Redesigning the Urban Food Life Through the Participatory Living Lab Platform: Practices in Suburban Areas of the Tokyo Metropolitan Region

Cities are facing complex problems, the solutions of which require co-creation by governments, companies, communities and citizens. Originally initiated as testbeds for companies to develop industrial products and solutions for consumers, Urban Living Labs (ULL) are now being used as an attempt to find broader solutions. This chapter develops the process of implementing a design-led approach for improving food environment to sustain urban life in the Tokyo metropolitan region. The practice at the WISE Living Lab reveals that the purpose, activity and participation of ULL’s are equally critical in urban design and management. Meanwhile, an ULL for designing the food supply for urban life is more sensitive to the local context so residents and citizens have better opportunities to be more proactive in co-creation of prospective solutions. The design-led approach provides an effective way to build context-based activities by connecting stakeholders with policy and community needs.