City Living Labs

Co-producing community infrastructure: a visual method experiments, brings together researchers from the University of Leeds with community organisations The Highrise Project and Hyde Park Source to explore how local people can help define the infrastructure needed for a just and sustainable future. Working with communities in Armley and Hyde Park, participants will use creative and visual methods to capture their lived experiences of the physical spaces, services, networks and community assets that support everyday life. The project aims to develop a new, community-led approach to understanding sustainability and infrastructure needs, ensuring that the voices of people living in areas most affected by social and environmental challenges are reflected in future research, policy and local action. 

The Heat Beneath Our Feet, will use an immersive floor projection installation at Light Night Leeds 2026 to bring the hidden world beneath the city to life and increase public understanding of geothermal energy. Developed through collaboration between geoscientists, creative practitioners and the Cultural Institute, the installation will transform University of Leeds geothermal research into an interactive visual and sound experience that explores the geological history and future energy potential of the Leeds subsurface. The project aims to engage diverse audiences with climate and sustainability challenges, demonstrate the University's leadership in geothermal innovation, and develop new approaches to communicating complex research through creative storytelling. Designed as a Living Lab initiative, it will generate reusable creative assets, evaluation insights and engagement methods that can be scaled to future educational and public events across Yorkshire. 

The Gair Wood Writer in Residence (GWWR) project will use creative writing, storytelling and public engagement to help people better understand and connect with Gair Wood, the University’s 37-hectare woodland creation Living Lab. Led by Dr J. R. Carpenter in collaboration with colleagues from the LEAF Centre, the residency will explore how poetry and creative practice can communicate the science, sustainability challenges and land-use decisions associated with the woodland in ways that are accessible to wider audiences. Through site-based research, engagement with scientists, a public creative writing workshop and the publication of new writing, the project will create dialogue between researchers, students, local communities and visitors, while generating insights into how storytelling can support climate action, woodland stewardship and public engagement with sustainability research. The residency will also act as a pilot for a potential annual writer-in-residence programme at Gair Wood. 

The Community-Engaged Areas of Research Interest (ARI) Living Lab will explore how community priorities can be more effectively integrated into research, policy and decision-making across Leeds. Led by Professor Katy Roelich and delivered in partnership with Grace Imrie at Leeds City Council, the Leeds Community Anchors Network and the University of Leeds, the project will build on the city’s existing Areas of Research Interest process by incorporating community insights gathered through local listening exercises. Through a series of collaborative workshops, evaluations and stakeholder engagement activities, the project will test whether a more community-led approach to identifying research priorities can strengthen citizen influence, improve links between research and policy, and support more equitable and effective action on sustainability and climate challenges. The Living Lab will also evaluate the potential for this model to be adopted by other local authorities and public bodies, helping to reshape how knowledge is generated and used to drive positive change. 

The Kirkstall Valley as a Community Living Lab project will explore how one of the UK’s largest urban green corridors can become a space for communities, researchers and practitioners to collaboratively test solutions to sustainability challenges. Led by Professor Paul Chatterton and delivered with local partners including the Kirkstall Valley Development Trust, the project aims to reconnect people with the Valley through practical interventions that improve access, wellbeing, biodiversity and low-carbon travel. Activities will include creating an interactive map, trialling small-scale features such as seating, wayfinding and interpretation points, and running guided walks and community events. By combining community knowledge, student involvement and real-world experimentation, the project will generate insights into how urban green spaces can support more inclusive and sustainable neighbourhoods, with lessons that can be adapted for other cities and green corridors.