Els Leclercq

Els Leclercq serves as a Research Fellow at TU Delft's Faculty of Architecture and the AMS Institute, specializing in circular economy and sustainable urban development. After completing her PhD on the privatization of public space production, she has established herself as an authority in urban design and circular economy initiatives. Her research focuses on innovative processes for sustainable urban development, particularly examining how decentralized circular approaches can address both global and local societal challenges. She co-developed the unique Circular Value Flower method, which helps organize collective closing of resource cycles at the neighborhood scale while providing insights into social, ecological, aesthetic, cultural, and economic value creation. Beyond her academic work, she maintains an active practice as an urban designer through StudioAitken, based in London and Rotterdam, where she applies her research insights to practical urban design challenges. Her work emphasizes citizen engagement, smart city technologies, and sustainable urban development, particularly focusing on governance structures in relation to projects like Amsterdam's HavenStad development.