WasteX, Santiago (Chile) & Barranquilla (Colombia)

Co-imagining a Circular City Framework

How can we design socio-ecological public space networks, based on our idea of transitioning towards a zero waste
society?

A circular city based on a sharing economy questions unlimited growth and unsustainable junk culture. Instead of perpetuating the practice of material waste, we are designing prototypes for common spaces, from small-scale interventions to integrated infrastructures projects, addressing urgent needs for a systemic approach to SDG 11.

Our Studio Design is a project representing the metabolism of a neighborhood. We are researching material flows and designing on a former waste depot of the city, a Circular Workshop (Kresilaufwerkstatt) integrating strategies for productive public spaces as commons for community life and innovative work opportunities.

By invitation of a new generation of mayors, we are testing our findings in the context of social and economic inequality in the two neighborhoods (Comuna Santiago de Chile and Barrio Abajo Barranquilla), working with communities on the ground, dealing with challenges of solid waste, social housing,justice, and urban development.