Urban Living Lab methodology
A shared, flexible framework for planning, running, monitoring and evaluating each Living Lab — built on co-creation, real-life experimentation and learning loops between cities.
The core of how the project works
Urban Living Labs are not side pilots in NextGenMobility — they are the main way the project connects research with local action. This methodology gives all three labs a shared logic for planning, running, monitoring and evaluating their work, while leaving each city free to adapt the tools and activities to its own stakeholders, challenges and opportunities. It is a structured but flexible framework, designed to be transferable to other cities interested in youth-centred, participatory mobility planning.
How DUT defines a Living Lab
The Driving Urban Transitions partnership describes ULLs as participatory, experimental environments where different actors tackle urban challenges together in real-life settings. NextGenMobility turns that into an implementation-oriented framework built on four ideas.
Participatory co-creation
Solutions aren't built by experts alone. Young people, local stakeholders, practitioners and decision-makers help identify challenges, generate ideas, test actions and evaluate results — building shared ownership from the start.
Real-life experimentation
Rather than producing only strategy documents, the labs run pilot actions, temporary interventions and small-scale tests in neighbourhoods, campuses, transport hubs, commuting corridors and public spaces — observing how people actually respond.
Learning loops
The process is iterative, not linear: experiences are evaluated regularly, stakeholder feedback feeds the next round, methods adapt when needed, and lessons are shared between the three cities.
Long-term transformation
Beyond short-term tests, the labs build stronger stakeholder cooperation, more youth-responsive planning, and transferable, scalable practices for inclusive, sustainable mobility governance.
A five-step process in every city
Each Living Lab follows the same five steps, adapting the formats to local conditions.
1 · Set up & engage
Organise the local lab, map and involve stakeholders, and recruit young people as active co-creators.
2 · Understand local mobility
Apply perception analysis, mobility audits and CIM to identify and understand local challenges.
3 · Co-design solutions
Translate findings into concrete, locally adapted mobility actions with the community.
4 · Test in real life
Implement pilot actions and interventions, observing behaviour and gathering feedback.
5 · Evaluate & transfer
Assess results, capture lessons, and share transferable methods across the labs and beyond.
Young people at the centre
What distinguishes NextGenMobility from generic ULL approaches is its youth-centred lens. Young people experience mobility differently, their habits strongly shape future sustainability transitions, and they are too often left out of planning. The methodology therefore treats them as users, local knowledge-holders, co-creators and active participants in testing and evaluation — recognising that mobility is shaped by both objective factors (infrastructure, distance, timetables) and subjective ones (perceived safety, comfort, attractiveness and ease of use).
Source: NextGenMobility Urban Living Lab Methodology (June 2026), led by MEGAKOM.