Policy instruments for circular built environment implementation: A systematic literature review

Abstract

Abstract The built environment (BE) is of fundamental importance in the transition towards circular economy (CE), for it concentrates major consuming and polluting human activities. CE in the BE research has rapidly increased in recent years. However, aspects concerning its policy-making and -implementation, governance, and management are acknowledged to be widely over-looked. Such context may jeopardize effective implementation of circular built environments (CBE). In this article, I conduct a systematic literature review to characterize the relation between circular built environments and the policy instruments suggested for its implementation. Results show that only 7% of publications address policy and instruments for CBE implementation. Yet, identified publications seem to cover a wide variety of policy instruments according to prevailing classifications. Finally, operationalized concepts in publications mostly relate to technological aspects of CBE implementation, which calls for increasing research efforts over systemic challenges in governance, and policy integration and coherence.