Urban Living Labs
as educational spaces

The aim of PS-U-GO, is to redefine Urban Living Labs (ULLs) as vibrant educational environments. Here, students will engage with real-world scenarios, honing essential skills such as participatory techniques, facilitation, conflict resolution, design thinking, and problem-solving.

Empowering Communities through Co-Designed Interventions

Our approach focuses on co-designed interventions that address genuine community needs with integrated solutions. These solutions are:

  • Participative
  • Empowering
  • Demand-led
  • Tailor-made
Fostering Innovation through Collaboration

PS-U-GO's innovation lies in our collaborative delivery methods. By leveraging mutualism, we enhance capabilities and optimize assets and resources. Our process includes:

  • Cross-feeding of ideas
  • Sharing best practices
  • Encouraging ownership
  • Reflecting on 'learning-by-design' processes

The Four
Living Labs

Naples ULL - Lido Pola

The Naples ULL will be a natural evolution of the “LP^2 – Lido Pola Permanent Laboratory” project funded by the Italian Ministry of Culture, Call “Creative Living Lab IV Edition”. This ULL will be (re)settled in Bagnoli, a beautiful but depleted neighborhood on the west coast of Naples (Italy) characterized by a long history (1903–1992) of production and withdrawal of a heavy metallurgy plant, as well as by a strong activism starting from the first workers’ movements.

The Lido Pola Community, one of the Urban Commons in Naples recognized by the City Council, will host the Naples ULL addressing its mission to sea accessibility, one of the issues currently challenging the more and more privatized Naples. In addition to researchers and the community, the ULL will involve students from the Department of Architecture (Federico II University of Naples), social, environmental and economic operators and committee, and public institutions in a real-life experimentation.

A(U)LL in Aglantzia

“A(U)LL in Aglantzia” is a collaborative initiative between the Department of Architecture at the University of Cyprus and the Municipality of Nicosia, specifically focusing on the Aglantzia Municipal district. Its primary goal is to foster active citizenship and community engagement, encouraging residents, -particularly young people- to take ownership of public spaces and work collectively to enhance the quality of life in their neighborhoods. The ULL will also involve the Youth Board of Cyprus (ONEK) and Cyprus Youth Council.

Located on the northeastern edge of Cyprus’s capital, Nicosia, Aglantzia is a vibrant community with a population of approximately 20,000. Known for its rich history, which dates back to the Byzantine era, Aglantzia's name is believed to derive from "aglanti," meaning "lookout" in ancient Greek, reflecting its historical role as a vantage point. The area is home to a diverse community, including both locals and international residents, drawn by its educational and economic opportunities. Aglantzia features a dynamic blend of residential neighborhoods, commercial hubs, and cultural venues, while the Athalassa National Forest Park and the University of Cyprus enrich the area with natural beauty and youthful academic energy.

The ULL will be situated in the center of Aglantzia, within the HyBuild building, an innovative, energy-efficient facility that integrates advanced technologies for renewable energy production and smart energy management. This building, funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program, is part of an international research project which involved University of Cyprus as a partner. Positioned next to a public square, it seeks to draw the community together and foster greatersocial interaction.

Overall, “A(U)LL in Aglantzia” seeks to engage citizens and stakeholders in identifying local concerns and collaboratively explore ideas and solutions. This initiative aims to cultivatea sense of community responsibility and ownership over shared spaces, ultimately enhancing the neighborhood quality of life and fostering a stronger sense of belonging.

Palermo ULL - Madonie

Palermo living lab will address the Madonie Living Lab ecosystem. It will take place in the village of Petralia Sottana, located in the district of Palermo at the core of the Madonie mountains area.

The living lab will involve students from the University of Palermo – especially ones attending the faculty of architecture and design. Students will have the chance to explore the local context, identify challenges together with the local administrations and to prototype solutions to be tested and/or implemented.

COCO_Commoning Cottbus

COCO_Commoning Cottbus is about the production of shared physical space of encounter and collaboration between the university and broader society. It seeks to nurture new forms of exchange beyond academia by empowering students to apply and expand their knowledge close to the city’s everyday life, both within curricular and extra-curricular activities. Initiated by BTU’s Chair of Urban Management, this urban living lab aims to put the students of architecture, urban planning and design, civil engineering as well as students of other disciplines in touch with urban dwellers to jointly detect, articulate, discuss and address plural challenges in urban space. By activating a growing network of local stakeholders and developing low-threshold participatory activities, at COCO, students and urban dwellers alike engage in collective learning, sharing knowledge, collaboration and experimentation to various urban themes.

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PS-U-GO

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