The PS-U-GO ULLs methodology focuses on creating Urban Living Labs (ULLs) in four partner cities: Nicosia, Palermo, Naples, and Cottbus. Its core aim is to foster youth participation in addressing urban challenges. The methodology offers a structured approach to achieving specific goals while allowing flexibility for adaptation to diverse contexts. It is organized into several stages, ensuring that local stakeholders, particularly young people, are engaged throughout the entire process. The methodology prioritizes inclusivity and sustainability, while promoting meaningful collaboration for positive urban change.
Key aspects of the methodology:
- Youth-centered: The methodology prioritizes youth participation at every stage of the ULL, from problem identification to solution development and implementation.
- Flexibility and adaptation to local contexts: The approach is adaptable, focusing on the specific challenges and opportunities of each city.
- Collaboration and inclusivity: ULLs foster strong partnerships with local organizations, businesses, and authorities to ensure a collective approach.
- Sustainability and impact: Long-term sustainability is a core focus, with an emphasis on creating lasting, meaningful change in urban spaces.
- Evaluation and iteration: Continuous evaluation allows for the adjustment and refinement of process, ensuring that ULLs remain effective and responsive to community needs.
OPERATION:
Theme choice: Co-identification of existing needs and opportunities, prioritising youth. Aim: To choose (a) theme(s) or topic(s).Exploration: Lab sessions about the theme, reflection in action involving on-site explorations and urban masterclasses, supported by (an) external(s) expert(s).
Aim: To acquire new knowledge and experience and to co-develop draft ideas/ scenarios leading to a common vision of positive urban action.
- Experimentation and co-creation: Co-creation, testing or prototyping (if needed), supported by (an) external(s) creative expert(s) (if needed).
Aim: To produce the expected outcome(s).
- Urban showcase: Sharing of the creative process and outcome with the public.
Aim: To communicate and share the new knowledge produced in an understandable, direct and creative way.
EVALUATION AND FEEDBACK:
Aim: To collect feedback from the participants and stakeholders, useful for the process, methodology and outcomes improvement.
Guidelines for setting up the ULLs:
- Blueprint for ULLs: A detailed blueprint ensures effective planning and management, covering scope, principles, stakeholders, experimentation, sustainability, and communication.
- Scope: Define clear missions, goals, and outcomes, as well as plan outputs considering resources and time.
- Principles and values: Foster stakeholder collaboration with mutual respect, inclusivity, and equity, and emphasize fun, social sustainability, lifelong learning, and shared value creation.
- Contextualization: Engage broad stakeholders using service and user-centered design, and ground activities in real urban settings, emphasizing mobility, practicality, and cultural integration.
- Stakeholder participation: Use diverse outreach methods, prioritize youth involvement, trust-building, and flexible participation options and blend online and in-person methods integrated into daily activities.
- Experimentation and evaluation: Provide safe environments for testing ideas and collaborations and combine formal evaluations with informal, ongoing feedback.
- Sustainability and impact: Address environmental, social, and economic goals and maintain active networks and assess measurable impacts.
- Roadmap and communication: Share detailed timelines and communication plans with participants and also use informal internal communication (youth-preferred platforms).