Learning from City-region Labs. An Empirical Comparison of Labs in Berlin, Eindhoven, and Copenhagen-Malmö

Empirical analyses and evaluations of researcher-initiated learning processes in a governance context are rare. In this paper, hybrid governance challenges in Berlin, Eindhoven, and Copenhagen-Malmö serve as case-studies in a research project on smart transformations in city-regional law and governance. In all three cities the research team organized city-region labs. In those labs, the host city, representatives of the partner cities in the project, as well as local stakeholders gathered to discuss the hybrid governance challenges and possible solutions. The labs were meant to let the host city learn from the discussions, but to also lead to learning effects in the other participating cities. Each of the labs has been evaluated. The paper critically analyses how and to what extent those learning effects occurred, whether the city-region lab program affected learning, and what improvements can be thought of.