Findings of the Living Labs in the REGENeration of neighbourhoods towards a lowcarbon, inclusive and affordable built environment

Deliverable 1.2 synthesises the early-stage findings of the Living Labs developed
under Work Package 1 of the REGEN project. It analyses the preparatory and initial engagement processes conducted across the four demo sites (Beckerich, Dublin, Laredo, and Milan) during the first 24 months of implementation (M1–M24).

The deliverable does not assess the outcomes of fully operational Living Labs.
Instead, it establishes a baseline on how enabling conditions for Living Labs are
being created across diverse urban and institutional contexts, with a focus on
stakeholder and citizen engagement, institutional anchoring, and methodological learning, in line with the WP1 implementation roadmap.

During M1–M24, all demo sites concentrated on groundwork activities, including
stakeholder identification and mapping, clarification of the local added value of
REGEN interventions, early outreach and awareness-raising, bilateral meetings and interviews, initial engagement events, and alignment with municipal services. While the scope and pace of these activities varied, none of the demo sites had entered a full Living Lab cycle by Month 24, in accordance with WP1 sequencing.

Comparative analysis highlights four cross-cutting findings. First, early
engagement has been predominantly low-threshold and exploratory, with
informal and bilateral formats proving more effective than highly structured
participatory sessions at this stage. Second, strong institutional anchoring—
particularly through collaboration with municipal services—emerges as a key
enabler of Living Lab readiness. Third, participation remains uneven, with sustained engagement largely concentrated among motivated individuals, civil society actors, and institutional intermediaries rather than the wider resident population. Fourth, early engagement consistently surfaced everyday urban concerns (e.g. public space, housing, accessibility, energy affordability), providing concrete entry points for future Living Lab interventions.

From a methodological perspective, the first 24 months confirm the necessity of a prolonged preparatory phase, the importance of flexible and context-sensitive engagement approaches, and the relevance of WP1’s step-by-step sequencing, while also highlighting the need to further refine monitoring tools as Living Labs become more structured.

Deliverable 1.2 therefore serves as a baseline and learning reference for the
subsequent implementation phase (M24–M48), during which structured Living Lab cycles, co-creation activities, and more systematic monitoring of participation and outcomes will be progressively deployed.