ITU-T Recommendations

Recommendation ITU-T L.1620 contains a circular city implementation framework that is designed to improve circularity in cities and support stakeholders in implementing circular actions. The framework consists of a four-step methodology that provides a consistent method for assessing, prioritizing and catalysing different circular actions. Recommendation ITU-T L.1620 has been developed in response to the growing sustainability challenges that cities are facing and the emergence of the circular economy concept and its applicability and extension in the city setting.
Recommendation ITU-T L.1620 starts with an assessment of the main developmental and sustainability challenges that cities are facing and the ways in which the concept of circular economy can be extended beyond the economic sphere and be applied to different city assets.
Recommendation ITU-T L.1620 further defines key components of the circular city implementation framework. These components include: city assets and products (i.e., infrastructure, resources, as well as goods and services available for urban use); circular city actions (i.e., outcome-oriented actions that can be applied to city assets and products); circular city outputs (i.e., the outputs of circular city actions applied to city assets and products); and circular city enablers (i.e., complementary activities that support or accelerate implementation of circular city actions). Each of these components have different qualities and potential for facilitating circularity in cities. Interactions between these components form the basis of the circular city implementation framework.
Finally, Recommendation ITU-T L.1620 explains the circular city implementation framework. This framework utilizes four different steps to assist city stakeholders in enacting circular actions: 1) establish a baseline for circularity; 2) determine the potential of circularity in different assets and prioritize circular actions based on the availability resources; 3) apply city enablers to catalyse different circular actions; 4) evaluate the impacts of these actions.
Cities are invited to use Recommendation ITU-T L.1620 to identify a course of action to improve circularity. Recommendation ITU-T L.1620 also includes practical recommendations for preparing circular city actions and their implementation. Recommendation ITU-T L.1620 is complemented by 17 case studies that illustrate the application of the circularity concept based on experiences from cities around the world.