Urban Living Labs
as educational spaces
Methodology
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.
The PS-U-GO methodology guides the four Urban Living Labs through three phases -- design and initiation, operation, evaluation and feedback -- to operate as educational spaces supporting students’, local residents’ (with special focus on young people) and stakeholders’ civic engagement and participation in urban governance and the production of urban space.
It provides a robust framework for implementing the PS-U-GO ULLs, ensuring relevance, inclusivity, and sustainability across diverse contexts while fostering meaningful collaboration and positive urban action. It is based on key principles: understanding the context, engaging students, young people, and stakeholders inclusively, experimenting in real-life settings, and creating value for the community. The process includes choosing a shared theme, exploring places, co-creating ideas, and publicly presenting the results.
The Four
Living Labs
Naples ULL - Mare Libero
The Naples ULL grew as a space where people with different backgrounds could meet, learn from one another, and explore new ways of working together. Students, collectives, and local actors gathered around a shared curiosity for how a coastline can be lived as a common good, turning each session into a chance to exchange ideas and experiment with collaborative methods. What formed was a temporary community shaped by dialogue, creativity, and a growing sense of collective purpose.
ULLοι Aglantzia
Ullοι Aglantzia is an Urban Living Lab in Nicosia, a collaborative initiative coordinated by the SURF Lab of the Department of Architecture at the University of Cyprus, in collaboration with the Municipality of Nicosia, the Cyprus Youth Council, and the Youth Board. Located in the historic core of old Aglantzia, it turns public space into a platform for participation, creativity, and learning to co-create better urban futures.
Palermo ULL - Madonie Living Lab
Open Madonie Living Lab took place in Petralia Sottana, a village immersed in the beautiful mountain territory of the Madonie: a place marked by nature and history. In recent years, part of a former convent around a historic cloister, once home to a school central to the town's story, was transformed into a lab designed to spark collaboration and new possibilities. Inside: a photo/video studio, audio room, food lab, fablab, and virtual lab. With all this potential, the question became: how could this space truly come alive?
COCO_Commoning Cottbus
