Ongoing climate change and greenhouse gas emissions are major challenges for society. To counteract this, Sweden has adopted the goal of becoming climate neutral by 2045, with net zero greenhouse gas emissions. Achieving this goal requires transformative efforts and major changes in all sectors. The construction and real estate sector accounts for 22% of climate emissions and 40% of waste, making it central to achieving national environmental and climate goals.
PLAN-C’s purpose and focus
PLAN-C aims to understand how reuse and renovation of the built environment can be supported by integrating these aspects into spatial planning. To reduce emissions from the construction sector, a transition to a circular economy (CE) is needed, optimising resource use and minimising environmental impact. Circular construction, which prioritises reuse and renovation over new construction, is central to CE and contributes to a sustainable society. To achieve climate goals and the EU’s requirement for zero emissions from buildings by 2050, governance that integrates circular principles into municipal planning is needed. PLAN-C addresses this by developing strategies to strengthen the governance and planning of circular construction. The overall aim of the project is to explore the conditions for steering the integration of circular construction within physical planning as a sustainable alternative to new construction. We will do this by introducing and concretising the concept of "circular planning", with a particular focus on integrating reuse and renovation of the existing built environment into today’s spatial planning.
Challenges in today’s planning process
Currently, climate considerations in new construction and renovations have largely been limited to material and product choices. We therefore want to investigate how spatial planning in Swedish municipalities can integrate circular construction as a central part. Municipalities have planning monopoly, which means that physical planning is a key instrument in the planning of the built environment, but circular construction is rarely considered in planning. Today, there are few guidelines in the Planning and Building Act (PBL) on how circular construction should be implemented. It is also not possible for municipalities to set special requirements for a building’s properties. Therefore, more in-depth knowledge is needed on how planning and governance can facilitate the integration of CE in the construction and planning process. There are currently few examples of how Swedish municipalities have begun to incorporate circular construction into planning and decision-making processes. How this is done and what effects it has are still largely unknown. Therefore, we will map key projects in Europe and Sweden.
Methods and activities in PLAN-C
We mainly use qualitative methods. Initially, an overview will be made of both international and Swedish municipalities working with reuse and renovation as well as circular construction. Using scenario analysis, we will conduct workshops and develop an AI platform to support planners. Finally, interviews with stakeholders and focus groups with Swedish stakeholders will be conducted. In this way, the intention of PLAN-C is to support municipalities in the introduction of circular planning. The project will also establish a network for planners in Swedish municipalities. Through this, PLAN-C can contribute concrete strategies and tools for integrating circular construction into spatial planning, benefiting municipalities, decision-makers, the construction and real estate sector, and civil society by reducing climate impact, optimising resource use, and promoting sustainable building practices.
