What Is Future Urban Living All About?
MAKING THE FUTURE CIRCULAR, BY DESIGN — that’s the bold mission driving this design and strategy studio. Specializing in circular economy solutions, they’re all about finding new ways to create value in an age where change is exponential and constant. So, what does that really mean? It means mapping out global value chains, analyzing material processes, building partnerships, and creatively turning waste into value. By blending systemic design with regenerative business strategy, they empower decision makers to lead the charge into one of the biggest economic opportunities of our time. In short, they design, strategize, and enable circularity.
The Main Benefit: A Multi-Layered Value Proposition
Changing consumer behavior, carbon taxes, resource scarcity, melting icebergs… you get the picture. The promise here is clear: help shift current value propositions into something multi-leveled, maximizing environmental, financial, and social value all at once. Here are some key facts and figures that highlight the urgency and opportunity:
- Between 2011-2020, CO2 concentration hit the highest levels in 2 million years.
- Industries burning fossil fuels and disposing of materials faster than nature can regenerate fuels the climate crisis.
- Decarbonizing industries and regenerating material resources are essential to support fair human conditions and healthy ecosystems.
- Designing products and services for material recovery and resource regeneration is the way forward.
Mimicking Natural Systems for Circular Success
Nature’s already got it figured out — one organism’s waste is another’s food. This studio takes a page from that biological ecosystem, zooming out from industry silos to design models that reduce, reuse, and repurpose resources into new life. It’s about mimicking nature’s efficiency and creating systems where waste simply doesn’t exist. This approach not only conserves resources but also sparks innovation across industries.
Systemic, Circular, Digital: Rethinking Industry Futures
Their expertise spans several key areas: circular economy, systemic design, business strategy, tech solutions, disruptive ideas, future casting, partnerships, cultural nuances, and visual communication. From closing the gap between resources and waste, to using design thinking for mapping new business scenarios, to experimenting with systemic connections for surprising solutions — it’s a comprehensive toolkit. Plus, they help organizations find the right partners and communicate their circular journey visually, making the complex simple and engaging.
Addressing Big Questions in Circularity
Some of the toughest challenges tackled include:
- How to prevent or repurpose food waste into new value?
- How to recover and reuse materials across integrated supply chains?
- How can brands switch to product-as-a-service models and design for disassembly?
- How can the mobility sector decarbonize and reduce waste?
- How to reduce packaging and chemicals without compromising customer experience?
- How to source materials locally and design modular buildings to reduce waste?
These questions aren’t just theoretical — they’re the real deal, shaping how industries evolve toward sustainability.
The Real Impact: Aligning with Global Goals
- Supports SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
- Advances SDG 13: Climate Action
- Promotes SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
- Encourages SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
- Contributes to SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
More Than Just Design: Tools and Insights for Circular Economy
Beyond strategy and design, this studio shares open-source design thinking tools for the circular economy, making innovation accessible to everyone. Their articles dive deep into restorative and regenerative practices, while initiatives like “Loop It” guide businesses through the leap toward servitizing product offerings — a major step in circularity. It’s about creating a community and knowledge base that supports the transition to a sustainable future, one creative solution at a time.
