Social innovation laboratories or ‘labs’, sometimes referred to as ‘living labs’, have emerged in the academic, public, private, and not-for-profit (NFP) sectors in response to the complex and interdependent challenges facing society, such as poverty, affordable housing, climate change and sustainable community development. These labs vary in their organization, their governance, their funding arrangements, their engagement of the wider communities in which they are embedded and their capacity to effect social change. In spite of growing numbers and a rise in public awareness, very little is known about their efficacy for social change and informing public policy, as well as how well they are engaged with communities.
Visit Changing the Conversation to view an interactive map featuring a series of labs sampled for the research.