This thematic analysis explores how circular economy literature addresses the relationship between the urban circular economy, land use and urban planning. Our scoping review identifies three spatial transformation strategies to enable circularity: densification, regeneration and experimentation. These approaches, which are dependent on local context and the actors driving the process, are embedded in varying sustainability objectives, interpretations of value and lifecycles, and boundaries that define what is included or excluded in planning and assessment. We discuss the diversity of approaches, reflect on the planning contexts in which practitioners and researchers propose and study them, and outline avenues for future research.