CABE
Circular Approaches for the Built Environment
- Category
- Project
- Call
- DUT Call 2023
- Duration
- –
- Project coordinator
- Zurich University of Applied Sciences
Cities are undergoing a structural transition: scaling urban growth within planetary boundaries, balancing fast-paced urban redevelopment with material scarcity, climate goals, and rising construction costs. Each year, several hundred tonnes of construction and demolition waste are generated, yet most of it is landfilled instead of being reintegrated into the urban value chain. Current planning and procurement systems lack the tools to identify, trace, and reuse materials at scale. There are no unified digital platforms, no clear end-of-waste criteria, and limited business incentives to drive a thriving market for secondary resources.
CABE, Circular Approaches for the Built Environment, fills this gap by providing cities with digital cadastres, material passports, and circular procurement models—enabling all stakeholders from planners and investors to transform waste into opportunity, reduce costs, unlock new markets, and drive job creation within a regenerative urban economy.
CABE supports sustainable urban development by transforming construction and demolition waste into valuable urban resources. Through practical digital tools—like material passports, urban building cadastres, and reuse platforms—planners, developers, investors, and local authorities can integrate circular economy strategies into urban projects.
CABE proposes a framework for shareable secondary resources and develop digital tools for urban resource sharing and circularity.
These innovative approaches are tested in urban Living Labs across Switzerland, Slovenia, and Turkey, generating hands-on experience for future urban regeneration. Insights are shared via the DUT Knowledge Hub, enabling cities to become smarter, greener, and economically resilient.
The expected outcomes of CABE consist of several urban innovations:
- Urban innovation 1: A list of criteria that can identify a material as sharable resource
- Urban innovation 2:
· 2.1: A digital tool that can identify Secondary Material (CDW)
· 2.2: A universal urban and regional building material cadastre for different stakeholder groups
- Urban innovation 3: Urban sharing framework for implementation in policies, practices, processes, services and products as well as innovation directed at public governance, management and operation.
- Urban innovation 4: Case studies of urban innovations in three locations (Switzerland, Slovenia and Turkey) and a demo of CDW management (in Turkey).
- Urban Innovation 5: Input to the DUT knowledge hub on urban sharing. It should provide Input to the strategic development of the Transition Pathway for Circular Urban Economy.
- Urban Innovation 6: Guidelines will include details about urban sharing of secondary materials on human and environment.
Bulgaria
Estonia
Greece
Hungary
Latvia
Poland
Republic of Cyprus
Romania
Slovenia
Switzerland
Türkiye
Aristotelio Panepistimio Thessalonikis, Burgaski Svoboden Universitet, Dimos Strovolos, Ensensei Muhendislik Danismanlik Limited Sirketi, Hacettepe Universitesi, Innobay Hungary Kft., Kykloikodromio, Rigas Tehniska Universitate, Sgni - Schweizer Gesellschaft Für Nachhaltige Immobilienwirtschaft, Tartu Ulikool, Technologiko Panepistimio Kyprou, Universitatea Politehnica Timisoara (UPT), Uniwersytet Przyrodniczy We Wroclawiu, Werke Wädenswil, Zavod Za Gradbenistvo Slovenije
Ankara Su Ve Kanalizasyon Idaresi Genel Mudurlugu