ULALABS – A European Lab of Labs for Transformative Societal Transformation – UiS podkast

Universitetet i Stavanger

ULALABS unites diverse stakeholders to tackle urban challenges through shared mutual learning and experimentation. We explore campuses as testbeds and living labs, open urban spaces for innovation, and challenge-based processes integrating emerging technologies. Drawing on stories across Europe, we inspire and prepare transformative, inclusive, and sustainable futures for our cities.   

Episodes

  1. Aug 6

    Cities for All: Inclusive Co-creation, Participation and Urban Design

    Listen to the reflections shared by Mafalda Madureira (University of Twente), Kristiane Marie Lindland (University of Stavanger), Evelina Faliagka (Urbana Lab) and Sara Ortiz Escalante (Col·lectiu Punt 6), in a discussion on inclusivity as a critical, transformative practice in urban processes, moderated by Begonya Saez Tajafuerce (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona). In this roundtable—part of the webinar “Cities for All: Inclusive Co creation, Participation and Urban Design”—the speakers explore inclusivity not as a neutral or procedural notion, but as a transformative and political practice. Their conversation highlights how participation risks becoming symbolic when underlying power structures remain unchanged, and emphasises the need to bridge academia, practice, public administration and citizens so that inclusive processes become structurally embedded in decision making rather than remaining than remaining peripheral or tokenistic. Link to ULALABS Learning Toolkit Inclusion as a Transformative Practice, which brings together key learnings, experiences, and reflections shared during this and other learning sessions developed within the ULALABS pilot. https://www.ulalabs.eu/challenge-page/52da4253-fa19-4e16-8dfa-b1d078c33a68?programId=52da4253-fa19-4e16-8dfa-b1d078c33a68&participantId=undefined Link to ULALABS website: https://www.ulalabs.eu/ Episode transcription

  2. Aug 5

    Nature for All: Renaturalizing the City for Personal, Collective and Planetary Health

    Listen to the reflections shared by Tina-Simone Neset (Linköping University), Dario Cottafava (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona) , Lars Urheim (Terran Community in Stavanger), Veronica Junjan (University of Twente)  and Amalia Calderón Argelich (UAB and UOC) in a discussion moderated by Mariona Ferrandiz Rovira (UAB / CREAF / Replantegem)on the opportunities and challenges of renaturalizing cities. In this roundtable—part of the webinar “Nature for All: Renaturalizing the City for Personal, Collective and Planetary Health”—the speakers reflect on how renaturalization processes are conceived, implemented and sustained across different contexts. Drawing on their diverse experiences, they explore key themes such as participation, governance, evaluation, and the long-term maintenance of urban greening initiatives. Link to ULALABS Learning Toolkit Renaturalizing the City for Personal, Collective and Planetary Health, which brings together testimonies and insights shared during the webinar, along with a range of additional resources designed to deepen your understanding of the benefits of renaturalising urban spaces for personal, collective, and planetary health and well-being. Link to ULALABS website: https://www.ulalabs.eu/ Episode transcription

  3. Aug 4

    Tech for All: Emerging Technologies for Inclusive Urban Transformation

    Explore the experiences and reflections shared by Maria Rodó-Zárate (Pompeu Fabra University), Javier Martínez (University of Twente), Vangelis Angelakis (Linköping University), and Jens Kaae Fisker (University of Stavanger) in this roundtable discussion from the webinar Tech for All: Emerging Technologies for Inclusive Urban Transformation. Exploring experiences from research and practice, the speakers examine how emerging technologies are reshaping participatory urban processes and collaborative design. The discussion offers insights into the opportunities, limitations, and governance challenges of digital innovation, highlighting the importance of combining technological advances with inclusive approaches to create meaningful impact in cities. Link to ULALABS Learning Toolkit Emerging Technologies for Inclusive Urban Transformations where you can discover the cases and experiences presented by the speakers, along with additional tools, resources, and practical insights on using emerging technologies to support inclusive urban innovation and participation. Link to ULALABS website: https://www.ulalabs.eu/ Episode transcription

  4. Jul 28

    Scaling Urban Innovation: From Local Experiments to Smart City Systems

    In this University of Stavanger podcast, experts from Nordic Edge and Stavanger Municipality discuss how local urban experiments can evolve into broader smart city systems. The conversation explores living labs, co-creation, governance, innovation ecosystems, citizen participation, digital tools, and lessons from projects such as NEBSTAR and Pedersgata. This episode is part of the ULALBAS project, co-financed by the European Union under the Erasmus+ program. The podcast is hosted by Fabio Hernández Palacio, with contributions from Odd Vinje from Nordic Edge and Kristin Ramsland from Stavanger Municipality. https://www.ulalabs.eu/lab-of-labs Episode transcript

  5. Feb 19

    Reflecting Together: Launch of the ULALABS Learning Communities Roadmap

    Join the ULALABS team as we look back on the journey behind the newly launched Mutual Learning Communities Roadmap—a collaborative exploration of how transformative, inclusive, and distributed learning can reshape the way we work with urban sustainability challenges. In this reflective conversation, project partners and invited experts revisit the conceptual foundations, mapping processes, co-created agendas, and hands‑on methods that brought the roadmap to life, offering fresh insights into how learning communities can spark real change across regions. Link to Learning Communities Roadmap Report: https://ebooks.uis.no/index.php/USPS/catalog/view/319/274/1280 Link to ULALABS website: https://www.ulalabs.eu/ The ULALABS project is co-financed by the European Union. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Spanish Service for the Internationalisation of Education (SEPIE). Neither the European Union nor the Granting Authority can be held responsible for them. Transcript of episode

  • 5 Episodes

About

ULALABS unites diverse stakeholders to tackle urban challenges through shared mutual learning and experimentation. We explore campuses as testbeds and living labs, open urban spaces for innovation, and challenge-based processes integrating emerging technologies. Drawing on stories across Europe, we inspire and prepare transformative, inclusive, and sustainable futures for our cities.   

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