Urban biocycles – connecting built and natural environments with people

In cities, resource recovery and reuse are low, and increasing consumption leads to more pressure on natural resources and subsequently pollution, deforestation, and loss of land and biodiversity. As a result, today's cities are not sustainable, even though the knowledge and technology exist to transform cities into more sustainable areas. One major obstacle is the institutional framework inherited from an earlier era, which often acts as a barrier to the necessary changes and at best provides little support for them. A circular urban metabolism is key to the future development of sustainable cities.