Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book provides new conceptual and policy insights into the governance of urban sustainability transitions and improves the design and implementation of urban living labs (ULL) in order to understand the implications of this mode of urban experimentation. It advances the theorization of the interface between experimentation, socio-technical transitions and the city, through an internationally comparative empirical analysis of ULL. The book examines how the ULL concept is being operationalised in contemporary urban governance for sustainability and low carbon cities. It sheds light on the potential for portfolios of experiments to shape and drive urban transformation, and the durability of experimentation as a governance strategy. The book looks into how experimental methodologies in participatory engagement had been applied in an urban regeneration intervention of Veerkracht Carnisse in Rotterdam to empower local communities and to make the area more sustainable and resilient.