Collaborative innovation for sustainability in Nordic cities

Abstract

New integrative, collaborative, and innovative approaches are needed to overcome global sustainability challenges. Exploring the diversity of collaborative innovation in six Nordic cities, this study aims to advance our understanding of collaborative innovation for sustainability in urban contexts. By adopting a multiple case approach, we investigate 49 cases aiming at collaborative innovation for sustainability, including co-working spaces, Fab labs, green public procurement, hackathons, hubs, makerspaces, participatory budgeting, and living labs. Our findings reveal a diverse range of models supporting collaborative innovation for sustainability. Further, we develop a conceptual framework that identifies four archetypes of collaborative innovation and apply it to analyse how those archetypes advance sustainability. The results illustrate how collaborative innovation archetypes contribute to sustainability in urban areas.