A Brief on the 20th and 21st Century Approaches to City Making

This chapter will delve on modern approaches to city making (eco-cities, sustainable cities, resilient cities, etc.) explaining their basics and complexity. Additionally, the demands that changing solutions place on the architects, urban planners, and other city designers will be explained. The scope should be treated as the introduction to the circular economy approach; it will also cover other development attitudes where a city was not the initial prime element even if urban planning became one of the main issues during later phases of development. Such attitudes can be traced in the mid-20th century policy making with the car transport being the leading development attitude but having a wide impact on the solutions used in most cities. It will also explain when the urbanization process became part of this economic approach. The chapter will include principles of the modern initiatives in various parts of the world and consider existing movements allowing for a more sweeping coverage.

Circularity and Cultural Heritage Stock

With the development of a modern designer's workshop, various smart city issues have to be included in line with more conventional analyses. Presently, we also face emerging circular economy theme, which has a high impact not just on the introduction of circular loops into the flow of building materials, but also on the design approach and management choices. Historic heritage buildings should also be considered within this new theme. Most of the existing research either deals with new or modernized buildings, or with the re-use flows of various materials, often coming from historic buildings gone outside the limits of repair. This chapter explains the proposed approach and includes case studies where such an approach has been provided.

Circularity in Modern Cities

This chapter is dedicated to information on the macro trends shaping the future of our contemporary urbanisation processes, including environmental support of the city development and management issues, definition of factors that should allow the transformation of the existing cities, and possibilities for future changes and evolutions. Case studies of European cities management will be presented. The main issues discussed will be approach to the circular of energy and water sources, air and building materials, and the rationality and efficiency of their use.

How to Prepare a Circular Brief for a Designer?

Since this is a beginning of a new holistic approach, one of the most difficult issues is preparation of a circular designer's brief, which will be helpful at all phases of design, construction, maintenance, end of building's life, and various types of material loops. Currently there is no single approach. Basically, it exists more as a general attitude statement and still has to be developed. This chapter will include some thoughts and possibilities as to the design approach and management that can be used for various different projects. Some design outcomes from studios run by the author jointly with members of Faculty of Architecture staff are included. These deal with some circular solutions proposed to the students for further development. Two case studies presented in the appendices will prove that circular approach should be used in various harsh environments, as well as city conditions.

Natural Approach to Circularity in Creation of Cities

This chapter shows an economic canvas introduction in part that has direct influence on the architects' and urban planning approach. It is followed by a brief explanation to the historic approach to city making, as in the past most of the urbanised areas were circular and the re-use of existing building materials was a standard issue. With the age of industrialisation and introduction of modern techniques and technologies, this attitude has changed, and the linear economic development only quickened the speed with which former solutions were forgotten. General studies showing various past approaches to urban circularity will be presented. Special attention will be paid to the sustainable city as a dynamically changing development process.