In the heart of West Yorkshire, UK, a quiet revolution is taking place, one that could reshape how we approach urban challenges and community engagement. Tabassum Ahmed, a researcher from the School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy at University College Dublin, has been working on a project that flips the script on traditional urban living labs (ULLs). Her work, published in the journal Buildings & Cities, or “Städer och Byggnader” in English, introduces a grassroots-driven approach to ULLs, challenging the status quo and offering a fresh perspective on community-led innovation.
Urban living labs have long been lauded as collaborative experiments to tackle urban issues, but they’ve often been criticized for their top-down approach, favoring institutional leadership and technocentric solutions. Ahmed’s research, however, presents an alternative: a bottom-up approach that prioritizes grassroots perspectives and knowledge.
The Commoning Kirklees (CK) toolkit, co-produced with active citizens and activist groups, is a testament to this approach. Through participatory workshops and feedback cycles, the toolkit was designed to help local groups navigate bureaucratic hurdles, sustain their initiatives, and activate public spaces. “The CK toolkit embeds grassroots actors at the center of the co-production process from inception,” Ahmed explains. “It’s not just about creating a tool for community use; it’s about empowering communities to create tools that reflect their lived experiences and priorities.”
This grassroots-driven approach challenges the dominant institutionalized conceptualization of ULLs. It highlights the potential of locally embedded, bottom-up experimentation and offers a bridge between informal groups and formal structures. “Small-scale, self-organized, and community-engaged platforms initiated and led by civic actors can foster social and environmental change,” Ahmed asserts.
So, what does this mean for the energy sector and other industries? For one, it signals a shift towards more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable practices. By centering grassroots-situated knowledge and local agency, companies can tap into a wealth of situated knowledge and practical tools that embed grassroots epistemologies. This can lead to innovative solutions that emphasize spatial and social justice, ultimately benefiting both communities and businesses.
Moreover, this approach can foster a more collaborative relationship between industries and communities. By involving communities in the co-production process, industries can gain a deeper understanding of local needs and priorities, leading to more effective and sustainable solutions.
Ahmed’s research offers a compelling vision for the future of urban living labs and community engagement. It’s a call to action for industries to embrace a more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable approach to urban challenges. As Ahmed puts it, “A collaborative action between citizens and researchers can produce resources that are not only situated and practical but also innovative in their emphasis on spatial and social justice.” This is a future worth striving for, and it’s one that’s already unfolding in the heart of West Yorkshire.