The future of the urban bioeconomy: Role of bioeconomy and bio-esources in French cities by 2050? A foresight exercise - Executive summary
Year: 2026
Type: report
Abstract: In what kind of cities will we live tomorrow? Will they be able to meet the climate challenge, thegrowing risks of natural disaster and water scarcity? How will they respond to changing expectationsfrom their residents and evolving lifestyles? Will cities remain as mineral as they are today, or willwe see different models that give more space to nature, to resources derived from biomass, and tothe circularity of water and waste?These questions invite us to look ahead into the future, to imagine our urban areas in a world wherethe climate is changing extremely rapidly with resources becoming alarmingly scarce. Today’s citiesare perceived as nutrient sinks and waste mines: they concentrate and “absorb” large quantities oforganic matter, much of it from food, while contributing only partially to closing the loop on nutrientcycles. Water needs are increasing, often at the expense of neighbouring areas. Cities are also largeemitters of greenhouse gases and are therefore expected to contribute to Europe’s and France’sdecarbonization goals. A major challenge thus emerges: how to rethink the metabolism of cities andthe way cities produce, use, transform, and valorise bioresources?To explore these possible futures from an interdisciplinary perspective, INRAE’s metaprogrammeBioeconomy for Urban Areas (BETTER) launched a foresight study examining the use and role ofbioresources in French cities by 2050. Its primary objectives are to identify key research questionsand help urban and rural stakeholders better integrate the use and circular management of organicresources into their strategies. The study does not seek to quantify or model the flows and uses associatedwith the scenarios developed. This document provides a synthesis of the full foresight report.
Source: HAL
DOI: 10.17180/0nx1-bh17
Language: English
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7215232606