THE URBAN LAB: Imaginative Work in the City

In the field of city-governance urban labs are being constructed as experimental spaces knowledge production, innovation and governance. This perspective is mirrored in majority literature engaging with lab. However, empirical evidence shows that ‘urban labs’ also constituted through imaginative work practices remain unexplored theory practice. order to address this gap delineate how these matter for governance, article critically examines lab projects city Rotterdam, Netherlands. We approach initiatives under study from imaginary, which shaped three types work—branding, dreaming assimilating. These reveal process constructing practising has political implications city. point important, it brings up questions about governance participation, such who access to, allowed imagine experiment in, city? way we connect on imaginaries debates participation