Skip to main content

The Transdisciplinary Living Lab Model (TDLL)

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Universities as Living Labs for Sustainable Development

Part of the book series: World Sustainability Series ((WSUSE))

Abstract

A Transdisciplinary Living Lab Model (TDLL) was developed in collaboration with two Australian Universities: the University of Technology Sydney and Western Sydney University. This TDLL model takes a transdisciplinary approach to learning while utilizing the university campus as a living laboratory. This chapter presents the processes used to create, and discusses the benefits of creating, a conducive environment for transdisciplinary learning on-campus in a project-based living lab.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 149.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. 1.

    www.uts.edu.au/research-and-teaching/our-research/institute-sustainable-futures/news/ending-poverty-protecting.

  2. 2.

    www.westernsydney.edu.au/newscentre/news_centre/more_news_stories/western_sydney_university_commits_to_un_sustainable_development_goals_2030.

  3. 3.

    http://ap-unsdsn.org/regional-initiatives/universities-sdgs/university-commitment-overview/.

  4. 4.

    http://unsdsn.org.

  5. 5.

    http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-consumption-production/ (accessed 28/08/2017).

  6. 6.

    https://rethink.earth/the-roads-to-2050/.

References

  • Abson D, Fischer J, Leventon J, Newig J, Schomerus T, Vilsmaier U, von Wehrden H, Abernethy P, Ives CD; Jager NW, Lang DJ (2017) Leverage points for sustainability transformation. Ambio 46:30–39

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown VA (2010) Collective inquiry and its wicked problems. In: Brown VA, Harris JA, Russell JY (eds) Tackling Wicked Problems through the transdisciplinary imagination. Earthscan, London, pp 61–83

    Google Scholar 

  • Capra F (1996) Web of life. Harper Collins, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Curtis S (2015) An investigation of living labs for sustainability. Reflections on the living lab methodology. http://www.stevenkanecurtis.com/uploads/6/0/5/0/6050171/steven_c_arscp_a2_0308.pdf. Accessed 6th Dec 2017

  • Daniel A (2017) Strategic opportunities for sustainability-focused living laboratories at Western Sydney University. Western Sydney University. December, 2017 (in press)

    Google Scholar 

  • Dewey J (1938) Experience and education. Collier, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Dutilleul B, Birrer FA, Mensink W (2010) Unpacking European living labs: analysing innovation’s social dimensions. Cent Eur J Public Policy 4(1):60–85

    Google Scholar 

  • Fam D, Leimbach T, Kelly S, Hitchens L Callen M (2018) Meta-considerations for planning, introducing and standardising interdisciplinary learning in higher degree institutions, In: Fam D, Neuhauser L, Gibbs P (eds) (2018) The art of collaborative research and collective learning: Transdisciplinary theory, practice and education. Springer, Dorschet

    Google Scholar 

  • Fam DM, Mellick Lopes A (2015) Toilet practices and system change: lessons from a transdisciplinary research project. J Des Res 13(3):307–322

    Google Scholar 

  • Fam DM, Smith T, Cordell D (2017) Being a transdisciplinary researcher: skills and dispositions fostering competence in transdisciplinary research and practice. In: Fam D, Palmer J, Riedy C, Mitchell C (eds) Transdisciplinary research and practice for sustainability outcomes, Routledge

    Google Scholar 

  • Fry T (2009) Design futuring: sustainability, ethics and new practice. Oxford, Berg

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Graczyk G (2015) Embedding a living lab approach at the University of Edinburgh. The University of Edinburgh. https://www.ed.ac.uk/files/atoms/files/embedding_a_living_lab_approach_at_the_university_of_edinburgh.pdf. Last accessed, 12th Mar 2018

  • Hoffman A, Axson J (2017) Examining interdisciplinary sustainability institutes at major research universities: innovations in cross-campus and cross-disciplinary models. The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI http://graham.umich.edu/media/pubs/Mitchell%20Report%20Final.pdf. Last accessed 15th Aug 2017

  • Hummels C (2011) Teaching attitudes, skills, approaches, structure and tools In: Van Abel B, Klaassen R, Evers L, Troxler P (eds) Open design now, Amsterdam, pp 162–167. http://opendesignnow.org/index.html%3Fp=425.html. Last accessed 1st Dec 2017

  • Ison R (2017) Transdisciplinarity as transformation: a cybersystemic thinking in practice perspective. In: Fam D, Palmer J, Riedy C, Mitchell C (eds) Transdisciplinary research and practice for sustainability outcomes, Routledge

    Google Scholar 

  • Jahn T, Bergmann M, Keil F (2012) Transdisciplinarity: between mainstreaming and marginalization. Ecol Econ 79:1–10

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klein J (2017) Transdisciplinarity and sustainability: patterns of definition. In: Fam D, Palmer J, Riedy C, Mitchell C (eds) Transdisciplinary research and practice for sustainability outcomes. Routledge

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewis S, Malsin M (2015) Defining the Anthropocene. Nature 519:71–80

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meadows D (1999) Leverage points: places to intervene in a system. The Sustainability Institute, Vermont

    Google Scholar 

  • Mellick Lopes A, Fam DM, Williams J (2012) Designing sustainable sanitation: involving design in innovative, transdisciplinary research. Des Stud 33(3):298–317

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell CA, Fam DM, Abeysuriya K (2013) Institute for Sustainable Futures, UTS. In: Transitioning to sustainable sanitation: a transdisciplinary pilot project of urine diversion, pp. 1–137, Sydney

    Google Scholar 

  • Mobjork M (2010) Consulting versus participatory transdisciplinarity: a refined classification of transdisciplinary research. Futures 42(8):777–900

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pohl C (2011) What is progress in transdisciplinary research. Futures 43:618–626

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raworth K (2017) Doughnut economics: seven ways to think like a 21st-century economist. Chelsea Green Publishing

    Google Scholar 

  • Resnick E (2016) Developing citizen designers. Bloomsbury Academic

    Google Scholar 

  • Reynolds M, Blackmore C, Ison R, Shah R, Wedlock E (2018) The role of systems thinking in the practice of implementing sustainable development goals. Handbook of sustainability science and research, World Sustainability Series, Springer International Publishing

    Google Scholar 

  • Riedy CJ (2017) Seeding a new transdisciplinary community of practice. In: Fam D, Palmer J, Riedy C, Mitchell C (eds) Transdisciplinary research and practice for sustainability outcomes. Routledge, England

    Google Scholar 

  • Rockström J, Steffen W, Noone K, Persson Ã… et al (2009) Planetary boundaries: exploring the safe operating space for humanity. Ecol Soc 14(2):32 [online]. http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol14/iss2/art32/

  • Rockström J, Schellnhuber H-J, Hoskins B, Ramanathan V, Schlosser P, Brasseur G, Gaffney O, Nobre C, Meinsheusen M, Rogelj J, Lucht W (2016) The world’s biggest gamble. Earth’s Future 4:465–470

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scholz R, Marks D (2001) Learning about transdisciplinarity. In: Klein JT (ed) Transdisciplinarity: joint problem solving among science, technology, and society. Birkhauser, Basel, pp 236–251

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Steffen W, Broadgate W, Deutsch L, Gaffney O, Ludwig C (2015) The trajectory of the anthropocene: the great acceleration. Anthropocene 2(1):81–98

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • UNESCO (2017) Education for sustainable development goals: learning objectives. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

    Google Scholar 

  • University of Technology Sydney (2016) University Commitment to the sustainable development goals. Prepared by the Australia pacific network in the sustainable development solutions network

    Google Scholar 

  • Wickson F, Carew AL, Russell AW (2006) Transdisciplinary research: characteristics, quandaries and quality. Futures 38:1046–1059

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dena Fam .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Fam, D., Lopes, A.M., Ross, K., Crosby, A. (2020). The Transdisciplinary Living Lab Model (TDLL). In: Leal Filho, W., et al. Universities as Living Labs for Sustainable Development. World Sustainability Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15604-6_11

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics