Local sustainability experiments as spatially effective interventions. Theoretical foundations and strategic guidance

Conducting local sustainability experiments establishes an explorative approach for gaining action-oriented knowledge about sustainability-related transformation processes. The experiments are situated in specific local contexts, such as within a real-world laboratory, thereby representing an intervention into the socio-spatial fabric that includes diverse interactions. However, it remains unclear as to how the socio-spatial context influences these experimental interventions and how it is simultaneously influenced by the intervention itself. Based on the relational understanding of space, we present an analytical model that describes the dimensions of the socio-spatial interactions of local sustainability experiments and provides guidance for their strategic design and evaluation.