Planning the circular city. Towards a complex model for regenerative, adaptive, and sustainable urban systems.

he biosphere’s capacity to support human life through ecosys-tem services is today compromised by a relentless increase in the anthropogenic impact of human societies, driven by an extractive development model catalysed by consumeristic lifestyles. Eco-logical transition demands a social and economic transformation, supported by the development of tools and strategies, and a crucial field of action is represented by cities. The city not only forms the primary habitat for humans but also stands as the pre-dominant centre for political, economic, and cultural activities. Due to the globalization of the economy, urban systems have emerged as interconnected hubs within a worldwide network. This network, facilitated by globally extended supply chains, dictates processes of resource extraction and waste generation, consequently accounting for over 70% of emissions. This contribution describes the main results of an in-depth study on the emerging model of the ‘Circular City’, assessing its ca-pacity to serve as a paradigm and a driver for the transition to regenerative, adaptive and sustainable urban systems. Thus, it introduces a theoretical model to identify territorial and spatial planning principles for urban circularity, with objectives related to four key value chains – mobility, consumer goods, food and biomass, buildings and construction – and a digital interface to analyse their systemic correlation.