The Circular Map Project

Long description

The ambition of The Circular Map project is to create an open-source map that can enable anyone with an internet connection to identify nearby resources that can enable them to live a more sustainable lifestyle.

Resources would include but are not limited to:

• Second-hand shops
• Repair shops
• Compost locations
• Circular Economy hubs and businesses
• Donation locations

Currently there are a variety of maps for individual locations around the world, but there is no single destination for everyone to visit. Moreover the data is not recorded in a standard way and different countries face different challenges when it comes to mapping circular resources (i.e. informal streetside repair vendors who lack an address).  These existing efforts and the unique region specific challenges, were highlighted to me when I shared a prototype for a map of circular resources in NYC. 
Even at this early stage, this version of the map highlights gaps in resource availability that could be beneficial to urban planners, businesses, and individuals. Since sharing the prototype two weeks ago over 14,000 people have visited the map  and this is only the first iteration. Now that the initial post has been viewed thousands of times, and enabled me to meet other like-minded circular economy advocates, we intend to evolve this into an open source project to map the data, verify it, and share it, so that others can utilize it. If the human genome can be mapped than surely circular resources can 😀

Additional Images