The Pop-Up Circular Hub initiative
About this good practice
From November 2023 to April 2025, the Pop-Up Circular Hub transformed the repurposed Jupiter department store, into a vibrant space for circular economy activities. Through workshops, panel talks, exhibitions, consultations, and co-working, the initiative engaged diverse stakeholders in exploring sustainable practices. The unique setting and programming encouraged exchange between academia, civil society, and industry, featuring cutting-edge projects and research. This temporary space fostered knowledge transfer, co-creation, and community-driven innovation. By enabling new formats of interaction and learning, the Hub contributed significantly to strengthening the CE landscape in Hamburg. Events created visibility for local initiatives and provided a flexible testing ground for cross-sector collaboration. As a model, it highlights how temporary urban spaces can activate public discourse, promote resource-efficient practices, and support the development of resilient networks for long-term impact. Hamburg needed a physical and collaborative platform to experiment with and promote CE approaches, while increasing visibility for local actors & EU policy goals.
Stakeholders include BUKEA, Fab City Hamburg e.V., the Hamburg Institute for Innovation, Climate Protection and Circular Economy, HafenCity University, the Senate Chancellery, & the New Production Institute. Beneficiaries are local circular economy businesses, researchers, students, civil society, and public institutions.
Resources needed
A central location, event equipment, staff coordination (core team of 6-8 people), & stakeholder commitment. Effective outreach, communication, & evaluation tools were vital for participation & long-term impact. In-kind contributions and project-based funding by BWI and BUKEA (almost 50.000 Euro).
Evidence of success
Strong workshop attendance, emergence of new collaborations & projects, deeper engagement from local stakeholders, new partnerships, continued cooperation, and increased visibility of CE practices. Measured outputs: 15 Circular Talks, 15 Fab City Intros, 25 workshops held, 20 partnerships initiated, 20 post-event collaborations, active research on two EU funded projects ( CEO. https://www.interregnorthsea.eu/ceo and https://newproductioninstitute.de/fabcity)
Potential for learning or transfer
The Pop-Up Circular Hub showcases how temporary urban spaces can support circular transition by creating shared learning environments. Other regions can adopt this low-threshold model to test ideas, connect diverse actors, and interpret EU sustainability goals locally. Its format fosters rapid prototyping of projects, supports stakeholder alignment, and builds momentum for long-term strategies. The open and inclusive approach makes it adaptable to various urban contexts.
Further information
Good practice owner
You can contact the good practice owner below for more detailed information.