Understanding the Motivation of Co-Creation in Urban Living Labs: A Preliminary Study on Citizen Engagement

Urban Living Labs(ULLs) provide real-world environments where citizens, businesses, researchers, and governments work together to address urban challenges. Although the literature on these organisms has undergone a profound process of theoretical discussion, there is still a lack of research on how they actually work in practice, especially when it comes to involving citizens. To provide a broader and more contextualized understanding of participation in ULLs, this study adopted a mixed-methods approach, integrating survey data with semi-structured interviews. The initial survey phase aimed to identify patterns and key factors influencing willingness to engage in ULLs, while the subsequent interviews provided deeper insights into the motivations and experiences of participants. From a theoretical perspective, our preliminary results highlight a “citizen-attraction” model, showing that engagement is largely shaped by self-selecting, educated, and innovation-oriented individuals, which challenges traditional consultation frameworks and suggests that citizens' access to information does not necessarily lead to full participation in the co-creation process. Practically, the research reveals that while ULLs benefit stakeholders like businesses and local authorities by providing a platform to refine innovations and collect feedback, the selective nature of participation raises concerns about inclusivity. The motivations of citizens to participate are primarily driven by a desire to co-create products or services based on their own needs, yet the inability to innovate solutions that address the broader needs of all local communities may limit engagement, particularly among less-educated or lower socio-economic groups, ultimately restricting the impact and inclusivity of ULLs.