Analysis of the methods of Urban Living Labs

Urban living labs have become a popular phenomenon in today’s cities. But what exactly are urban living labs? All over the world, the term “living lab” is being used to refer to a variety of local experimental projects of a participatory nature. Practitioners and scholars agree on the need for a more precise definition as a starting point for living lab research, Professor Ellen van Bueren and research fellow Kris Steen have conducted in-depth research on this topic during the AMS research project on ‘Urban Living Labs’. The aim of the research was to develop a methodology to facilitate systematic achievement of the living lab goals and ambitions in practice. How do urban living labs work? How can they contribute to a more sustainable environment? And how can you set up a successful urban living lab? The final living lab way of working is a mix of the theoretical methodological components of living labs, the conditions identified through in-depth case studies of innovations emerged in urban living labs in Amsterdam, and general recommendations and tips encountered throughout the research on how to tackle the various challenges associated with these phases. In this living lab way of working the basics of a living lab approach are explained, such as the essence of having a common ground and shared interests, as well as the implications this has for the required behaviour and mind-set of the actors. Furthermore, the living lab way of working guides actors in what to think about in which stage of the process, while offering advice on elementary questions such as for example how to set up a project, how to formalise the made agreements, how to achieve inspiring co-creation sessions and how to manage an innovation collectively through a suitable legal organisational form. Finally, recommendations are made to ensure that the evaluation, refinement and dissemination activities in the living lab are conducted with success. This is necessary to allow an overarching learning mechanism in the larger urban innovation system by adoption of the formulated lessons in other urban contexts, realising the full potential of a living lab.