Boosting the Spanish Urban Agenda through urban living labs: The case study of Madrid

Abstract

The Spanish Urban Agenda (SUA) intends to promote sustainable development through the implementation of the 2030 Agenda at the local level. Since all world stakeholders are called to participate in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, diverse instruments adopting a collaborative approach between social actors have gained importance. Among them, urban living labs (ULLs) involve distinct participants to handle urban issues by proposing and testing solutions. This research determines the role of ULLs conducted in Madrid since 2000 as drivers of the SUA. A two‐tier methodology was adopted to develop a framework after first conducting an in‐depth literature review to identify key features of ULLs. Second, the connection between the SUA and ULLs was defined. Findings revealed a limited impact of the analyzed labs in reaching the SUA. The under‐representation of social agents undermines the effectiveness of ULLs. A higher engagement of public institutions is recommended to overcome this shortcoming.