Join us for an insightful workshop where we introduce the Living Lab Assessment Method (LLAM), developed in collaboration with the city of Ghent. LLAM provides a comprehensive and context-sensitive framework for evaluating how Living Labs (LLs) generate value in local urban ecosystems. During this workshop, participants will not only learn about LLAM but also apply it to real-world cases to fully grasp its potential and versatility. 

Living Lab processes often appear ambiguous to both practitioners and academics, despite their significant promise in fostering urban resilience and addressing complex urban challenges. LLs facilitate multi-stakeholder collaborations, generate and share new knowledge, and contribute to urban transitions. However, the long-term value creation, funding, and scalability of LL outcomes remain unclear, exacerbated by varying stakeholder expectations. Thus, a robust impact assessment is crucial for a clear understanding of LL effectiveness.   

Traditionally, LL impact assessments focus heavily on tangible end-products. We propose that LLs also create significant invisible value. To capture this, we developed LLAM within Ghent through a participatory approach involving local LL practitioners. LLAM offers a holistic view of value generation across several dimensions: skill capacity, network capacity, knowledge capacity, instrumental capacity, societal agenda setting, altruism and prototyping, and hedonism.