Constructing the research model of Beijing neighborhood through the living lab method

Abstract

Urban regeneration has become the new direction for smart city development since the rise and expansion of mass new urban information and communication technologies (ICTs), and the living lab method is now widely used in participatory design and research to deep dig the urban lifestyle in the context of regenerating urban sustainability. In this paper, we aim to build a multidimensional community research model to describe the Beijing Hutong life by living lab process. There are three layers in this model, i.e. infrastructure, activity and information layer. The infrastructure layer includes the physical living environment and public facilities in Hutong; the activity layer is about how citizen live in their home and communicate with their neighbors; and the information layer describes the culture, organization and policy related to Hutong life. This model is used in a collaborative project in Dashila, Beijing. The final prototypes and deliverables include the Traffic Caution Light Device, Energy Efficiency Smart-Bill and RFID tag. The model & tools developed in this project will be used to support the further urban regeneration research.