Experimenting

Sharing Cities Sweden developed world-leading test-beds for the sharing economy in Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö and Umeå. Through the test-beds, sharing services and digital solutions were developed, tested and evaluated. The test-beds were supported by a national node for coordination, national learning and international exchange.

Leading the way with Urban Living Labs

The test-beds adopted the form of urban living labs or sites devised to design, test and learn from social and technical innovation in real time and in real places. Urban living labs are both an arena (a geographically or institutionally defined space) as well as an approach for exploratory and experimental collaboration between a range of actors. The test-beds in Sharing Cities Sweden were designed in line with the key factors that make urban living labs unique. These include:

Context: Urban living labs are located in a defined geographical area. The test-beds in Sharing Cities Sweden were located in Stockholm, Umeå, Gothenburg and Malmö. The geographical area within the test-beds was further limited to certain areas and activities.

Experimentation: Urban living labs aim to design and test new solutions, technologies and policies in real environments and do so in a transparent manner. The test-beds in Sharing Cities Sweden designed, implemented and tested a range of sharing services.

Participation: A key factor in urban living labs is that the development is based on collaboration with a diversity of stakeholders and users. The test-beds in Sharing Cities Sweden were based on continuous and interactive collaboration with a mix of organisations and sectors.

Leadership: Clear leadership and ownership are considered crucial for urban living labs. The test-beds in Sharing Cities Sweden were designed and managed by local authorities and universities and the initiatives are managed in cooperation with a variety of partners.

Evaluation: Urban living labs involve continous evaluatation in terms of formalizing learning, driving forwards implementation and creating impact. The test-beds in Sharing Cities Sweden systematically worked with evaluations of sharing services.