the existing industrial ecology literature was studied to become familiar with the current state of the field, and based on this literature a design sequence to be applied to urban areas was formulated (see Chapter 2). The design sequence consists of defining the system boundaries and analysing this system with one or more Industrial Ecology analysis tools. Then the different loops (e.g. material and energy) are locally and/or regionally closed with connectors (so‐ called “cyclifiers”)2. The final result should contain a metabolic scheme with the different relations between the companies, houses, etcetera. The design sequence was applied to two case studies in order to learn about the opportunities and obstacles that pertain to the industrial ecology design strategy, and what steps should be taken in the future to constantly improve. Inspiration was also drawn from superuse and sustainable strategies for food production. The two case studies were business park “De Goudse Poort” in Gouda, with mainly office buildings, and MSP Heerlen, a neighbourhood consisting of Meezenbroek, Schaesbergerveld en Palemig, which is an old mining area. One of the delimitations of the research and design is that only cyclifiers that fit in the system regarding scale, safety, and availability of waste streams are used. So it is not the purpose of the research to design a completely new system from scratch; the emphasis is on adding new elements to the system that enable looping of the existing streams. Another delimitation is that the research is mainly focused on closing loops of food, other material, and energy, while other aspects like an economic evaluation will only be mentioned shortly.
1.3 Structure of the report The report starts with a description of the background information about Industrial Ecology in Chapter 2, in which the principles, goals, and tools that are used in industrial ecology will be elaborated as well as the design sequence and some design rules that can be extracted from these principles and tools. In Chapter 3 and 4 the two case studies of the Goudse Poort in Gouda and MSP in Heerlen will be presented. The design sequence that was presented in Chapter 2 will be applied to the case studies in order to come up with an integrated design. Chapter 4 is a reconciliation of the case studies that contains the general design options for Eco‐industrial urban areas and a technical justification of the choices that were made. Finally, in Chapter 6, conclusions will be drawn and recommendations for future research will be given.
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A cyclifier can be compared to a catalyst: the cyclifier helps connecting loops to each other, increases the rate in which a system is transformed towards a more sustainable one, and making it more efficient. In chemistry a catalyst is added to increases the rate or efficiency of a chemical reaction for the transformation of substrates into products.
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