This thesis investigates how Rotterdam Circulair can stimulate residents of Rotterdam to repair their broken household appliances more often. Using a human-centred, context-specific design approach, it explores the repair ecosystem and behaviours in the city to develop an embedded and actionable intervention.

The research unfolds in three parts. The first focuses on local repair behaviour and attitudes, drawing from interviews with DIY repairers, Repair Café visitors, non-repairers and repair professionals. Although residents are motivated by cost savings, environmental concerns and emotional attachment, they face persistent barriers such as inconvenience, lack of awareness, and low repair confidence. Repair Cafés play a valuable role but remain underused due to limited visibility and access. Repair is not yet culturally embedded as a default response to product failure.

The second part investigates the technical side of repair. Most household appliance failures occur during the use phase and are often preventable or repairable. However, users struggle with the key repair stages, fault detection, location and isolation, due to inaccessible product design and limited knowledge.

The third part maps the local repair ecosystem through stakeholder interviews and empirical studies. Rotterdam hosts a fragmented but active repair network, including certified services, Repair Cafés, digital platforms like iFixit and Jafix, and emerging municipal efforts. While European policy developments like the Right to Repair directive aim to improve repairability, local gaps in spare parts access and repair guidance remain. A mystery guest study using three broken appliances tested the accessibility of repair support via digital platforms, professional services and manufacturer options. The study confirmed the value of these resources but revealed a lack of consistency and navigability.
These insights pointed to the need for a low-threshold, visible, and locally embedded repair initiative. In a co-creation session with municipal stakeholders, five intervention concepts were evaluated. Reparatie op Wielen (RoW), a mobile repair service, was selected as the most promising concept. The repair spectrum was co-developed with Repair Café volunteers to define its scope and referral system.
A pilot was conducted to test the concept. Visitors felt supported by the service, whether through repair, diagnosis or referral. Barriers around time, cost and knowing where to go were reduced, while confidence and repair knowledge showed modest growth. Collaboration with the pop-up recycling centre (PUR) emerged as both promising and in need of improvement, particularly in communication and visitor recruitment.
An implementation plan was developed to embed RoW in municipal practice. A second co-creation session shaped the organisational structure across Schoon & Circulaire Stad, Repair Cafés, the Mobiele Wijkhub and the PUR. The plan addresses risks, communication, operations, funding and evaluation through the DIN model. Five SMART goals and a phased roadmap guide its sustainable rollout.
In conclusion, the thesis shows that stimulating repair requires more than raising awareness, it demands coordinated infrastructure, community presence and approachable services. Reparatie op Wielen responds to these needs by making repair visible, accessible and integrated into the wider ecosystem, advancing Rotterdam Circulair’s ambition to make circular behaviour easier for all.