Fostering Quality of Life through Social Innovation: A Living Lab Methodology Study Case

Abstract

AbstractParticipative processes and citizens’ empowerment are considered crucial aspects of social innovation (SI), involving collaborative activities between the private, public, and third sectors. This article discusses the principal trends in the literature on the concept ofSI, its aims and differential characteristics related to the identification of people's needs, citizen participation processes, and improved quality of life. We present an exploratory case study ofSIfocusing on the gap between elderly people's needs and the generation of business opportunities, using a living lab (LL) methodology for collaborative placed‐based innovation. Our results suggest thatLLs are a useful instrument to detect community needs and improve local development and support and integrate technological and social innovations in policies and local governance processes.