advancements and holistic methodologies, this research explored the synergy between urban metabolism and digital twin technologies to foster sustainable urban development. A pilot model representing a university building, including the surrounding streetscape, was constructed using the Unreal Engine. By using available CAD design drawings and GIS technologies, the physical spaces were modelled. The physical and analytical environments were integrated into the digital twin; material flow analysis was also conducted. The developed framework aims to offer a detailed visualization of building behaviour, facilitating comparisons with urban metabolism analysis. This approach holds promise for sustainable urban design by integrating diverse data streams through digital twin technologies. The potential impact of this research extends to the tracking, mapping, and analysis of crucial resource flows, such as materials, water, energy, and waste, fostering circular economy strategies within the built environment. Understanding urban metabolism facilitates the identification of resource-efficient opportunities, promoting resource recovery and reuse to reduce the environmental impact of urban cores. Embracing digital twin technologies and urban metabolism analysis offers cities streamlined data collection processes, supporting standardization and sustainable urban practices. This study marks a critical step towards integrating diverse data streams into urban metabolism analysis, aligning with circularity objectives in the built environment. By adopting this framework, cities can better understand new production and consumption patterns that prioritize the responsible use of natural resources, contributing to a more sustainable and resilient future.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2332246
- PAR ID:
- 10562652
- Publisher / Repository:
- IOP Publishing
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science
- Volume:
- 1363
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 1755-1307
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 012081
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1363/1/012081
