Küreselleen

Küreselleen is a fictional metropolitan concept used in speculative fiction and urban-design discourse to describe a circular, polycentric city region designed around sustainability and inclusive governance. The term is not tied to a real place and appears mainly in academic essays, worldbuilding guides, and science fiction narratives, where it serves as a case study for circular economy principles and resilient infrastructure.

Geographically, Küreselleen is depicted as a coastal or lakeside region organized in concentric districts. A central Core hub houses civic institutions and major cultural venues, surrounded by multiple rings of mixed-use neighborhoods, green belts, and water-management systems. Transport is designed around a continuous ring road with radial links and high-frequency transit corridors that prioritize pedestrians and cyclists.

Economy and governance: The region uses participatory budgeting, with a governance model emphasizing transparency and local sovereignty. The economy emphasizes renewable energy, resource recycling, sustainable aquaculture or agriculture, eco-tourism, and small- to medium-sized manufacturers situated close to consumption markets.

Architecture and culture: Buildings are retrofit-friendly and energy-positive; districts are designed to be walkable. Public spaces feature plazas and water features that support climate adaptation. The cultural milieu is described as diverse, with a blend of coastal and inland communities, multilingual signage, and public art oriented toward ecological stewardship.

Reception: In critical discussions, Küreselleen is cited as an aspirational model illustrating the benefits and challenges of circular urbanism, including governance complexity, cost, and scalability. It is used to explore themes of resilience, social equity, and the trade-offs involved in ambitious sustainability schemes.

See also: Circular economy, Sustainable urbanism, Green city concepts, Urban planning in fiction.