Circular Cities: A circular water economy for cleaner, greener, healthier, more prosperous cities

The document advocates for 'Circular Cities' that optimize the use and reuse of water and wastewater to combat water stress, urban flooding, and the urban heat island effect. It critiques the current 'grey infrastructure' model and proposes a portfolio of nature-based and technological solutions, citing examples from Singapore, China, and Denmark.

• Urban areas are facing severe water stress and climate risks; one in four cities, representing over $4 trillion in economic activity, are already water stressed, and 70% of the world's megacities are affected.
• Current urban water design is based on a linear 'capture, use and dispose' model using grey infrastructure, which is unsustainable as it fails to treat water as a finite resource.
• A circular water economy can significantly reduce the pressure on primary resources, with the potential to decrease water consumption from primary sources by 53% by 2050.
• Wastewater is identified as a major untapped resource containing significant chemical and thermal energy; for a city of 4 million people, recovered carbon, ammonia, and phosphorus could be worth $300 million annually.
• Singapore serves as a leading example of a circular water economy, using reclaimed water (NEWater) to satisfy 40% of current demand, with a target of 55% by 2060.
• Specific circular solutions include 'sponge cities' in China to manage stormwater, industrial symbiosis in Kalundborg, Denmark, and the use of urban water sources for building cooling in Paris and Toronto.
• The document proposes several priority actions, including the formation of a '100 Circular Cities' network, the creation of 'blue' circular economic zones with tax breaks, and the use of blue-green bonds to align ESG and water goals.

APA

World Economic Forum (2021). Circular Cities: A circular water economy for cleaner, greener, healthier, more prosperous cities. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Imagine_IF_Water-Series_2021.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Circular Cities: A circular water economy for cleaner, greener, healthier, more prosperous cities. 2021. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Imagine_IF_Water-Series_2021.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Circular Cities: A circular water economy for cleaner, greener, healthier, more prosperous cities |date=July 2021 |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Imagine_IF_Water-Series_2021.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2021circular, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Circular Cities: A circular water economy for cleaner, greener, healthier, more prosperous cities}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2021}, month = jul, url = {http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Imagine_IF_Water-Series_2021.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }