Smart City Living Lab Governance Paths to Sustainability: Bibliometric and Content Analysis

Objective: this paper examines how academic literature addresses the governance of Smart City Living Labs (SCLLs) and their role in promoting sustainability, inclusivity, and alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This proposal presents a framework that synthesizes SCLL governance, structured around infrastructure needs, motivating elements, and tools for citizen co-creation. The goal is to support stakeholders in shaping labs that foster innovation and sustainability. The study argues that SCLLs’ success relies on governance models beyond hierarchical or technocratic logic, emphasizing co-creation, shared responsibility, and local solutions. It critiques the lack of Global South representation and calls for inclusive engagement. Theoretical approach: drawing on collaborative, experimental and relational governance theories, the paper integrates insights from innovation management, urban studies, and sustainability science. The main provocation concerns the epistemological and geographic imbalance in literature, dominated by Northern contexts. The paper urges broader inclusion of Southern perspectives. Methods: this study employs a mixed-methods approach that combines bibliometric analysis and content-based review from Scopus, Web of Science, EBSCO, Scielo, and Spell, analyzed using R Studio. Results: the findings reveal a concentration in the Global North, rising interest in co-creation, and the identification of various governance types. Conclusions: the proposed framework systematizes key factors for implementing sustainable SCLLs, guiding inclusive and adaptive urban innovation.