Circular Poughkeepsie: Creating Sustainable Resource Systems in a Fringe City

MASS Design Group is a nonprofit design collective advancing justice and environmental sustainability through the built environment, with its Abundant Futures Design Lab focused on regenerative design that aligns ecological limits with community well-being. In partnership with the Lab, this Capstone project focused on Poughkeepsie, NY—a small, post-industrial fringe city facing disinvestment and climate vulnerability—to examine how essential resources such as energy, water, food, materials, and waste flow through the region. This work is critical because smaller cities often lack data-driven, place-based strategies to transition from linear, extractive systems to circular, regenerative models. The Capstone team was tasked with developing circular regional metabolism strategies by quantifying resource flows, identifying stakeholders, and assessing system challenges and opportunities. The team conducted literature reviews, analyzed datasets, engaged stakeholders, and created GIS-based visualizations. Final deliverables included clear, public-facing strategy recommendations, providing a replicable framework to guide resilient and equitable development in Poughkeepsie and similar Fringe Cities.