Cities as transformative labs. Participatory processes and circular urban systems

In contemporary European cities, urban transformations intended as conservation, development and adaptive reuse-follow new models whose adoption, acceptance and impact are closely dependent on different elements, including the need to attract new investment, the stimulation of the tourism economy, the capital allocation: these factors, if not properly controlled and managed, can compromise cities’ future sustainable growth. The research group of the Department of Architecture of Bologna, working with the Institute of Social Sciences of the University of Lisbon, is focusing its lines of research and experimentation on the historical city, working together under the umbrella of H2020 ROCK project. This projects is focused on the introduction of factors of innovation (technological, environmental, social and economic) in the processes of urban transformation that can pursue challenges of systemic and integrated value and become engines of growth and sustainable development at urban scale. This paper illustrates the ROCK circular urban system approach and its replication potential in different territorial contexts, such as Bologna and Bogotá, in connection with BO2ND project.