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Urban Living Labs and the Role of Users in Co-creation

Menny, Mascha ; Voytenko Palgan, Yuliya LU and McCormick, Kes LU (2018) In GAIA 27. p.68-77
Abstract

Urban living labs (ULLs) offer opportunities to foster sustainability in cities. They are sites to design, test and learn from innovation in real time. A key element in the operation and success of ULLs is user involvement. Users are often viewed as co-creators who shape ULL outcomes by contributing with their knowledge and experi ence. The transformative potential of ULLs for sustainability is often interconnected with user participation. Despite its importance, user involvement in ULLs remains a practical challenge that is also understudied. In this article, we examine how ULLs engage in a participatory methodology that facilitates co-creation with users, and discuss the link between user involvement and the transformative potential... (More)

Urban living labs (ULLs) offer opportunities to foster sustainability in cities. They are sites to design, test and learn from innovation in real time. A key element in the operation and success of ULLs is user involvement. Users are often viewed as co-creators who shape ULL outcomes by contributing with their knowledge and experi ence. The transformative potential of ULLs for sustainability is often interconnected with user participation. Despite its importance, user involvement in ULLs remains a practical challenge that is also understudied. In this article, we examine how ULLs engage in a participatory methodology that facilitates co-creation with users, and discuss the link between user involvement and the transformative potential of ULLs. While co-creation is a cornerstone of the ULL concept, we also show that a combination of different user participation levels in different stages of the ULL life cycle has a potential to enhance the outcomes and transformative potential of ULLs. User involvement plays a positive role in realising the transformative potential of ULLs for sustainability, but governance structure, leadership and power distribution are also important factors for ULLs to become transformative.

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author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Co-creation, Experimentation, Participation, Sustainability, Urban living labs, User involvement
in
GAIA
volume
27
pages
10 pages
publisher
Oekom Verlag
external identifiers
  • scopus:85046152239
ISSN
0940-5550
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
7e3eb84c-72cc-4762-a650-7c53439cf039
date added to LUP
2018-05-15 15:13:30
date last changed
2022-04-17 20:33:06
@article{7e3eb84c-72cc-4762-a650-7c53439cf039,
  abstract     = {{<p>Urban living labs (ULLs) offer opportunities to foster sustainability in cities. They are sites to design, test and learn from innovation in real time. A key element in the operation and success of ULLs is user involvement. Users are often viewed as co-creators who shape ULL outcomes by contributing with their knowledge and experi ence. The transformative potential of ULLs for sustainability is often interconnected with user participation. Despite its importance, user involvement in ULLs remains a practical challenge that is also understudied. In this article, we examine how ULLs engage in a participatory methodology that facilitates co-creation with users, and discuss the link between user involvement and the transformative potential of ULLs. While co-creation is a cornerstone of the ULL concept, we also show that a combination of different user participation levels in different stages of the ULL life cycle has a potential to enhance the outcomes and transformative potential of ULLs. User involvement plays a positive role in realising the transformative potential of ULLs for sustainability, but governance structure, leadership and power distribution are also important factors for ULLs to become transformative.</p>}},
  author       = {{Menny, Mascha and Voytenko Palgan, Yuliya and McCormick, Kes}},
  issn         = {{0940-5550}},
  keywords     = {{Co-creation; Experimentation; Participation; Sustainability; Urban living labs; User involvement}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{68--77}},
  publisher    = {{Oekom Verlag}},
  series       = {{GAIA}},
  title        = {{Urban Living Labs and the Role of Users in Co-creation}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/58101885/Menny_et_al._2018_GAIA_.pdf}},
  volume       = {{27}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}