What sustainability for territorial development? A reflection on the spatial components of circular economy

Abstract

Our paper aims to provide elements of reflection on the spatial and territorial dimensions in circular economy processes and to question their contribution to a sustainable territorial development. We start by examining the territorial roots of the major circular economy strategies defined by the French public authorities and devote a special place to industrial and territorial ecology, which shows a stronger interest in the spatial dimensions of circular processes. In the second part, we question the circular economy's actual capacity to contribute to the sustainable development of society as a whole and to its implementation at the local level: after proposing a definition of sustainable territorial development, we assess the various existing strategies based on the principles thus defined.