A smart city has several dimensions: Environment, Mobility, Governance, Economy, People, and Living. Excelling across all of these dimensions leads to a successful, sustainable smart city. The conventional definition of smart cities limits it to a techno-centric model, where the primary means to manage the city’s resources better is by integrating Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
However, there has been a recent shift in smart city models that is more citizen-centric. Here, the citizens have an active participatory role rather than being passive data points. In the citizen-centric smart city model, citizen-driven policies and regulations are also seen as tools to improve the efficiency of the city.
Addressing waste and pollution
While advanced ICT is an essential infrastructure enabling efficient management of the urban city’s limited resources, there is a need for parallel efforts and investments in operational and regulatory policies. One such area, where there is scope for improvement at a regulatory and policy level across global cities, is environmental pollution and waste management. This sector relates to a smart city’s ‘Environmental’ dimension that ensures citizens a healthy environment with as little pollution as possible. A city’s waste management operations contribute to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal #3 – Good Health and Well-being and Goal #11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities.
Urban activities significantly contribute to climate change, as cities are major sources of greenhouse gas emissions, impacting urban life on a global scale. Studies indicate that approximately 75 percent of worldwide CO2 emissions originate from cities, with transportation and buildings emerging as prominent contributors to this phenomenon. Furthermore, the production of materials, products and food, along with land management, collectively accounts for 45 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Circular economy
As the population continues to expand and with the pressing need for higher per-capita income in developing nations, a blend of technological innovation, shifts in behavior, and wealth redistribution emerge as key drivers of change. These factors aim to mitigate the environmental consequences of energy and material consumption. However, the path to true sustainability requires more than technological advances; it demands a fundamental shift in the conventional approach of ‘buy, consume, and dispose’. This is where the Circular Economy (CE) principles come into play, offering a framework for cities to transition toward more regenerative and resource-efficient growth models.
Circular Economy (CE) is defined as “a system that is restorative or regenerative by intention and design that can be achieved by eliminating waste through the superior design of materials, products, systems, and, within this, business models.” CE’s principle outline is aligned with the 3R rule — ‘reduce, reuse, and recycle’.
The 3R rule
At the reduction stage of the CE model, the emphasis is on reducing the dependency on virgin raw materials entering the production cycle. While consumer demands directly impact this stage, manufacturers are responsible for choosing materials that have a longer lifespan and are highly recyclable. In addition, designers should develop long-lasting products that stay relevant to the consumer lifestyle.
The reuse phase is enabled by the use of recycled materials or by upcycling products. Doing so significantly reduces the amount of labor and energy required, making it feasible for producers, consumers, and environmentalists.
Recycling enables extracting reusable materials from generated waste. Sufficient recycling facilities and efficient waste management operations are essential drivers for this component of the circular economy. Although there is a disparity among smart city experts and researchers on the definition of a smart city, there is a global consensus that efficient waste management and recycling systems should be a key goal of a smart city.
GCC initiatives
In recent years, Gulf countries have increasingly embraced the principles of the circular economy, particularly within their growing urban centers. These nations recognize the importance of sustainable development in mitigating environmental degradation and promoting long-term prosperity.
For instance, Neom, the visionary urban project in Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk Province, is spearheading efforts to achieve zero-waste-to-landfill status by 2030. Using predominantly recycled and recyclable materials, Neom aims to minimize its environmental footprint while advancing a regenerative approach to urban development. Similarly, the kingdom’s ambitious Red Sea tourism development integrates a large-scale plant dedicated to recycling all construction waste, emphasizing the importance of circularity in infrastructure projects.
Meanwhile, in the UAE, initiatives such as the construction of the country’s largest aluminum recycling plant by Emirates Global Aluminium underscore the commitment to circular practices. This facility will play a key role in promoting resource efficiency and reducing the environmental impact of aluminum production. Furthermore, the development of the 1,000-kilometer Etihad Rail network across GCC countries represents a significant step toward sustainable transportation infrastructure. By incorporating recycled plastics and other waste materials diverted from landfills into its construction, Etihad Rail exemplifies the region’s shift toward circularity in urban mobility systems. On a smaller consumer scale, the recent ban on single-use plastic bags and products across the UAE and initiatives such as the ‘Dubai Paperless Strategy’ by Digital Dubai are positive changes at the policy level that will improve the country’s circular economy.
Raising awareness
In addition to relevant policies and the infrastructure for efficient waste management being in place, there is a need to make an effort to spread awareness of the circular economy and its significance in the current global climate challenge. This can be done by running relevant awareness programs, seminars, workshops, and symposiums with active participation by the city dwellers.
Programs such as the Makers Month by Dubai Culture and Arts Authority help to connect the manufacturers with the creative community, improving the chances of upcycling manufacturing waste into consumer products and artifacts, thereby contributing to the circular economy. A real-time interactive city dashboard with information about the performance of the city’s waste management system can help educate city dwellers and perhaps lead to positive behavioral changes, encouraging them to ‘reduce, reuse, and recycle’.
The city dashboard can offer prompts when there is excessive use of certain non-recyclable products and advise on material alternatives, highlight the volume of successful recycling done in a month or have community leaderboards to encourage recycling alongside incentive programs such as the Yalla Return program. The awareness programs should equally emphasize the 3Rs of the circular economy. However, what we see is that the efforts are more focused on recycling, which, on its own, is not an accelerated option to tackle climate change.
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Collective action is essential
Achieving a transition to a circular economy necessitates collaborative efforts from all stakeholders, including individuals, the private sector, government, and civil society. Only through collective action can the principles of circularity be effectively implemented across various sectors and scales.
Individuals play a crucial role in adopting sustainable consumption habits and promoting circular practices in their daily lives. The private sector holds the key to innovation and investment in circular business models, while governments can enact policies and regulations that incentivize circularity and create an enabling environment. Additionally, civil society organizations contribute by raising awareness, advocating for change, and fostering partnerships to drive the circular agenda forward.
As we continue to navigate the complexities of urbanization and climate change, the convergence of circular economy principles and smart city strategies offers a compelling pathway toward sustainable urban development.
Shameel Muhammed is an associate professor at Heriot-Watt University Dubai.
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