REFLOW was a Horizon 2020 project, active from 2019 to 2022, which set out to understand and transform urban material flows and to co-create and test circular and regenerative solutions in urban and peri-urban areas across Europe.

The REFLOW Handbook was designed to support the project’s pilot cities – Amsterdam, Berlin, Cluj-Napoca, Milan, Paris and Vejle – and their local partners. Now the project has ended, the handbook is available to any city interested in transitioning – or in any step of the transition process – to become a more circular and regenerative city.

The handbook reflects on city practices and pinpoints which strategies could contribute to reinforcing local initiatives, covering and integrating relevant value chains. The handbook suggests and explains in detail the steps for cities to engage in the transition towards a circular model, providing high-level guidance.

The handbook includes the REFLOW Collaborative Governance Approach, which is a detailed framework that can help frame and design collaborative governance arrangements.

It also provides summaries of and links to other useful tools, including a Systemic Design Toolkit and Circular Design Toolkit. All of these tools may be useful and helpful for cities at different stages of design and development of their local strategies and Circular Systemic Solutions.

The user can navigate the handbook via the menu, by clicking on the following sections: steps towards a circular city; policy frameworks; city models and urban governance; and tools and methods.

The handbook is written in a way that is designed to be accessible to a wide range of stakeholders, no matter their background.