Circular Economy Strategies For Housing Affordability in Rapidly Urbanizing Cities: A Systematic Review

This systematic literature review examines circular economy (CE) strategies for enhancing housing affordability in rapidly urbanizing cities, with contextual implications for Sub-Saharan Africa and Abuja, Nigeria[cite: 7]. Employing a two-stage methodology, bibliometric mapping followed by in-depth thematic synthesis, this study analyzed 615 unique publications from the Scopus database (2020–2025) following PRISMA guidelines[cite: 8]. From this bibliometric dataset, 67 studies meeting strict relevance criteria were selected for qualitative synthesis[cite: 9]. The thematic analysis identifies eight key intervention domains: modular construction (reducing waste by 20–40% and costs by 15–25%), adaptive reuse (lowering embodied carbon by 50–80%), waste management and recycling, life cycle assessment approaches, social and affordability considerations, policy and barrier analysis, digital technologies (BIM, material passports), and material circularity frameworks[cite: 10]. Findings reveal persistent geographic disparities, with 76% of studies originating from the Global North, while only 7.5% address African contexts[cite: 11]. Key barriers to CE adoption include fragmented policy frameworks, limited technical capacity, supply chain constraints, and socio-cultural preferences for conventional construction[cite: 12]. The review highlights the critical enabling role of digital tools and participatory governance in scaling circular housing models[cite: 13]. For rapidly urbanizing contexts like Abuja, this study proposes a roadmap integrating CE principles with informal settlement upgrading and climate resilience, contributing to SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities) and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption)[cite: 14].