As climate change continues to transform how cities function and evolve, there’s an urgent need for innovative approaches that are both bold and inclusive. Enter the Coastal City Living Lab (CCLL), a real-life testing ground where community voices, local governments, academia, and industry come together to shape the future of climate resilience. But what exactly is a Living Lab and why should we know about them?
What are Coastal City Living Labs?
Imagine your city as a collaborative experiment. Not in a lab coat-and-microscope kind of way, but as a vibrant, living ecosystem where people test real solutions for real problems together. That’s the essence of a CCLL established within the framework of the SCORE project. Inspired by the European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL), CCLLs aim to co-create, test, and scale up climate adaptation strategies that are rooted in local needs.
From early ideation to full implementation, CCLLs are participatory from start to finish. They challenge traditional top-down governance by inviting citizens, researchers, businesses, and policymakers to collaborate across all stages of solution development. For the past four years, IHS has been involved in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of CCLLs.
Why CCLLs work: community-driven innovation
Living Labs are not just about ideas: they’re about action, connection, and local ownership. Here’s what makes them powerful:
- Unified purpose: A clear definition of what a Living Lab is helps stakeholders stay aligned and focused.
- Stronger networks: CCLLs foster community ties. Local champions and supportive institutions act as anchors for long-term engagement.
- Tailored solutions: Because they’re embedded in the local context, CCLLs develop solutions that are relevant and sustainable. These include localized eco-system based adaptation and low cost sensors.
- Scalability and Flexibility: Whether a city adopts a lab as a long-term institution or applies its methodology in focused projects, the approach is adaptable to different challenges and scales.
Challenges and how we are tackling them
Of course, any collaborative effort comes with its own set of hurdles.
- Coordination complexity: Multiple voices mean multiple perspectives—and that requires clear structures. Frameworks like the Living Lab Integrative Process help streamline engagement by breaking the work into manageable stages.
- Co-creation fatigue: Collaboration takes time, energy, and resources. To support cities, the SCORE project has created a Co-Creation Toolkit, guidelines for pilot operational plans and for monitoring and evaluation, and a MOOC on setting up Living Labs.
These tools make it easier for cities to engage stakeholders meaningfully without burning them out.
From pilot projects to permanent change
Too often, innovative urban projects are short-lived. Funded for a few years, then left to fade. Living Labs challenge that cycle. For CCLLs to truly succeed, they must be recognized not as “projects,” but as permanent systems for innovation.
Several EU missions—such as the Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission and Restore our Ocean and Waters Mission—have already begun integrating Living Labs into their frameworks. These initiatives highlight the need for stable, open environments where innovation can be tested and scaled long-term.
The path forward: let’s co-create the future
At IHS, we believe in making urban transitions inclusive, responsive, and resilient. Living Labs offer a dynamic platform to do just that. They’re more than policy tools—they're places of possibility, where people come together to imagine and implement a better urban future.
Whether you're a policymaker, a local leader, a community activist, or simply someone who loves your city and wants it to thrive—you have a place in this process.
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