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A Scoping Review Examining Governance, Co-Creation, and Social and Ecological Justice in Living Labs Literature

Lindsay P. Galway, Charles Z. Levkoe, Rachel L. W. Portinga and Kathryn Milun
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Lindsay P. Galway: Department of Health Sciences, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, ON P7B 2X5, Canada
Charles Z. Levkoe: Department of Health Sciences, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, ON P7B 2X5, Canada
Rachel L. W. Portinga: Department of Health Sciences, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, ON P7B 2X5, Canada
Kathryn Milun: College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, University of Minnesota—Duluth, Duluth, MN 55812, USA

Challenges, 2021, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-16

Abstract: Living Labs (LLs) are increasingly being used as an approach to address complex sustainability-related challenges. Inspired by existing knowledge and practice gaps, calls for further examination of governance and co-creation in relation to LLs work, and our experiences in the Lake Superior Living Labs Network, we conducted a scoping review of the recent (2015–2019) LLs literature. This review focused on peer-reviewed LLs literature aimed at addressing sustainability-related challenges and involving universities as key collaborators specifically. This scoping review addressed the research questions: how are LLs conceptualized, described, and applied? how are LLs governed? How is co-creation supported in LLs work? and, are social and/or environmental justice considered in LLs work? From the 729 citations gathered in the electronic database searches, 48 papers were identified as relevant through the screening and eligibility assessment. We found that this literature is growing rapidly, highly interdisciplinary, and predominantly taking place within European urban centres. We summarize the findings in relation to our research questions and outline implications for interrogating governance, unpacking co-creation, and working towards social and ecological justice in LLs research and practice. We conclude by outlining four key research directions to advance LLs work, including, (1) expanding research across a greater diversity of settings; (2) examining and analyzing governance and power dynamics; (3) exploring how learning evolves via co-creation; and (4) examining how universities are impeding and/or supporting advances in relation to governance, co-creation, and justice in LLs work.

Keywords: Living Labs; sustainability; scoping review; governance; co-creation; social justice; ecological justice (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A00 C00 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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