City Commons

The word “common” is, by definition, something that is equally shared by two or more people. When it comes to “commons”, the term refers to spaces or resources that belongs, or should belong, to everyone. Those so called commons are part of our everyday life, even if we don’t realize it. It can be something as basic as natural resources, for example, to something more related to the city, like streets, parks or anything meant to be public or of common use.

There are also other types of city commons that don’t depend exclusively on the public initiative and maintenance. Instead, they are collective spaces organized by people who share the same interests and the responsibility of managing them. It’s a mutual agreement whose goal is to create a self-sustained community that produces what they consume and is not focused on making profits.

As a way of reclaiming the city and its neglected spaces, those types of city commons are emerging everyday. They can be a community garden on the rooftop of a building, a leisure space on an empty lot or a living space inside an abandoned building, for example. Regardless of the purpose, the important aspect about those commons is that by making a simple punctual intervention they benefit themselves, their community – and neighborhood – and, therefore, the sustainable development of the city. It’s a new kind of cooperative relationship between the commoners and the city for the benefit of everyone.

Keywords:

City, community, public and private, participative citizenship, alternative urban living, sustainable, collective spaces, self-management, disused urban spaces, reversible projects, civic responsibility, ownership, shared resources, protection, conservation.