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[Podcast] Research Proposal on the Living Lab Model for a Highly Interactive and Creative City in the East of the City

16 January, 2025

Keywords: Innovation, Smart City, Co-creation, Living Lab, Creative City, Thu Duc.

For the first time in Vietnam, the Living Lab model proposes a specific development strategy framework in accordance with the experiences of successful countries in the world that apply appropriately to the local context. Research on this innovative model is a collaboration between the Institute of Innovation (UII) and the Institute of Smart Cities and Management (ISCM) under the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH). 

Living Lab is recognized as an effective model to promote innovative solutions in the context of rapidly developing cities, increasingly facing many problems of environmental pollution, traffic congestion, ecological imbalance because of human activities, overpopulation, and serious changes caused by climate change.

Figure 1. Dr. Trinh Tu Anh – Dean of ISCM presenting the platform for surveying people’s opinions on city development plans with a user-friendly and simplified visualization design

Living Lab should be considered as an integrated research platform for joint research, testing, development, and creation of real products/services/systems to thoroughly solve each problem of the urbanization process by applying technology and innovation in each specific locality/region. This integrated platform can be a specific physical area virtual reality, or an interactive space in which stakeholders form partnerships between the parties: public sector – private sector – the people. These are representatives of state agencies, universities/research institutes, businesses, users and other relevant partners. The characteristics of the Living Lab model include: Built on the need to solve a specific problem; Taking place in a real environment; Focusing on users and organized in the spirit of 4P cooperation (public sector, private sector, the people); Diverse activities in a Living Lab project; and Being the driving force behind innovation in smart cities.

In this research project, UII and ISCM collaborated to build a specific Living Lab model for Truong Tho area, Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City. Truong Tho area is facing 05 serious consequences of urbanization like all other urban areas in the world, which include land resource degradation, pressure on “human footprint”, environmental pollution, global warming, and urban expansion. Truong Tho was selected to be planned as the administrative, financial and commercial center of Thu Duc City (Central Business District – CBD), with available open space converted from the Truong Tho ICD port cluster, Ha Tien Cement Factory and neighboring factories. Combined with Rach Chiec sports center, Truong Tho area becomes a large area attracting investment, creating corridors connecting the two areas and the Saigon riverbank, and connecting to the North with Thu Duc market area witha highlight between past and present development. Therefore, the construction and the development of Truong Tho to achieve the expectations of the government and the development of a smart city towards quality of life and sustainable development is a mandatory requirement. To realize this expectation, choosing to build and develop the Living Lab system is considered an effective tool.

Figure 2. A talk on Living Lab with the Institute’s community (ISCM)

Through the process of research, coordination and co-creation with units from the public sector, private sector, and the people, UII and ISCM of University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH) have organized specialized sessions, conferences, and seminars to reach a consensus and receive shared opinions from all parties.

The research project has successfully built a complete process in establishing, implementing, evaluating and replicating the Living Lab model for the Truong Tho area initiated by the University and its Institutes (Enabler Living Lab). The model including 3 phases and 13 steps is a summary of the experience from more than 100 Living Labs in Europe, Asia and America. In addition, a plan for measuring the steps for the Living Lab model during and after the implementation process as well as a strategy for the co-creation platform and resource management are proposed for the research area. During the survey, and the proposed solutions for the Truong Tho area, there is an effective application of new technologies in data collection and analysis. From the 04 Living Lab models proposed for the area including circular economy, urban revitalization, sustainable smart transportation, and innovative green urban areas, the results of the measurement plan selected two priority projects that need to be implemented immediately in the Truong Tho area: (1) Measuring the people’s emotions with urban design options – Virtual reality technology and (2) Smart traffic management – Computer vision technology and drones.

In the future, the connection and development of Living Labs and innovation centers according to the development strategy of highly interactive urban areas in the east will support the implementation of solutions to restructure Truong Tho port urban area into a smart urban area and to improve the quality of life.

Authors: Dr. Trinh Tu Anh; Associate Professor, Dr. Phan Thi Bich Nguyet; Associate Professor, Dr. Trinh Thuy Anh, Tran Thi Quynh Mai; Pham Nguyen Hoai; Hoang Le Nam Hai, Do Le Phuc Tam, Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao; Ngo Ngoc Quang; Le Quoc Viet; Truong Vy Hieu; Le Phan Truong An, Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen, Duong Thi Thuy Trang (University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City); Phan Thi Nhu Quynh (Vietnam Aviation Academy).

This article is part of the article series spreading research and applied knowledge from UEH with the message “Research Contribution For All”. UEH cordially invites readers to read the next UEH Research Insights newsletter.

News and photos: The Authors, UEH Department of Communications and Partnerships