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Sustainability
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Sustainable Impact and Systemic Change via Living Labs
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Sustainable Impact and Systemic Change via Living Labs

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Economic and Business Aspects of Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 November 2025 | Viewed by 3861

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Dimitri Schuurman

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
imec-mict-UGent, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
Interests: living labs; open innovation; user innovation; innovation management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Valentino Piana

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Energy Living Lab, Institute of Energy and Environment, University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland, T 2800 Delemont, Switzerland
Interests: multi-agent-based simulations for policy-making; bounded rationality approaches and modeling; low carbon energy and mobility national and local policies; living labs; smart cities and eco-neighbourhood; climate mitigation policies; climate negotiations
Dr. Abdolrasoul Habibipour

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Computer Science, Electrical and Space Engineering, Luleå University of Technology, 97187 Luleå, Sweden
Interests: information systems; participatory design; living labs; innovation management; digital transformation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Teemu Santonen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
RDI Department, Laurea Universities of Applied Sciences, Ratatie 22, 01300 Vantaa, Finland
Interests: open innovation management; living labs in context of health/wellbeing and circular economy; social network analysis (SNA)
Dr. Sebastian Stefaniga

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science, West University of Timisoara, 300223 Timisoara, Romania
Interests: artificial intelligence; intelligent systems; machine learning; medical informatics; statistics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

we invite you to submit contributions on the theme of Sustainable Impact and Systemic Change via Living Labs. This topic is linked to the upcoming Open Living Lab Days conference that is due to take place in Timisoara, Romania, from September 25th to 27th 2024, and selected papers will be invited to this Special Issue. However, we also welcome submissions not directly linked to the conference but within the scope of the following five topics, covering to themes and challenges that are closely related to living labs research and practice:

  • Living Labs for Grand Societal Challenges (health and wellbeing, climate change, energy and transport, agriculture, natural resources, and so forth);
  • Living Labs for Policies, Governance, Collaboration, and Innovation Ecosystems;
  • Living Labs for Inclusive Soci(et)al Engagement;
  • Living Labs for Business and Emerging Technology;
  • Living Labs Operations, Methods, Tools, and Impacts.

We seek papers that investigate the role and outcomes of living labs within these themes and topics, and how they can contribute to the achievement of sustainable impact and generate systemic change in favor of a better future.

Dr. Dimitri Schuurman
Dr. Valentino Piana
Dr. Abdolrasoul Habibipour
Dr. Teemu Santonen
Dr. Sebastian Stefaniga
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • living labs
  • sustainability
  • grand societal challenges
  • co-creation
  • governance
  • real-life experimentation
  • quadruple helix
  • innovation management
  • impact
  • innovation ecosystems

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 2697 KiB  
Article
Empowering the Irish Energy Transition: Harnessing Sensor Technology for Engagement in an Embedded Living Lab
by Madeleine Lyes
Sustainability 2025, 17(15), 6677; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17156677 - 22 Jul 2025
Abstract
The transition to a decarbonised energy system in Ireland presents significant socio-technical challenges. This paper, focused on the work of the SMARTLAB project at the Citizen Innovation Lab in Limerick city, investigated the potential of a localised living lab approach to address these [...] Read more.
The transition to a decarbonised energy system in Ireland presents significant socio-technical challenges. This paper, focused on the work of the SMARTLAB project at the Citizen Innovation Lab in Limerick city, investigated the potential of a localised living lab approach to address these challenges. Engaging across 70 buildings and their inhabitants, the project captured the evolution of attitudes and intentions towards the clean energy transition in ways directly relevant to future policy implementation across grid redevelopment, smart service design, and national retrofit. Project methodology was framed by a living lab approach, with wireless energy and indoor environment sensors installed in participant buildings and participant journeys developed by harnessing the Citizen Innovation Lab ecosystem. The results indicate behaviour changes among participants, particularly focusing on indoor environmental conditions. The study concludes that embedded, localised living labs offer a methodological framework which can capture diverse datasets and encompass complex contemporary contexts towards transition goals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Impact and Systemic Change via Living Labs)
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20 pages, 634 KiB  
Article
Scaling Deep with Local Community Champions in Living Labs
by Oliver Weberg, Vaike Fors and Jesper Lund
Sustainability 2025, 17(13), 5888; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17135888 - 26 Jun 2025
Viewed by 389
Abstract
Living Labs are collaborative, real-world environments for co-creating sustainable innovations that rely on trust-based engagement with local communities. However, while many studies emphasise scaling up or out of such innovations, the potential for achieving qualitative transformations in relation to local values (“scaling deep”) [...] Read more.
Living Labs are collaborative, real-world environments for co-creating sustainable innovations that rely on trust-based engagement with local communities. However, while many studies emphasise scaling up or out of such innovations, the potential for achieving qualitative transformations in relation to local values (“scaling deep”) remains underexplored. In response, we adopted a design ethnographic approach that blended immersive, reflexive ethnographic methods with the participatory co-design characteristics of Living Labs. This approach involved closely partnering with a local community champion through participant observation and co-creation workshops embedded in the community’s daily life. Our findings show that community champions acted as co-creators and mediators, building trust and aligning Living Lab activities with local values through a relational ethic of care. By immersing the research team in day-to-day community life via shared activities and open dialogue, champions enabled situated learning about local needs, thereby facilitating “scaling deep” through mutual trust and understanding. Overall, the study demonstrates that scaling deep in Living Labs hinges on embodied researcher–community partnerships in mutual care and shared responsibility. The study contributes to the Living Lab literature by illustrating how community champions can bridge understanding about sustainable transformations through relational engagement. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Impact and Systemic Change via Living Labs)
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29 pages, 1145 KiB  
Article
What Drives Successful Campus Living Labs? The Case of Utrecht University
by Claudia Stuckrath, Maryse M. H. Chappin and Ernst Worrell
Sustainability 2025, 17(12), 5506; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17125506 - 14 Jun 2025
Viewed by 714
Abstract
Campus living labs (CLLs) foster sustainability within higher education institutions (HEIs), yet their institutional embedding remains challenging. Relying on the idea of strategic niche management (SNM), this paper examines three processes key to protected space development: vision articulation, social network building, and learning. [...] Read more.
Campus living labs (CLLs) foster sustainability within higher education institutions (HEIs), yet their institutional embedding remains challenging. Relying on the idea of strategic niche management (SNM), this paper examines three processes key to protected space development: vision articulation, social network building, and learning. This research explores the factors that enable the development of protected spaces for successful CLLs. Using an embedded case study approach, seven sustainability initiatives were analysed at Utrecht University, the Netherlands. We found that the perceived success in CLLs is related to sustainability outcomes, scaling pathways, and process outcomes. In addition, different groups of factors driving the development of protected spaces were identified: broad factors that contribute to all or multiple key processes, specific factors that support only one process, and peripheral factors that were less frequently mentioned. ‘Organisational culture’ appeared to be an important broad factor contributing to all key processes. ‘Resources’ and ‘Coordination’ were also important, specifically for social network building, but also mentioned as currently being absent by many. Finally, this paper contributes by incorporating a new factor, ‘Orchestration’, a subtle yet strategic form of coordination. It offers insights for HEIs aiming to develop CLLs as part of their sustainability strategy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Impact and Systemic Change via Living Labs)
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20 pages, 1233 KiB  
Article
What Could Possibly Go Wrong? Exploring Challenges and Mitigation Strategies of Applying a Living Lab Approach in an Innovation Project
by Elias Blanckaert, Louise Hallström, Iris Jennes and Wendy Van den Broeck
Sustainability 2025, 17(12), 5496; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17125496 - 14 Jun 2025
Viewed by 515
Abstract
The living lab methodology is widely used in innovation projects to drive user-centered development. While its benefits, such as co-creation and real-world validation, are well known, its implementation presents challenges that remain underexplored. This study examines these challenges by using the Horizon 2020 [...] Read more.
The living lab methodology is widely used in innovation projects to drive user-centered development. While its benefits, such as co-creation and real-world validation, are well known, its implementation presents challenges that remain underexplored. This study examines these challenges by using the Horizon 2020 Möbius project as a case study. While the Möbius project itself aimed to modernize European book publishing through an immersive reading application and a data visualization tool, this study reflects on the implementation process of the living lab approach within that context, using an action research approach. After project completion, a structured brainstorming session reviewed identified challenges and mitigation strategies. Findings highlight three key challenges. First, misalignment between assumed and actual stakeholder needs hindered industry engagement. Second, recruitment was complicated by the ambiguous use of “prosumer”, causing confusion among participants. Third, communication gaps and personnel changes disrupted the integration of user feedback into development cycles. These challenges underscore the need for early and continuous stakeholder alignment, adaptive communication, and structured knowledge management. Based on these findings, the study proposes strategies to improve engagement and integrate user insights more effectively, ultimately enhancing the impact of living lab-based innovation projects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Impact and Systemic Change via Living Labs)
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24 pages, 6111 KiB  
Article
Development of a Tool to Support the Sustainable Management of Urban Living Labs as Platforms for Co-Creation
by Fumiya Akasaka, Mika Yasuoka, Momoko Nakatani, Hiroko Akiyama and Ryuichi Nambu
Sustainability 2025, 17(10), 4357; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17104357 - 12 May 2025
Viewed by 1051
Abstract
This study focuses on living labs as ‘platforms for co-creation (i.e., platform-level living labs)’, in which multiple co-creation projects on diverse social issues are promoted through mutual interaction. The long-term operation of such a platform-level living lab is important for achieving social innovation [...] Read more.
This study focuses on living labs as ‘platforms for co-creation (i.e., platform-level living labs)’, in which multiple co-creation projects on diverse social issues are promoted through mutual interaction. The long-term operation of such a platform-level living lab is important for achieving social innovation and transformation through the living lab approach; however, methods and tools to support its sustainable management and operation have not been developed. Therefore, this study aims to identify key elements and develop a tool for the sustainable operation and management of platform-level living labs. It undertakes a qualitative analysis of data collected from in-depth interviews conducted with experts who have organised actual cases of long-term practising platform-level living labs in Japan. We also conduct a case-based application of the developed canvas tool and find that it enables us to consider various perspectives that are important when setting up and managing a platform-level living lab. This study also provides a ‘first step’ for further discussions on a methodology for the integrated use of multi-level canvases in the sustainable management of platform-level living labs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Impact and Systemic Change via Living Labs)
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