Bridging vision and action: Integrating urban Living Labs and future methodologies

Urban Living Labs (ULLs) and futures methodologies (e.g., scenario planning, back casting) are increasingly used to address complex urban challenges. While ULLs enable participatory, place-based experimentation, futures methods offer strategic direction by imagining long-term societal transitions. This conceptual paper explores how integrating both approaches can create synergies that enhance their individual and collective impact. We argue that futures methods can situate ULL experiments within broader narratives, while ULLs ground abstract futures methods and outcomes in tangible, local contexts. We identify three levels where integration adds value: (1) individual, by fostering futures literacy and empowering participants; (2) organizational, by aligning ULLs with long-term strategies and strengthening cross-sectoral collaboration; and (3) ecosystemic, by embedding ULLs in city-wide transition pathways and improving policy coherence. The combined approach helps shift cities from fragmented innovation to deliberate transformation. However, challenges such as temporal misalignment, institutional silos, and evaluation gaps remain. This paper offers an initial conceptual mapping of these synergies and calls for empirical validation. We suggest that purposeful integration of foresight and ULLs can enhance both the relevance and scalability of urban innovation, bridging the gap between vision and implementation in sustainable city-making.