Participation, co-learning and co-creation are essential in promoting collaboration and innovation. The use of local knowledge improves the development of solutions and the cooperation promotes the learning process of the stakeholders involved.
Actionable Knowledge
How can we generate knowledge for sustainable development in urban regions to enhance the local actors’ capacity to take action? We are currently witnessing a paradigm shift in the way knowledge is produced, moving away from the traditional linear approach. The conventional model assumes one-way information flow from researchers to political decision-makers and society. The SURE collaborative projects employ a newly established approach to generate knowledge for action, which involves the “Co-creation of knowledge” through collaboration between scientists and stakeholders.
The knowledge gained is aimed towards implementation, it strengthens the ability to act, and meets equally the needs of involved partners to find climate-friendlier and resilient ways of working and living. The ability to learn and the self-organization of all participating actors are crucial for knowledge production. Actionable knowledge thus represents a pragmatic approach to the complexity of organizing application-oriented projects. This form of knowledge supports the learning ability and reflexivity of project members to combine social, political, economic and technological elements with research and innovation in a goal-oriented way (e.g., in emplement! or Build4People). For the knowledge transfer, projects use formats such as workshops (e.g., in GreenCityLabHuế), living labs (e.g., in Build4People or URA) or PhD programs (e.g., in LIRLAP).
