Sustainable Neighborhood Lab (SNL)

The SNL brings together partners with a common mission

Boston University brings capabilities including community engagement, ethnography, research, data analysis, program development, measurement, modeling, start-up proof of concept, test and evaluation, and grant partnership. Learn more about SNL projects.

SNL project goals

• Reduce energy consumption and the carbon footprint through study of carbon emission and new transportation systems
• Improve building efficiency
• Enhance energy resiliency of micro-grid enabled buildings
• Effect a paradigm shift in consumer behavior
• Leverage sensing and data availability to create intelligent cyber-physical systems
• Develop new business models that can accelerate adoption of clean technologies
• Provide testbed for Smart Cities research

Why Neighborhoods?

Neighborhoods are regions within cities with distinctive physical, social and economic features that provide an ideal focus of study. They operate at a systems-level scale while having a narrowness of scope that can be integrated into the more complex urban context. Living laboratories are frameworks that can engage the community and create new innovations within a real-world setting. The SNL works in partnership with many stakeholders: academia, industry, government, and citizenry. Their common mission is to improve the sustainability and quality of life in the urban environment.

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