The transition from a “city of waste” to a “circular city”: virtuous practices in the city of Pavia

Cities are facing the greatest challenge of their whole lifecycle: choosing their own destiny. Cities are the main contributors to climate change, as much of the excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere comes from them. Understanding how cities can transform into “circular cities” is key to fostering change. However, empirical studies in this direction are still scant. In this paper, we address this research gap by answering the following research question: how are current “cities of waste” transitioning to “circular cities”? We do so by means of an empirical study involving several stakeholders located in the town of Pavia (Northern Italy). We find that some actors have implemented virtuous circular economy (CE) practices; however, the transition to CE is overall conducted in a fragmented manner, with a lack of orchestration and planning among private actors as well as lack of synergies between private and public actors. We conclude our study by advancing future avenues of research, highlighting our theoretical and managerial contributions, and advancing policy implications.