The construction sector stands as the predominant consumer of cement, steel, and plastic and is accountable for a substantial 55% of industrial carbon emissions. Greenhouse gases and other forms of pollution linked to the housing sector significantly contribute to the adverse environmental impact of the construction industry. This study underscores the need to incorporate pertinent issues into the Circular Economy (CE) agenda for a lasting and effective mitigation strategy. Through a Systematic Literature Review (SLR), this article explores answers to the research question: “How can the Circular Economy contribute to resolving social housing challenges?” The findings from this comprehensive review highlight that refurbishing the social housing (SH) built environment and formulating public policies targeted at the SH sector emerge as pivotal themes for effective solutions. The principles of the Circular Economy present a sustainable model that can play a crucial role in addressing the social housing challenge. In conclusion, this SLR demonstrates that Circular Economy principles offer a viable approach to tackling the social housing crisis. By embracing these principles, a sustainable model can be established to address the challenges posed by social housing, thereby contributing to the broader goal of environmental conservation in the construction sector.

Despite state efforts to enhance affordability, access to adequate housing, deemed a fundamental human right, remains a global challenge. Projections indicate a looming housing deficit affecting 1.6 billion people by 2025, necessitating an integrated approach aligning environmental preservation with housing development. Circular Economy (CE) principles are identified as instrumental in advancing sustainable Social Housing Policies (SHPs). A Systematic Literature Review (SLR) placed best practice documents establishing a positive correlation between CE principles and increased social housing supply. The circularly built environment is recognised for reducing waste, carbon emissions, and resource depletion. However, this research proposes a nuanced perspective, asserting that integrating CE principles addresses housing needs and fosters environmental sustainability, job creation, and economic growth. Crucially, community, government, and the circular economy emerge as pivotal actors in overcoming challenges inherent in SHPs. This study contributes significantly to the discourse on housing policies and sustainability, advocating for an inclusive and environmentally conscious approach to the global housing deficit.

Este trabalho consiste em uma Avaliação Pós-Ocupação (APO) do conjunto habitacional Moradias União Ferroviária, participante do Sistema Nacional de Habitação de Interesse Social (SNHIS), que promove habitações com qualidade para a população de baixa renda por meio da retirada das famílias de áreas de risco e de insalubridade, fornecendo a elas acesso a todos os equipamentos urbanos necessários. De acordo com a metodologia APO, foram analisados os serviços de esgotamento sanitário, abastecimento de água, drenagem pluvial e coleta de resíduos e a situação de risco quanto a inundações. Assim, por intermédio de avaliações técnicas e comportamentais, buscou-se reconhecer os pontos positivos e negativos do ambiente construído.

The Circular Economy (CE) proposal aims to minimise waste and maximise the use of resources, making it crucial for providing social housing (SH). Incorporating CE principles into SH policies makes it possible to take significant steps towards a more sustainable and equitable future. The cooperative housing movement offers a solution for growing and empowering local communities to actively develop, own, and manage housing. In some cooperative housing projects, there is the opportunity to use the incremental construction process, which offers the flexibility to adapt construction to residents’ changing circumstances and needs over time. This study aims to verify how circular economy principles applied to incremental construction in case studies of cooperative housing can contribute to more sustainable solutions in the SH sector. By conducting a systematic literature review (SLR) of scientific databases, case studies of cooperative housings that intentionally or unintentionally incorporate the incremental construction tool into their foundations were selected. The analysis and discussions in the study highlight real possibilities for incorporating CE principles into cooperative housing models by appropriating the incremental construction tool.

Sustainable practices and strategies to enhance resource efficiency while minimising waste in buildings and their constituent elements are key towards circularity at the urban built environment. In this chapter three implementation scales, under the paradigm of the circular economy (CE), are measured—i.e., buildings, components and materials—, considering both new and existing buildings’ implementations. Aspects such as design for adaptability and flexibility, modular and flexible spaces and concepts, energy and water efficiency are discussed. By implementing CE strategies at the component-level using a multipronged approach would extend the lifespan and contribute to environmental and economic sustainability. This includes the refurbishment and upgrading of components and the adoption of modular construction techniques, among other techniques and solutions. The last part of the chapter presents the concept of circular materials and its circularity potential at promote extended product lifecycles and transforming waste into valuable resources. Integrating sustainable and circular design principles within construction practices is proposed towards more sustainable and resource-efficient industries’ transformations.