What is place economy? And why is it, together with value and area optimisation, an aspect all developers should consider early on in a place transformation process? Read more about how to create active and attractive places which provide long-term, sustainable value.

Hvor kommer vi fra? Naturen. Det er kun et kort tidsperspektiv vi mennesker har plassert oss over naturen, men det ser vi at ikke er holdbart. Vi er natur. Hvordan kan vi ha to tanker i hodet samtidig – å endre vår egen kultur og få til endring på systemnivå?

Interview with Ladeja Godina Košir, Founder and Executive Director of Circular Change, and Cathrine Barth, Natural State’s Head of Circular Economy, from the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform’s annual conference in Brussels earlier this year.

The Natural State team of Cathrine Barth and Martin Hagen recently had the joy to take part in the Nordic Day in Warsaw on invitation from The Royal Norwegian Embassy in Warsaw on the topic of decarbonising cities. Read here our experiences and learning from the trip.

What does it take to measure the circularity of a country? In the case of Poland, it took a year of work and a dedicated team of experts—together with a whole network of international collaborators, not only from Poland, but also from Norway, the Netherlands, and beyond.

In February, a team from Natural State had the chance to take a learning journey to the Mecca of circular economy innovation, the Netherlands, where they visited the floating cities of Metabolic to the reimagined oasis of the Blue City and the strongholds of circular know-how at the Circle Economy and Holland Circular Hotspot headquarters.

‘Squaring the Circle: Policies from Europe’s Circular Economy Transition’ is the World Bank’s first comprehensive report on the topic of the circular transition and decoupling growth from material consumption. The report takes a strong stance on the importance of having a far-reaching suite of circular economy policies to accelerate the transition.

Last week's Nordic Circular Summit left us inspired and hopeful! After being the project leaders of the Nordic Circular Hotspot since 2020, we are very proud to see how far the project, its partners and the circular economy in the Nordics have come in such a short time.

Gamlebyen has been the home of Natural State since the start, and we love it here. However, we are growing, and it has become time to move to a new space. Luckily, we didn’t need to look far. Over the past month, we have taken over the beautiful Lofthallen at Gamlebyen Loft.

In today’s globalised, urbanised and digitalised world, most people live in cities. In fact, by 2050, cities will be home to two thirds of the world’s population. This puts them at the forefront of our future and the future of the planet. Global circularity is dependent on how well our urban centres take up the mantle in the coming years. For this reason, the concept of a Circular City has seen a huge uplift. But what are its definitions, lived realities and future implications?

Natural State will be strongly present at this year’s Arendalsuka, 15.–19. August. You can find us both on the stage and in the audience for a variety of talks from economics and place development to the built environment and climate action.

This year’s Gamlebyen Gatefestival is just around the corner. On 13.–14. August, we are organising the third edition of our popular street festival. During the weekend, we offer free concerts, yoga, an art exhibition, a large outdoor seating area where you can buy delicious food and drink, and other activities for the whole family.

The Natural State of the Market was developed as a new market value approach in 2017 by Einar K. Holthe, who founded Natural State to bring the methodology into use. It is now published as a chapter in The Kyoto Post-COVID Manifesto For Global Economics by Springer Nature.

Together with the dutch company Ooze, A-lab, Resirqel AS, Bollinger+Grohmann, Sweco and a number of handpicked experts, we are one of four teams that will work on the development of the lot that has been named Verket at Grønlikaia. It will be in active connection to the northern parts of Oslo, and work as an inviting portal to the new fjord area.

Together with the Polish research institute Innowo and Amsterdam based impact organisation Circle Economy, Natural State will be analysing the state of circularity in Poland to drive the country’s circular transition. The analysis, funded by the EEA and Norway Grants program, will deliver tailored recommendations for a circular economy in Poland, and connect Norwegian and Polish circular opportunities.

In a team with Oslo Works architecture studio and Edit landscape architect studio, we are looking at strategies for development of the Eastern Campus for NMBU, the Norwegian University of Life Sciences. We are working in a parallel commission to study the different possibilities for transforming NMBU into one of the world's most sustainable and attractive campuses.

Natural State is leading the area transformation of Holmen Næringspark on behalf of Start Gruppen. The transformation includes six buildings, with both short and long term plans focusing on identity, branding and added functions in the park’s “identity area”. In 2021 we transformed Nye Vakås Vei 64. This spring we continue with Nye Vakås Vei 80.

When the Norwegian Broadcaster (NRK) is moving to Ensjø, the former radio building is to be transformed. In a parallel competition together with a team consisting of Nordic Architects, Dronninga Landskap, Norconsult and Florian Kosche, Natural State is looking at how this beautiful space can develop into Norway’s most edgy cultural hub.

Natural State is evolving. We have secured some major projects for 2022 and are looking for new team members. We have four open positions: Senior Project Manager, Project Manager, Creative Copy and Art Director/Graphic Designer. If you or someone you know are looking for meaningful work and ambitious colleagues — apply by March 20, 2022.

In 2020 Natural State founded Circularities — Circular Economy by Natural State, spearheaded by Cathrine Barth. The purpose of the department is to offer competence, circular transition strategies and market solutions for clients within public and privat sector. In the beginning of March we spent half a day with Blank, where we looked at circular economy in the design and technology industry.