ABOUT

The MADE Living Lab course is unique in its theory, design, approach, and impact. The projects developed focus specifically on using a Living Lab approach to explore the challenge and develop a solution.

Living Labs

Living Labs are society-based laboratories that support local experimentation in cities. They offer a promising way to transform unsustainable practices into sustainable solutions worldwide (Santonen et al., 2017; Schäpke et al., 2018). Over the past decade, Living Labs have emerged in various innovative ecosystems, including municipalities, hospitals, R&D departments, and universities (Maas et al., 2017).

This approach is rooted in co-creation, where stakeholders collaborate to shape innovation (Schuurman, 2015). Overall, the Living Lab process follows the snake diagram on the left. The aim is to develop small-scale pilots product or project where the potential impact can be explored and then expanded upon. The potential products can be objects, services, technologies, applications, frameworks, approaches, or systems.

For more information on Living Labs see Here

The Course

The Amsterdam Living Lab course occurs during the first half of the 2nd year of the MSc MADE Program. The aim of the course is to integrate Living Lab theory with real-life cases. Students apply the Living Lab approach in diverse teams to tackle a real-world, multi-stakeholder challenge linked to the Amsterdam metropolitan region. Through this process, they develop their own solutions while navigating the complexities of co-creation and gaining direct experience with urban challenges.

Students work in their groups to define the case problem, develop solutions, and present their outputs. Relevant input sessions and workshops arranged by the course coordinator. The students are guided by the Case Initiator and the assigned Academic Coach.

Cases

All cases either take place in or are connected to the metropolitan region of Amsterdam. These cases are often developed by municipal organizations, start-ups, corporate organizations, research institutes, not-for profits, and many others. The associated organization will act as the primary stakeholder (i.e. Case Initiator). Small groups of students are guided by the Case Initiator and an assigned Academic Coach.

The Location

The course is hosted at the AMS Institute located at the Marineterrein. The AMS Institute provides an ideal setting for this work, as the Living Lab approach is central to its structure. Home to multiple research projects and domains, the institute offers a broad network of cases, context, and content support, with a strong focus on Amsterdam’s metropolitan region.

PAST CASE INTITATORS

Accenture
Aedes Real Estate
AMS Institute
And the People
ARTIS
BMW
Boerderij Eyckenstein
BouwInvest
Bureau Marineterrein
Cinderela
Data and Knowledge Hub Healthy Urban Living
De Regenboog Groep
Deloitte
Demos
DGTL
Good Fish Foundation

Hardt Hyperloop
HavenStad
Hoogheemraadschap Delfland
Jungle Amsterdam
Kickstad
KplusV
Marineterrein Amsterdam
MeerBomenNu
Metabolic
MINI
MIT
Municipality of Amsterdam
NPSP
Pampus
PLYGRND City
PWN

Ruimtevolk
SAIL
SPATwater
Stichting !Woon
Stichting Wij-Gaarde
The Great Bubble Barrier
The Green Village
TU Delft
Urban Fashion Games
Urgenda
WASCOM
Wageningen University and Research
Zeilfort Kudelstaart
ZonNext
Zuiderlicht Amsterdamse Energiecooperatie