Water we gonna do with all this waste

Abstract

This master’s thesis explores how Gothenburg can strengthen its resilience to flooding by integrating circular economy principles into urban design. The study investigates how recycled construction waste, such as excavated clay, crushed brick, concrete, dredged sediments and etc. can be repurposed into functional materials for flood prevention infrastructure. It responds to the growing urgency of climate change impacts, including rising sea levels, increased precipitation, groundwater pressure, and extreme weather events such as cloudbursts. These factors are compounded by unsustainable urban development and inefficient waste management, especially in flood-prone areas like the Göta river (hereafter referred to as Göta älv) corridor. The research examines multiple flood risks affecting Gothenburg, including fluvial, pluvial, and coastal flooding, while analyzing the city’s existing flood mitigation frameworks. It identifies opportunities to enhance urban water retention, filtration, and controlled discharge using reclaimed materials within blue-green infrastructure systems. Drawing on principles of sponge city design, the thesis explores how urban surfaces can be transformed from impermeable zones into absorbent, biologically active systems that not only mitigate flooding but also enrich public space. The outcome is a design proposal for a specific site in Gothenburg, using adaptable strategies that integrate waste reuse with climate adaptive planning. The design utilizes porous layers made from recycled construction waste to support vegetation, slow runoff, and improve water quality before controlled discharge into receiving bodies. In doing so, the proposal rethinks flood protection not as a singular defense mechanism, but as a layered system of ecological and material functions. This thesis contributes to the growing discourse on sustainable urban transformation by demonstrating that construction waste, when treated as a resource, offers both environmental and economic value. By merging flood resilience with circular material flows, the project promotes an urban design approach that is adaptable, regenerative, and aligned with Sweden’s climate goals. It provides a flexible model that could be applied in other urban areas facing similar challenges, emphasizing that resilient cities can be built through both design innovation and material responsibility. This thesis will explore the following research question: How can recycled construction waste be reimagined as a resource for sustainable water management strategies in Gothenburg?