"Prato Circular City": an integrated strategy to accelerate the circular urban transition through innovation, regeneration, cohesion

Accelerating the transition towards a circular economy is an important challenge for institutions, cities, production clusters, organizations and citizens. Alongside the many virtuous initiatives that exist at a micro level, it is essential to encourage the development and affirmation of increasingly systemic and integrated circular models aimed at sustainability on a larger scale. Cities are the main drivers of economic development and the production districts introduce a bio-uniqueness principle among the urban and industrial dimension at a territorial level. The circular economy offers great opportunities for innovation and sustainability of cities and their production systems. Enabling organizations to identify these opportunities can help the transition acceleration. This also means enhancing all the initiatives developed by virtuous organizations at micro level translating them into a wider system, where that symbiotic phenomena are favoured. The development of more sustainable consumption patterns among citizens is an additional opportunity to move the economy to a circular direction. Cities are able to motivate and push their citizens in this direction. At urban level, circular economy principles need to be managed in an integrated manner by policy makers and relevant stakeholders. In order to overcome barriers, our proposal to local policy makers is to approach to the circular economy taking into account innovation, regeneration, cohesion. Innovation means rethinking production processes in a circular way considering the product’s life cycle. A better legislation can facilitate the recovery and reuse of waste and by-products, better funding can help to adopt less impactful technologies, better knowledge can affect organizations on the one hand and citizens on the other to drive more informed consumption. Regeneration means unused or underused spaces and buildings must be rethought and destined for new productive, recreational and social functions. Better legislation can help in temporary or permanent change of destination, better funding can contribute to the necessary adjustments, and better knowledge can push more aware citizens to reclaim "forgotten" spaces. Cohesion, by promoting participatory processes and active citizenship within the cities, may contribute to improving the quality of life and collaboration at all levels. This paper presents the integrated strategy promoted by the Municipality of Prato in order to accelerate the city's transition towards a circular economy. The so-called “Prato Circular City” is a local public strategy, supported by scientific supervision, able to involve public and private local stakeholders, also favouring connection with upper level of decision makers. The territory of Prato is strongly characterized by a homogeneous production district (e.g. textile and clothes production) which is a fertile ground for this transition. Prato Circular City explores four relevant vertical themes, and it defines an innovative model of governance of the circular economy transition at local level This paper relates mainly to SDG 11, target 11.a. The health emergency due to Covid-19 forces the reconsideration of lifestyles and coexistence, the training system, the ways of using spaces, and our production processes. Pushing the transition to circular economy at urban level could contribute in accelerating progress towards SDGs.