Ecological impacts of humans on earth are among the most pressing concerns of our generation. Issues such as climate change, soil degradation, water and air pollution, and deforestation paired with increasing social inequalities have devastating effects for all life on the planet. While there have been many efforts to address

these challenges, existing solutions tend to work in disciplinary, jurisdictional, and sectoral isolation limiting their ability to impact the structural causes. Across the globe, universities, and colleges in partnership with civil society organizations and communities are engaging in efforts to establish Living Labs by integrating research, teaching and community engagement to advance regenerative social-ecological systems.

Living Labs are collaborative initiatives that aim to address a wide range of complex challenges with a focus on co-creation, innovation, experimentation, and scale. They work with a range of participants for social and environmental change through interdisciplinary, placed-based, experiential learning and action in the built

and natural environments. They have been developed across a wide range of sectors and aim to address global concerns such as climate change, expanding inequities and injustices, degradation of living systems, and the degradation of meaningful relationships within and among the human and non-human worlds.

Despite the increasing development and use of Living Labs, key knowledge and practice gaps exist and calls remain for additional research and reflection. Addressing these knowledge gaps is essential if Living Labs are to make meaningful contributions towards co-creating a healthy, sustainable, and just transition.

A Special Issue on “Living Labs: Perspectives on Regenerative Approaches for Place-Based Socio-Ecological Transitions” is being prepared for publication in Local Environment: The International Journal of Justice and Sustainability by Nairne Cameron (Algoma University), Charles Levkoe, Lindsay Galway and Rachel Portinga

(Lakehead University). The Special Issue is intended to present a diverse range of Living Labs research conducted in multiple countries and include cross-cultural perspectives rooted in concepts of just sustainabilities (Agyeman, 2008).

Of particular interest are papers that are written from Global South perspectives, recognizing interpretations of the term ‘Living Lab’ may differ. Inclusion of the voices of community partners is also very important. We seek papers on Living Labs that address a wide range of proposed solutions to global concerns including, but

not limited to: climate action, social and environmental justice, decolonization, food security and food sovereignty, participatory democracy, and health and wellbeing.

Authors are encouraged to address one the following aspects of Living Labs in their submissions:

1) analyzing governance and power dynamics;

2) exploring how learning evolves via co-creation; and,

3) examining how universities are impeding and/or supporting advances in relation to governance, cocreation,

and justice in Living Labs work.

Please send expressions of interest including a 250-word abstract including title, up to five key words, author(s), institutional affiliation (if any), and contact details (including an email address) to Nairne Cameron (nairne.cameron@algomau.ca) by May 15, 2022. The deadline for full manuscripts is July 1, 2022.