SOLUTIONSPlus Replication Toolkit: Living Lab Methodology Guide for Academic Institutions
Summary
The guide outlines a methodological framework for integrating Urban Living Lab approaches into university education, drawing on the SOLUTIONSplus replication toolkit and its global experience. It explains how academic institutions can act as facilitators of co development processes by linking teaching, research and practical experimentation in real world urban environments. Through a combination of the five stage framework Inform, Inspire, Initiate, Implement and Impact, the document describes how Living Labs enable the co creation of sustainable mobility solutions by bringing together students, educators, public agencies, private actors and community groups. It positions universities as central actors in transformative urban change, detailing how curricula, capacity building initiatives and collaborative networks can be structured to strengthen systemic thinking, interdisciplinary problem solving and practical engagement in sustainable mobility transitions.
Key takeaways
The guide covers the theoretical basis and pedagogical function of Living Labs, the role of education as a driver of transformative urban change, and the links between systemic approaches such as the Safe System Approach and participatory experimentation in sustainable mobility. It presents tools for curriculum development, stakeholder engagement, co design processes, and evaluation, and provides extensive examples from the SOLUTIONSplus Living Labs in Africa, Asia and Latin America. It further elaborates teaching formats including design studios, hybrid courses, fieldwork, stakeholder workshops, and interdisciplinary project work, while emphasising capacity building for educators, peer exchange across universities, and the creation of regional hubs for knowledge transfer and replication.
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Publisher
Oliver Lah
Contacts
Urban Electric Mobility Initiative (UEMI) gGmbH. Email: secretariat@uemi.net