Join the workshop “Advancing and monitoring circular economy lifestyles and policies in cities and regions” hosted by the German Environment Agency and the Budapest University of Technology and Economics for the NiCE project, in partnership with VITO on behalf The Circular Cities and Regions Initiative Communities of Practice.
This participatory lab will bring together policymakers, urban practitioners and experts to explore both the political and practical conditions needed to mainstream circular urban lifestyles, as well as the tools and indicators required to track their adoption and impact. Building on these inputs, the lab will host an interactive Knowledge Café where participants can share experiences, discuss challenges and identify best practices. The dialogue will focus on enabling sustainable consumption patterns and measuring progress towards circular cities and regions, offering participants insights, peer exchange and actionable ideas to support their local transitions.
Practical information
- Date & time: 15 October 2025, 14:00–15:30
- Place: Square Brussels, 213-215
- Register through the website of the EURegions week: https://regions-and-cities.europa.eu/programme/2025/sessions/46771
Detailed information about the organizers and contributors
From Niche to Centre – City Centres as Places of Circular Lifestyles project re-vitalises fading city centres by making local trade and consumption more circular and sustainable. The partners develop innovative urban development approaches, which focus on the creation of multifunctional resource centres and on utilising empty spaces for circular offers. Website: https://www.interreg-central.eu/projects/nice/?tab=home
Circular Cities and Regions Initiative Communities of Practice are dynamic working groups that bring together practitioners from a select number of European cities and regions to collaborate on key circular economy topics. These communities will provide a platform for experienced cities and regions to share insights and co-develop solutions to common challenges in the circular economy. Website: https://circular-cities-and-regions.ec.europa.eu/news/call-cities-and-regions-join-ccri-communities-of-practice
Speakers:
Mariann Szabo, PhD., Deputy Head of Unit, Budapest University of Technology and Economics
Mariann Szabó is an assistant professor and Deputy Head of Department at the Department of Environmental Economics and Sustainability, Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME). Her research focuses on the interrelationships between regional development and sustainability. Recently she is the leader of Work Package 1 (Assessing, showing and framing the challenges and potentials of circular lifestyles in city centres) of the EU Interreg project “NiCE – from niche to centre”.
Iris Kriikkula, Circular Economy Project Manager, City of Turku, Finland
Iris Kriikkula is a Circular Economy Project Manager, City of Turku, Finland. Turku is developing a circular economy with an ambitious roadmap. The goal is to use natural resources sustainably and to minimise waste and emissions. It is the only way to build city residents’ well-being on a sustainable foundation.
Moderator: Jan Gimkiewicz, Project Manager, German Environment Agency
Jan Gimkiewicz is a project manager at the German Environment Agency (UBA) in the section of sustainable consumption. He has been working at UBA since 2018 to topics like sustainable digitalisation and e-commerce or longevity of textiles. Recently he is the lead project coordinator of the EU Interreg project “NiCE – from niche to centre”, which aims to make city centres more attractive by offering sustainable and circular options.
Commentators:
Agnes Schönfelder, City of Mannheim, SpokespersonEU Green Deal, Lead EU Project CoLAB
Agnes Schönfelder main activities relate to her work as a senior expert in climate and sustainability policy, coordination, communication and project management. Her main task is to develop integrated sustainability and climate strategies and coordinate multi-stage processes with stakeholders. As former CEO of the Climate Action Agency Mannheim, local spokesperson for the EU Green Deal and coordinator of the EU mission ‘100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030’ as well as lead of the NetZeroCities pilot project ‘CoLAB – Committed to Local Climate Action Building’, her favourite areas are integrated governance processes, connecting spaces, structures and communication for change.
Luc Alaerts PhD., Coordinator of the Circular Economy Center in Flanders
Luc Alaerts is managing the Policy Research Centre Circular Economy (CE Center) funded by the Flemish government since the beginning of 2017 and has led the development of the Flemish CE Monitor published in 2021. He is connected to KU Leuven as a senior researcher leading research on the challenges in monitoring sustainability transitions with an emphasis on circular economy and data. He is team member of the operational team of Circular Flanders, a public-private cooperation between the Flemish government and diverse actors involved in the circular economy transition. He has managed the data and knowledge program of Leuven 2030, a public-private urban initiative, between 2019 and 2022. Before, he worked in R&D in the chemical sector.