Governance in built environment: Development and monitoring of circular policies in the sector

The transition toward a Circular Economy (CE) in the construction sector is essential for addressing escalating pressures related to resource scarcity, climate change, and environmental degradation. This study investigates the development and monitoring of circular policies within the built environment by examining international initiatives and evaluating policy instruments through a multi-level governance perspective. A systematic literature review was conducted to identify regulatory frameworks, strategies, and evaluation tools implemented across different regions. The findings reveal that CE policies remain predominantly focused on end-of-life waste management, while upstream strategies-such as design for disassembly, modularity, material traceability, and digital integration-are still underutilized. Most initiatives lack comprehensive monitoring indicators and rarely integrate micro (local), meso (regional), and macro (national) levels in a cohesive feedback loop. The analysis demonstrates that effective CE implementation requires synergistic policy packages supported by robust data, digital technologies, and multi-stakeholder collaboration. The study concludes that advancing circularity in the built environment depends on the development of adaptive, evidence-based policies capable of aligning national agendas with local realities and ensuring continuous evaluation across the construction life cycle.