Smart cities and innovative governance systems: a reflection on urban living labs and action research

Diana Soeiro

doi:10.11143/fennia.97054

Abstract

   Urban Living Labs (ULL) are sites that allow different urban actors to design, test and learn from socio-technical innovations. In this article, I investigate the epistemological roots of ULL, claiming that this new instrument in the realm of urban planning strongly relies on action research, a methodology designed in the 1940s. I explore to what extent ULL and action research are different, identifying past obstacles of action research to design more successful ULL. This paper establishes that ULL are a key element to implement social innovation and that social innovation should lead technological innovation and the recent smart city model to promote smart sustainable cities. The article was prepared in the aftermath of the project “ROCK” (2017–2020) on cultural heritage as a driver for urban regeneration, where ULL played a central role being highly relevant in the context of urban regeneration policies. Key findings support that ULL can contribute to finding a balance between top-down and bottom-up strategies and its comparative qualitative analysis would improve the methodology. Moreover, public and private cooperation should be encouraged and government should lead and act as a key player in innovation strategies. Lastly, geography can contribute to these new challenges by framing past approaches, projecting the future of cities, and finding ways to make them become a reality.  

Highlights

Technological innovation is at the forefront of the smart city concept, impacting the dynamics of cities as we know them, from planning to managing, to daily livability
Is technological innovation enough to propel the smart city concept? My main claim is that the biggest challenge to successful implementation of the smart city concept is the design of innovative governance systems
I argue that Urban Living Labs (ULL) stem from General Systems Theory – a theory that encompasses ‘action research’, which encourages research to be conducted in close connection with a given area and its inhabitants

Summary

Introduction

Technological innovation is at the forefront of the smart city concept, impacting the dynamics of cities as we know them, from planning to managing, to daily livability. My main claim is that the biggest challenge to successful implementation of the smart city concept is the design of innovative governance systems. The assumption behind this claim is that technological innovation should not be pursued for its own sake, but to promote and propel social, cultural, economic and ecological innovation. I will assess a recent methodological approach, Urban Living Labs (ULL) These are sites that allow different urban actors to design, test and learn from sociotechnical innovations (von Wirth et al 2019). I aim to explore whether the smart city concept with an emphasis on existing technologies and new governance systems can contribute to overcoming past obstacles posed by Systems Theory through ULL. I conclude by identifying how ULL can encourage the exploration of innovative governance systems; claiming a balance between bottom-up initiatives and top-down policies and reflecting on what role geography will play in this

Background

Conclusion