The Continuation of Living Labs between Theoretical Conception and Practical Implementation – An Empirical Study

Abstract

The continuation of urban living labs has the potential to contribute substantially to a successful socio-ecological transformation. The article includes an analysis of selected third-party funded research projects, in which on the basis of a categorical approach to the concept of continuation it is determined, how the externally funded project framework affects the continuation of living labs. The analysis was carried out using partially standardized questionnaires and a qualitative content analysis of project-related result documentation. To be able to pursue this research project, characteristics of the topics continuity, transferability, contribution to transformation, reflexivity and learning process as well as transdisciplinarity were addressed. During the analysis, a critical examination of the implementation of living lab concepts is carried out.