Eco-Social Living Lab Approaches

Deliverable 2.1 (D2.1) provides an overview of existing Living Lab approaches, drawing out transferable lessons from Living Lab research and prior case study processes to inform the INNATURE project, with particular relevance to the five demonstration case contexts. To achieve this, the task involved a collaborative, transnational mapping of existing Eco-Social Living Lab processes. This mapping exercise (WP2 / Task 2.1) combined a structured literature review with a systematic analysis of Living Lab case studies at global, European, and local scales, focusing specifically on approaches that integrate social and ecological dimensions and act as a foundation to inform the context-specific INNATURE Eco-Social Living Labs.

In doing this, our focus was to critically reflect on the innovations, methods, and operational approaches adopted within each studied Living Lab case study, as well as their successes, limitations, barriers, and (positive and negative) unintended consequences. A central objective was to identify key insights and lessons relevant to INNATURE, with particular attention to questions of transferability and scalability. This included unpacking the configurations of actors, stakeholders, and governance arrangements that enabled these Living Lab processes to emerge, function, and endure beyond their initial scope or funding scheme.

Deliverable D2.1 synthesises this initial research foundation. While this deliverable was originally intended as an internal (sensitive) deliverable, for the INNATURE collective only, it was then agreed to share it as a publicly available resource to stimulate reflection and further knowledge exchange beyond the consortium. As a foundational and evolving body of work, it is envisaged that this knowledge base will be expanded and refined throughout the duration of the INNATURE project, functioning as a dynamic deliverable that can accommodate future updates and iterations. It will also be a key part of the INNATURE Pattern Book at the end of the project (D1.3).