This editorial synthesises nine contributions on circular economy and community development, arguing that transition operates across households, organisations, infrastructure and governance. Examples include optimised rural home care, smart-city tools, B-Corps, biochar and a review of Indonesian circularity research. It is thematic synthesis, not a new experiment or systematic review.
Key findings
- The collection includes a rural home-care routing model reporting 10–15% lower costs, smart-city participation, B-Corp practice, Brno biochar and a review of 101 Indonesian studies. The editorial argues that efficiency must be coupled with equity, transparency and community voice.
Why this matters globally
The multilevel framing helps cities move beyond recycling to consider social services, business models, data and decision power together. Yet each example has a different context and evidence level.
Thai researcher contribution
Chanen Munkong of KMUTT's School of Architecture and Design is a corresponding author and helps connect urban-design perspectives with international community-development research.
Limitations to consider
This is a narrative editorial, not an exhaustive search or risk-of-bias assessment. A result from one contribution cannot represent every circular initiative, and the curated collection may carry publication and selection bias.