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Designing the Irresistible Circular Society

Project description

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What if sustainability becomes the irresistible choice?

Sustainable. Attractive. Inclusive. The three main characteristics of an "irresistible" circular society where sustainability becomes so attractive that it is barely a choice. This is according to the EU-funded DESIRE project, one of the European Commission’s six New European Bauhaus lighthouse demonstrators. The aim of DESIRE is to create an alternative way forward for the built environment, supporting the EU mission of 100 climate-neutral and smart cities. The project’s themes (creating social and inclusive housing, transforming through symbiotic relationships, and reconciling cities with nature) are powered by eight demonstration sites: three in Denmark, two in Italy, and one each in Latvia, the Netherlands and Slovenia. The project will set the foundation for a school of thought and practice, and establish a scaling framework for widespread learning across the EU.

Objective

Designing an Irresistible Circular Society (DESIRE) aims to create an alternative way forward for the built environment supporting the EU mission of ‘100 climate-neutral and smart cities’. Against seemingly insurmountable challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, and resource depletion we need to rethink our approach to finding solutions. Departing from architecture, design and art we will create an open learning environment with principles, methods and guidelines to support us in designing an irresistible circular society. We will present a DESIRE lighthouse demonstrator, built on insights and learnings from on-site demonstration activities taking place on sites in Denmark, Italy, Latvia, Slovenia, and The Netherlands, encompassing various themes and scales. By this, we will set the foundation for a school of thought and practice, and establish a scaling framework for widespread learning across the EU utilizing digital infrastructure, stakeholder involvement and empowerment across a partner community of European cities, youth organisations, NGOs, academia etc. Our territorial sites form the core of DESIRE. Three themes have informed our choice of sites and partners. ‘Creating social and inclusive housing’ addresses the need for inclusive processes, ‘the power of we’, in circular transformation of social housing. ‘Reconciling cities with nature’ is about designing livable habitats and functional ecosystems from a multispecies perspective while rebalancing ‘land use’ to accommodate resource generation and biodiversity. ‘Transforming through symbiotic relationships’ focuses on how to optimize use of materials flow when rethinking urban landscapes in cities. In depts on-site demonstration activities will unfold in three Danish sites (an old asphalt factory in Herlev, a social housing neighbourhood in Taastrup, and an urban transformation project in Kalundborg) and contribute to similar demonstration activities in Amsterdam, Ljubljana, Milan, Riga and Turin.

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Call for proposal

HORIZON-MISS-2021-NEB-01

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Funding Scheme

HORIZON-CSA - HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions

Coordinator

FORENINGEN BLOXHUB
Net EU contribution
€ 280 000,00
Address
BRYGHUSPLADSEN 8
1473 Kobenhavn
Denmark

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Region
Danmark Hovedstaden Byen København
Activity type
Other
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Total cost
€ 280 000,00

Participants (21)

Partners (2)

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Last update: 27 September 2022

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Permalink: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101079912

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