Urban transition lab

In the departments of urban planning in small and medium-sized towns, multi-sectoral approaches addressing the relationship between the urban environment and health are scarce. Therefore, an intensive transfer of research evidence into practice is needed to strengthen the use of research results for the design of health-promoting urban environments and for a health-in-all-policies approach. As part of the AFOOT research project, an urban transition lab was implemented in Ritterhude, a municipality of 14,680 inhabitants in the Metropolitan Region Bremen-Oldenburg. The transdisciplinary research approach in the form of an urban transition lab aims at the direct collaboration of researchers and practitioners and the integration of different forms of knowledge. Particular emphasis is placed on the collaborative processes of problem identification, problem definition and problem understanding.

One of the main objectives of the urban transition lab is to bring together expertise from public health and urban planning. The integration process is divided into three phases: (1) the joint constitution of the research object (problem-framing), (2) the joint production of knowledge (co-creation), and (3) the (re-)integration and application of knowledge in the societal and scientific practice. The urban transition lab provides a local platform for a joint assessment and definition of the problem, the development of a local agenda to promote walking and cycling among elderly residents, small-scale experimental interventions, and continuous monitoring and evaluation.

The collaboration in the urban transition lab takes place in several dimensions: between the public health and urban planning sectors, between researchers and administrative staff, and with the public. The process is steered by a „transition team“ consisting of researchers from the fields of public health and urban planning and an employee of the municipal administration who was recruited for the coordination of the urban transition lab. The integration into the daily routines of the local administration is to be ensured by regular meetings with other representatives of the urban planning department. Additionally, local politicians are actively involved, for example through presentations in the urban planning committee of the municipality or invitations to project activities.

For the problem definition and the joint production of knowledge, the following activities were carried out:

Small-scale spatial analyses of the age structure of the population of Ritterhude and of the accessibility of everyday destinations,
A survey of residents of Ritterhude on their health, mobility behavior and urban environment,
Workshops in selected districts of the municipality to assess the conditions for walking and cycling and possible solutions to problems.

The results of all the project activities led to the development of a local agenda “Actively mobile – healthy longer”. This agenda was implemented through various activities, including a statement on the municipal bicycle promotion concept, a call for the implementation of 30 km/h zones on the main road, and the initiation of an inter-community working group on health.

In addition, the findings from the urban transition lab are incorporated into the elements of the toolbox of the AFOOT project.

Downloads (all documents in German):

Further information is available on the website of the municipality of Ritterhude: https://www.ritterhude.de/portal/seiten/aktiv-mobil-laenger-gesund-afoot-ein-forschungsprojekt-fuer-ritterhude-906000378-21060.html

Short film about activities in the urban transition lab (in German): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nH98vJ9vFI

Updated by: Birgit Reineke

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Urban transition lab

From research to practice: The urban transition lab