by Walther Ploos van Amstel
A new study from TU Delft researchers, published in Urban Planning (2026), offers practical insights into how cities can use urban space — including temporarily vacant plots — to keep materials circulating rather than ending up as waste. The research examines three cases in Amsterdam where the municipality used storage spaces of varying scales and …
Many cities aim to be fully circular by 2050. That sounds like a promise. But anyone who looks honestly at what is actually happening sees mostly well-intentioned projects that deliver little in practice. Worm hotels in neighborhood gardens. A timber auction of felled city trees. Discounts on shoe repairs via local city passes. Inspiring, yes, …
Every day, hundreds of sofas, armchairs, and chairs are left out on the streets of Dutch cities. Sometimes properly reported to the municipality, often just abandoned on the pavement. The end of a product that has served its purpose for an average of seven to seventeen years, and that, in most cases, goes straight to …