Circular design in residential areas: The case of the Vauban Eco-District of Freiburg, Germany
PLANEXT - NEXT GENERATION PLANNING, vol.0, pp.1-28, 2026 (Scopus)
- Publication Type: Article / Article
- Volume: 0
- Publication Date: 2026
- Doi Number: 10.24306/plnxt/125
- Journal Name: PLANEXT - NEXT GENERATION PLANNING
- Journal Indexes: Scopus, Directory of Open Access Journals
- Page Numbers: pp.1-28
- Istanbul University Affiliated: Yes
Abstract
This article examines how circular economy and circular design are interpreted at the scales of urban planning, urban development and urban design, and how they are spatially operationalized through the case of the Vauban Eco-District in Freiburg. Against the deepening unsustainability of the linear “take-make-dispose” model—manifested in the climate crisis, resource scarcity, and escalating waste—the study aims to assess the extent to which circular design principles can be concretized within residential environments. Grounded in an interpretivist epistemology, the qualitative research design integrates a conceptual literature review with an in-depth case study of Vauban. Drawing on existing academic literature, the eight core principles of Circular Urban Design are systematically articulated and used to map Vauban’s practices in energy, water, waste, mobility, green infrastructure, and community governance. The findings indicate that Vauban demonstrates a strong capacity for circularity through closed-loop infrastructural systems and participatory housing production, while also exhibiting limitations related to high costs, insufficient quantitative evidence, and social-justice challenges associated with participatory elitism. The article offers policy lessons on the potentials and conditions of transferability of circular design at the neighbourhood scale.