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.
Nicosia ULL - MyNeb
The ULL "My neighbourhood (MyNeb)" will build upon previous University of Cyprus ULL initiatives in Latsia, Nicosia.
Latsia, situated in the capital city of Cyprus, Nicosia, emerged as a resettlement area for refugees following the 1974 war. Over time, rapid urbanization has transformed it into one of Nicosia's largest suburban areas, characterized by low-density residential zones, a lot of open spaces, and a diverse population arriving in the area from various parts of the island. In 2011, Latsia had 17,000 inhabitants, of which approximately 80% originated from other areas in Cyprus.
With a focus on the youth of Latsia, "MyNeb” aims to empower citizens to take an active role in their neighborhood, fostering responsibility and ownership over in-between public spaces, to enhance a sense of belonging. To achieve this, the ULL will engage citizens and local stakeholders to collaboratively identify specific issues that concern them, to suggest and experiment with solutions and ideas that can improve their quality of life, specifically regarding the creation and management of public spaces in their neighborhood.
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
