Builds on national sustainability goals to transition to a circular economy in construction through establishing knowledge centres and training programmes on circular practices.

Summary

Riga, the capital of Latvia, accounts for one-third of the country’s population. The Riga Integrated Action Plan (IAP), launched in 2018 by Riga City Municipality Institution in partnership with URGE (an EU network), is an action plan for the transition to a circular economy in the construction sector. The IAP follows Latvia’s Sustainable Development Strategy which, amongst other urban development goals, calls for the introduction of the circular economy. This plan illustrates how the use of knowledge centres and training programmes can lead to increased adoption of circularity practices.

Challenges

Latvia faces several challenges in moving to a circular economy. Latvia has limited natural assets and relies heavily on imported raw materials. Waste generation is high and doubled from 2004-2016, and resource productivity is low (OECD).

From an equity perspective, the real challenge for Riga was the limited access to capacity and knowledge amongst SMEs and workers to participate in the circular economy transition. Additionally, there were challenges in providing regulatory and market incentives to encourage the use of sustainable materials, coupled with limited access to physical and digital infrastructure to be able to recycle materials.

Policy/Programme Goal + Expected Outcomes

On a national level, Latvia’s Sustainable Development Strategy has four urban development priorities: urban environment, society, economy, and international competitiveness. Riga also has set a target to become a climate-neutral smart city by 2030. To achieve this, Riga faces the challenge of renovating existing building stock in a way that aligns with the climate transition including 6,000 residential buildings that require ‘urgent’ renovation and 1,000 derelict buildings (10% of the city’s building stock) (Riga IAP).

The vision of the integrated IAP is for Riga City Municipality to apply circular solutions to enable a large-scale transition in the construction sector. To achieve this vision four objectives were set each with prescribed actions:

1. Develop programmes to enhance citizens’ and construction professionals’ understanding of the circular economy
   1. Incorporate an introductory course in circular economy in higher education programmes
   2. Introduce lifelong learning programmes for construction professionals
   3. Develop guidelines on how to incorporate circular principles into daily work for the construction industry
2. Open at least ten material resource centres by 2025
   1. Encourage the exchange of repair and construction materials to re-use materials
3. Provide guidance and support to local businesses to embed circular economy principles in Riga Municipality construction projects
   1. Develop guidelines on green procurement for use in construction
   2. Construct a new building according to circular economy principles
   3. Renovate a building according to circular economy principles
   4. Dismantle a building according to circular economy principles
4. By 2027, introduce regulatory framework improvements to support the circular economy
   1. For example, introduce a definition that everything produced by the demolition of a building is material, not waste
   2. Use lessons learnt from circular economy projects to agree on local regulatory improvements
   3. Establish the Riga Energy Agency Circular Economy Competence Centre which will act as the government department responsible for coordinating, developing, and financing circular economy activities

Enabling conditions

There are three main aspects of the plan that enabled implementation:

1. Early stakeholder engagement: A local working group was created to develop the IAP, bringing together representatives of national policymakers, Riga City Council departments, the construction industry, academic partners, NGOs, building material manufacturers, and waste managers.
2. Use of expertise through cross-country collaboration: The IAP was part of a wider programme by the EU network URGE, a circular city planning network which worked with nine cities to develop their circular economy in the construction sector. URGE is overseen by URBACT, the EU’s programme to help cities develop sustainably.
3. A tailored approach to knowledge dissemination on the circular economy: The council used multiple modes to reach different audiences. For example, formal and life-long learning to share the theory, but also piloting and hands-on experience to improve construction practices.

Indicators of success

The IAP is still in progress, but implementation of each objective has begun. Key achievements so far include (Riga IAP):

• The establishment of a materials exchange point and upcycling centre in 2021: The centre was opened by the association FREE RIGA and provided tool rental services, repair services, seminars, and workshops. The centre was adapted for the needs of Riga’s citizens e.g. as 92.1% of Riga’s population live in apartments many citizens did not have access to the workspace they needed to upcycle, so workbenches were introduced in the centre.
• The selection of a site for the first renovation of a building according to circular economy principles and assessment of the feasibility of renovating the site into a municipal rental house with two day-care centres.
• A dedicated centre of competence on circular economy was established for knowledge dissemination and to create networks at national and local levels for businesses and public authorities.
• Riga Energy Authority convened key stakeholders involved in the construction process, including architects, builders, manufacturers of building materials, regulating and supervising institutions, waste managers, researchers, and safety professionals to discuss the circular economy in construction and identify key areas where solutions are needed.
• The introduction of a circular economy course in higher education in 2020: The University of Latvia introduced an accredited master’s programme in urban planning architecture, environmental sciences and geography that integrated the circular economy findings from the URGE project.
• The publication of circular economy guidelines for those in the construction industry in 2022

Key Takeaways/Implications

• Pilots help to trial and prove concepts before scaling more widely (e.g. the materials exchange point) – this is key to be able to enable effective knowledge transfer and improving access to resources.
• Adopting an integrated approach to developing policies, programs, and initiatives can help to ensure a whole-of-society approach to learning and behavioural change. For example, the insights gained from demonstration construction projects were intended to inform policy recommendations and regulatory enhancements.
• Identifying key groups of stakeholders (e.g. construction workers) can ensure that knowledge and training programmes are targeted and effective.