TY - INPR A1 - Marjanovic, Marjan A1 - Williams, Joanna PB - OXFORD UNIV PRESS JF - Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society KW - circular economy KW - circular cities KW - evolutionary governance theory KW - governance path KW - shrinking cities KW - urban shrinkage N1 - Copyright © The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Cambridge Political Economy Society. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. EP - 18 UR - https://doi.org/10.1093/cjres/rsae019 ID - discovery10194090 N2 - This paper studies the interplay between governance priorities concerning urban shrinkage and the circular economy (CE) agenda in the cases of Parkstad Limburg (NL) and Satakunta (FI), aiming to assess the potential of European circular imaginaries for creating novel development pathways in shrinking cities and regions. The findings reveal that the CE agenda emerges within specific sectors due to various influences, including European institutional frameworks, national policies and local initiatives. Notably, the advocacy of commercial actors plays an instrumental role in advancing the CE concept into policy. However, both regions also demonstrate differences arising from distinct regional characteristics. Satakunta harnesses its manufacturing legacy to pursue economic and demographic growth through an industrial CE. Meanwhile, Parkstad Limburg prioritises circular construction to facilitate spatial restructuring and secure public funding. Therefore, in shrinking contexts, CE operates as a unifying agenda for existing interests, upholding prevailing political priorities rather than opening novel governance avenues. AV - public Y1 - 2024/06/18/ SN - 1752-1378 TI - Mapping the emergence of the circular economy within the governance paths of shrinking cities and regions: a comparative study of Parkstad Limburg (NL) and Satakunta (FI) ER -