Oliver Lah

Oliver Lah serves as the coordinator of the Urban Living Lab Center, the first UN-Habitat Collaborating Center co-hosted by MIT, Technical University Berlin, and the Wuppertal Institute. After completing his Ph.D. in Urban Ecology from Technical University Berlin, following degrees from Humboldt University and Victoria University of Wellington, he has dedicated his career to advancing sustainable urban development and mobility solutions. Since 2011, he has led the Research Unit for Mobility and International Cooperation at the Wuppertal Institute, while also directing the Urban Electric Mobility Initiative (UEMI) since 2016. His work focuses on developing transformative solutions for urban mobility, energy, and sector coupling through living labs across Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. His extensive experience includes collaborations with major international organizations including UN-Habitat, UN Environment, UNDP, and OECD/ITF. As a lead author for the Fifth IPCC Assessment Report and member of the Habitat III Policy Unit on Urban Services and Technology, he has significantly influenced global climate and urban policy discussions. His recent research focuses on sustainable urban mobility pathways and transformative living lab approaches for effective urban development solutions.