Lessons from transdisciplinary urban research to promote sustainability transformation in real-world labs: Categories, pathways, and key principles for generating societal impact

Abstract

Real-world labs aim to enhance societal impacts and advance sustainability transformations. Based on the empirical analysis of 48 urban research projects and six in-depth case studies, we present a systematization of these impacts and their connections, and provide key principles on how to design real-world lab projects to encourage sustainability transformations.Real-world labs and transdisciplinary urban research aim to initiate and support sustainability transformations. This paper explores the categories of societal impacts and their connections, as well as key principles to facilitate these impacts. The study is based on the empirical analysis of 48 projects by a series of surveys and interviews within an independent, accompanying research program. All projects were conducted under the heading of urban sustainability transformations and pursued a transdisciplinary real-world lab approach. Three categories of societal impacts were identified: 1. social and individual changes, 2. governance changes, and 3. changes in the physical environment. Six of the projects were selected as in-depth case studies, revealing three patterns of impact pathways. The case studies also explore the relationships between processes, results, and impacts leading to key principles for fostering societal impacts and thus, sustainability transformations. The findings enhance the understanding and the promotion of sustainability transformations in urban areas.