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Dr Manjari Chakraborty | Dr Rizwan Kazmi

ISBN:

978-81-180058-1-0

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.67509/ceci5910

2. Circular Built Environments: Integrating Peri-Urban Transport in Indian Smart Cities
Circular Economy in the Construction Industry: Waste Management Practices

Anupriya Verma | Dr. Prashant Prasad

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.67509/ceci5912

2026 | 337 pp.

As Indian cities expand outward, peri-urban areas, which are the transitional zones between urban cores and rural peripheries, emerge as hotspots for rapid construction and unplanned development. While circular economy discussions in the construction industry often emphasize materials, green design, and waste reduction, this paper highlights sustainable transportation as an equally vital component of a circular built environment. Rethinking mobility in peri-urban regions can reduce spatial waste, enable low-carbon infrastructure, and support urban growth that is inclusive, resilient, and regenerative. Despite rapid development, these areas frequently suffer from fragmented, car-dependent transport networks that receive limited attention in smart city frameworks. Poorly coordinated mobility contributes to sprawl, redundant infrastructure, fragmented land use, and increased emissions, thereby undermining the principles of circularity and sustainability. To address this gap, the study explores how transportation systems can act as catalysts for circular economy goals in the built environment. It explores how inclusive, adaptable, and sustainable mobility strategies can enhance long-term urban resilience. A structured five-stage literature review is conducted, filtering 65 key references from over 100 academic and policy sources. The process involved (i) literature narrowing, (ii) gap identification, (iii) thematic synthesis, (iv) contextual analysis, and (v) insight generation. The analysis reveals five core challenges in peri-urban contexts: fragmented settlement patterns, socio-spatial inequalities, weak integration of land use and mobility, low investment in sustainable transport, and limited public participation in planning. In response, five strategic directions are proposed: optimizing land use to reduce overbuilding, promoting sustainable modes like demand-responsive and non-motorized transport, reducing embodied emissions via compact, transit-oriented development, adopting integrated planning, and fostering regenerative, inclusive growth. This paper reframes transportation as a structural enabler of circularity, essential for creating well-connected and sustainable peri-urban communities, and low-carbon, resource-efficient peri- urban futures in India’s evolving smart cities. It lays a conceptual foundation for future research and integrated tools to strengthen sustainable construction and smart mobility in India’s evolving urban landscapes. In essence, sustainable mobility must be recognized as the connective tissue of circular urbanism, transforming India’s peri-urban growth into a model of resilience, inclusivity, and low- carbon development.

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