University campuses as living laboratories

The study explicates the methodology of living laboratories as open experiment spaces in real urban environment, which provide the development and testing of technological and social innovations in the city, contribute to the development of technological entrepreneurship and interdisciplinary communication, as well as strengthen emotional connection with the place of making efforts. The application of the methodology of living laboratories is especially effective in cities where universities are driving force of development, which forms a link between basic science, applied research and their implementation in real life and social sphere. The creation of live laboratories on university campuses helps to reveal the potential of the academic community and forms the prerequisites for a joint search for solutions to complex socially significant issues. The article gives the analysis of the experience of creating and operating live laboratories in Tomsk, where in 2017, for the first time in Russia, this world practice was adapted and applied to promote urban development. Today, Tomsk has a network of living laboratories, including seven sections of university campuses integrated into the urban environment with different focuses of experiments. The authors present the concept of living laboratory and its basic principles. The article describes the full cycle of experiments in a real urban environment, from the key prerequisites, stages of analysis, experiment design and team formation to the direct implementation of innovative solutions in the urban area, a new paradigm of flexible management and methods for measuring the effects of experiments. In addition, the authors suggest an adapted approach to participatory planning and a methodology for involving users and stakeholders at all stages of the process: from identifying needs to implementing and scaling new solutions. The article also contains examples of experiments carried out on the territory of the Tomsk live laboratory. The research allows to form an idea of the methodology of living laboratories, the experience and effects of its application in urban environment on university campuses

Architectural engineering · Citizen journalism · Civil engineering · Engineering ethics · Engineering management · Human–computer interaction · Living lab · Sociology · Urban planning · Computer Science · Engineering · Engineering Education and Technology · Innovative Approaches in Technology and Social Development