Doughnut economics
To integrate Agenda 2030 into the municipality’s work, we have chosen to use Doughnut economics principles and tools.
Doughnut economics is a new way of visualizing the economy. Doughnut economics shifts the goal from a linear economy to a society that thrives within ecological boundaries. The model takes its name from its circular shape, which resembles a doughnut.
Since 2021, Tomelilla Municipality has been working to integrate Doughnut economics into planning, monitoring, and evaluation. Several cities around the world are exploring the potential of the model as a tool in different areas of sustainability work, including Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and Brussels. In Sweden, Tomelilla is the first municipality to test the model.
A City Portrait as a Sustainability Report
The study showed that Doughnut economics can help provide an overview of the social, ecological, and economic aspects of sustainability across the entire municipality. This, in turn, can support our collective efforts to promote a high quality of life in both the short and long term. The Sustainability Report for 2022 was a first step toward adapting our monitoring based on the principles of the City portrait tool.
The 2023 Sustainability Report has been further developed. And with the City portrait as a tool, the method for collecting data has been redesigned. The result was Tomelilla’s first City Portrait, published in spring 2024.
New school area with the principles of Doughnut economics as a foundation
A major school investment is planned in the area near Österlenhallen and Kastanjeskolan in central Tomelilla. The project is extensive and will continue over several years – the new school is expected to be completed in autumn 2029.
During autumn 2023 and spring 2024, the architecture firms WhenWhen! and Wingårdhs carried out a needs assessment based on Doughnut economics. In the master plan, which builds on the needs assessment, the proposed construction follows the principles of Doughnut economics concerning environmental, social, and economic sustainability.
The four cornerstones of the master plan are:
- Ecological regeneration
- Regenerative architecture
- Technological innovations
- Community and togetherness
How Doughnut economics works
Doughnut economics is a new way of visualizing the economy. Its name comes from its doughnut-shaped circle. Doughnut economics shifts the goal from a linear economy to a society that thrives within ecological boundaries.
The parameters of the model are based on Agenda 2030 and the planetary boundaries framework by Stockholm Resilience Centre. A society is considered prosperous when the twelve social foundations are met without exceeding the nine ecological boundaries. In Doughnut economics, this is illustrated by the green space between the inner and outer rings.
The model can be seen as a compass for human well-being, with the aim of meeting everyone’s needs within the limits of the planet’s resources.
"The Doughnut of social and planetary boundaries". Copyright: Kate Raworth och Christian Guthier. CC-BY-SA 4.0
The model was developed by the British economist Kate Raworth to integrate today’s environmental and public health challenges into economic thinking. The Doughnut Economics Action Lab (DEAL) is a digital platform created by Raworth and her team with the aim of turning the ideas of Doughnut economics into practice. Visit the site via the link below.
Source: Raworth, K. (2017), Doughnut Economics: seven ways to think like a 21st century economist. London: Penguin Random House.