Governing circular cities: The case of innovative plot handover process

Abstract

This article discusses innovative ways of governing cities in the interest of promoting the circular economy. We focus on identifying the role of resources, expertise and commitment of local construction businesses in the pursuit of urban circularity, institutional logics utilized in urban planning processes, stakeholder perspectives on innovative practices and the identification of leverage points in the innovative plot handover process in terms of the pursuit of the urban circular economy. Our empirical case is the Kissanmaa plot handover competition organized by the city of Tampere, Finland. We have identified the utilization of hierarchies, markets, networks and partnerships as a kind of successive elements in hybrid governance and their relation to leverage points, which provide added value for the promotion of urban circularity in land use and construction.