Spatial planning for a popular circular economy

This article argues that a popular circular economy already exists in many world cities, and that this economy can be enhanced through spatial planning. We use Mexico City as a case study, and analyse its popular circular economy, defined as the family micro-businesses which contribute to enhancing the circularity of everyday objects by enabling their reuse, repair, refurbishment or recycling. We first present a panorama of this economy using the Mexican economic census. We complement this analysis by presenting two ethnographic vignettes of practices that also form part of the popular circular economy, beyond what can be observed in the census: the first one illustrates practices of public market workers to avoid food waste, and the second pictures an e-waste informal street market. Taken together, these scales of analysis provide a rich account of the multiple activities that compose Mexico City’s popular circular economy. We then compare this phenomenon with the orientation and main strategies of the city’s circular economy programme, noting a discrepancy between the two with regards to the scope of action. We conclude that spatial planning tools can foster the already existing popular circular economy, by allocating space for family businesses in all neighbourhoods, and by enhancing social cohesion through the design of quality public spaces and infrastructures.