Bau(m) Berlin: Making the Future Commons, Making Connections, Making Things

This project takes place in Friedrichshain, Berlin, Germany and presents the design of a Public Condenser along the Straße der Pariser Kommune named ’Bau(m) Berlin’. The project is part of the Public Building Graduation Studio and looks into the topic of designing a ’new urban lounge and commons’ through the process of Research by Design. <br/>...

Design Principles for Developing Open Source Urbanism

In Open Source Urbanism (OSU) citizens self-organize and create Do-It-Yourself (DIY) urban designs to address societal problems. Self-organized citizens develop these designs, but there is no support for the design process based on the co-creation and involvement of citizens. The latter are mainly non-experts. Three aspects characterize OSU: ...

‘Commoning practices’ for energy justice? Perspectives on the heat transition in the city of Amsterdam

Decarbonisation of the built environment is needed to abate the use of fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions. In the city of Amsterdam, multiple bottom-up initiatives have been initiated to reach these goals. In this paper, we explore how energy justice is reshaped by these initiatives on an urban scale. This is done by a case study on a...

Urban Commons as a Driver of Social Inclusion: A Socio-Spatial Analysis of the Accessibility to Urban Commons in Amsterdam

As the urban population grows worldwide and cities are becoming increasingly unequal and segregated, Urban Commons emerge as a potential driver of inclusion and resilience for city dwellers. According to Feinberg et al. (2021), Urban Commons can promote social, environmental, and economic resilience, and Park et al. (2020) suggest they can act...

Self-Management of Housing and Urban Commons: New Belgrade and Reflections on Commons Today

The concepts of collective management of housing and urban spaces are being revisited within the contemporary discussions about community-driven approaches and practices and, in particular, related to the revitalization of residential neighbourhoods. This research identifies the concepts of self-management and social ownership of housing in the...

On the (Non)Institutional Disclosure of Urban Commons: Evidence, Practices and Challenges From the Netherlands and Belgium

The 2008 economic crisis has opened the door to new strategies for managing urban resources. In fact, the interest in urban commons (UC) has (re)surfaced both within and outside academia. While literature accounting for existing experiences is growing; UC as a practice begs for further systematization concerning the needed negotiation between...

Affordable housing in an urban commons: The Community Land Trust as an alternative model for housing development in Rotterdam

Trends of neoliberalisation and globalisation have led to the financialisation of housing on a global scale. This has led to the increasing deployment of state-led gentrification as a strategy for urban development, as cities aim to strengthen their position as nodes in the global economy. In the Netherlands, these trends have led to the...

Diversity and Challenges of the Urban Commons: A Comprehensive Review

This study is a comprehensive literature review about the field of the urban commons and its diversity, which we investigate through the lens of the new commons. Acknowledging a potential for adaptive capacity in the urban commons, we classify its traits into ecosystem, socio-economic and institutional factors. To make our work more practical,...

Urban Commoning and Architectural Situated Knowledge: The Architects’ Role in the Transformation of the NDSM Ship Wharf, Amsterdam

This article discusses the collaborative processes behind the redevelopment of the Dutch state heritage ship wharf NDSM in Amsterdam as a case of urban commoning that took place around the year 2000 – before the term became commonly used in urban studies. It explores how the former shipwharf was transformed into an “incubator”: a creative hub...