Research Publications

Urban resource circularity – the symbiotic sharing of material and energy between urban actors - reduces demand for raw resources and waste generation. Researchers currently lack a unified vernacular to study the many forms of circularity in cities. This review examines urban resource circularity strategies from the academic and gray literature to propose a typology of circularity based on the embeddedness of different practices in urban systems. We identify three complementary forms of urban circularity: industrial symbiosis, conventional waste management, and urban symbiosis. Urban symbiosis is distinct in that it leverages the spatial and social concentration unique to cities, creating opportunities for engaged city dwellers to actively shape circularity. Despite being utilized frequently in practice, urban symbiosis is critically undertheorized. By rigorously defining urban symbiosis, we provide a common language to discuss and synthesize disparate strands of literature on citizen-led urban circularity. Urban symbiosis, therefore, provides a potent lens for exploring and ultimately reimagining resource flows in cities. We propose an agenda for future research on urban symbiosis and envision it as a way for citizens to democratically shape more circular and just urban futures by exercising their “right to the sustainable city.”