Schroder, I.; Elwakil, R.; Steemers, K. Hybrid Makerspaces and Networks for the Circular City: A Case Study of Leuven, Belgium. Buildings2024, 14, 137.
Schroder, I.; Elwakil, R.; Steemers, K. Hybrid Makerspaces and Networks for the Circular City: A Case Study of Leuven, Belgium. Buildings 2024, 14, 137.
Schroder, I.; Elwakil, R.; Steemers, K. Hybrid Makerspaces and Networks for the Circular City: A Case Study of Leuven, Belgium. Buildings2024, 14, 137.
Schroder, I.; Elwakil, R.; Steemers, K. Hybrid Makerspaces and Networks for the Circular City: A Case Study of Leuven, Belgium. Buildings 2024, 14, 137.
Abstract
The coordination of policy, makers and materials is critical to the success of circular city development. The network of maker activities in the city of Leuven is a flagship initiative that illustrates the mechanisms that support integrated circular urban production. This paper draws on the Pop-Machina project, funded by EC Horizon 2020, which identifies the links between the maker movement and the circular economy in seven European cities. The case study project in Leuven, confirmed as the most impactful amongst those studied in the Pop-Machina project, is examined to assess how local knowledge and policy measures, can provide a means of activating a circular maker ecology. Through desk research, spatial urban analysis and interviews with key stakeholders, this paper provides a critical narrative of the development, success factors and hurdles related to circular making processes in the city. It demonstrates how hybrid makers are supported by local, national, and international policy on the one hand, and by integration with the city’s community, educational and business groups on the other. It is this constellation of social, political, and spatial conditions that lies at the success of the project.
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
