ABSTRACT
This final chapter interrogates the potential of community social labs (CSLs) as important vehicles for bridging gaps between universities and communities to solve social problems. It reiterates the argument that CSLs are best understood not as fixed projects but as a methodology oriented toward local, community-level transformation and social impact. However, the methodology is not without challenges: Are the solutions sustainable, or will they only last as long as the students, faculty, and community-level gatekeepers are involved? Does the CSL approach contribute to resilient and inclusive communities? What are the ethical implications of the students’ interventions in communities? This chapter ends with a discussion of how the CSL approach promises to actuate a transformed university sector that advocates co-creation and local-community impact, challenging the predominant way of university functioning, which is centered on free-market principles of neoliberalism that often clash with bottom-up development approaches, such as CSLs. The neoliberal modus operandi emphasizes individual gain, short-term efficiency, and competition over collective gain and social impact that are at the core of CSLs.
