Boston University
IN-1: Innovation 1

The Sustainable Neighborhood Lab (SNL) is a unique real-world, urban field laboratory that provides a platform for research, experiential education and commercialization. It focuses on improving the sustainability and quality of life in urban environments. The SNL works to generate knowledge in science, systems, and technology; human behavior and social networking; finance and business; and policy and urban planning. Key stakeholders in academia, government, the private sector, non-profits, and the surrounding community are engaged in projects in which they co-develop solutions to accelerate adoption. Students are taught how to be global citizens and leaders. The benefits of working in a neighborhood include manageable scale to access citizens, broad scope to enable systems analysis, and ability to get in touch with the real world. Faculty at Boston University collaborate with partners to research and explore the development and adoption of sustainable technologies and innovation in an urban neighborhood real-world setting, including BU’s campus. The list of projects includes: • ABC’s of Building Efficiency for Urban Housing • Achieving Energy Efficiency in Existing Buildings • Urban Metabolism of Boston • Framework for Advanced Sustainable Building Design • Green Building Technologies • Lost and Unaccounted Natural Gas: Energy, Economics, and Environment • New Business Models for Clean Energy • Smart Lighting for Neighborhood Safety and Building Management • Smarter Parking, Smarter Cities • Sustainable Neighborhood Pilot Project