perspectives on commons and culture Krytyka Polityczna European Cultural Foundation

Table of Contents

11 Introduction

14 Agnieszka Wiśniewska, Culture WITH People, Not Just FOR People!

19 Charlie Tims, A Rough Guide to the Commons: Who Likes It and Who Doesn’t

32 Dougald Hine, Friendship is a Commons (excerpt)

38 El Buen Vivir and the Commons: A Conversation Between Gustavo Soto Santiesteban and Silke Helfrich (excerpts)

44 Ugo Mattei, The State, the Market and Some Preliminary Questions about the Commons (excerpts)

48 Michel Bauwens, Understanding Peer to Peer as a Relational Dynamics (excerpt)

54 Christian Siefkes, The Boom of Commons-based Peer Production (excerpts)

60 Dimitris Parsanoglou, Nicos Trimikliniotis, Vassilis Tsianos, Mobile Commons, Migrant Digitalities and the Right to the City (excerpts)

63 James Bridle, All Cameras are Police Cameras

76 Carlos Delclós, Class Discourse in the Metropolis

80 Dan Hancox, How to Stop Gentrification in London: What We Can Learn from Spain’s New Rebel Mayors Table of Contents 6

86 Charlie Tims, Watching Radical Democracy

102 Dougald Hine, Commoning in the City

108 Adrien Krauz, Transition Towns, Or the Desire for an Urban Alternative

118 Nikos A. Salingaros and Federico Mena-Quintero, A Brief History of P2P Urbanism (excerpts)

124 Richard Sennett, Stimulating Dissonances

132 Tessy Britton, Creative and Collaborative

137 LabGov — Laboratory for the Governance of the Commons: A Discussion between Michel Bauwens and Christian Iaione

147 Neal Gorenflo, Bologna Celebrates One Year of a Bold Experiment in Urban Commoning

153 Doina Petrescu and Constantin Petcou, R-URBAN or How to Co-produce a Resilient City 1st( excerpt)

160 Noel Hatch, From Lamp Posts to Phone Booths: Using Technology to create Civic Spaces

164 Pelin Tan, The Civic Public as a Constellation

172 Vitalie Sprinceana, The City Belongs to Everybody: Claiming Public Spaces in Chisinau

197 Vladimir Us, Chisinau Civic Center (excerpts)

208 Igor Stokfiszewski, Culture for Democracy: A Central European Perspective Table of Contents 7

218 Isabelle Frémeaux and John Jordan in conversation with Rob Hopkins, Isabelle Frémeaux, John Jordan and the Rise of the Insurrectionary Imagination

230 Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez, Not Sustainable Development but Sustainable Co-living

240 Excerpt from a speech given by Madjiguène Cissé on the occasion of her receipt of the Wilhelmine von Bayreuth Prize 2011

245 Doina Petrescu and Constantin Petcou, R-URBAN or How to Co-produce a Resilient City 2nd( excerpt)

252 Carmen Lozano-Bright, Kicking Off a Year of “P2P Plazas” Research and Cartography

258 Carmen Lozano-Bright, Between Random and Democratic Practices: The Commons Board Game

264 Claudia Ciobanu, From Public Space to Common Good: Poland’s Urban Political Activism

270 Sophie Bloemen, A Commons-Intergroup Takes Off in the EU Parliament (excerpt)

272 Julie Ward MEP, Reclaiming the Commons through Culture and Arts

276 Tinni Ernsjöö Rappe, Culture Hunters

279 Philippe Eynaud and Sam Khebizi, Participatory Art as a Vector of Innovative Governance: Reflexivity at the Heart of the Formalisation Process

295 Katarina Pavić, New Models of Governance of Culture

305 Michel Bauwens in conversation with Arthur de Grave, The Transition Will Not Be Smooth Sailing

Introduction

by the Editors

This publication is a special collabo- professional backgrounds. We ­believe ration between Krytyka Polityczna, that it is important to share and the European Cultural Foundation explore methods, solutions and and ECF Labs, with Subtopia (Sweden), technologies that can help to build Les Têtes de l’Art (France), Oberliht more humane and environmentally (Moldova), Culture2Commons (Croatia) friendly cities and communities, and Platoniq (Spain), partners in our where people not only co-exist but action-research network: Connected truly live together. Action for the Commons. Together, Through our research we found we strive for a new understanding many interesting texts, studies, inter- of what the commons means to us in views and cultural examples of what different areas of Europe, in our cities we see happening in our cities and and in our cultural practices. their wider regions across Europe: Much has been written ­recently a powerful bottom-up movement led about the phenomenon of the ‘Com­ by citizens themselves, developing mons’, and from many differentangles. ­ new participatory democratic practices But culture’s contribution to the spe­ that shape our cities and empower us cific notion of collaborative practices to govern them in a different, collabo- for the common goods in and of our rative way. cities requires further exploration. It is inspiring and motivating While this publication cannot ful- to witness and support the growing ly show how the concepts of culture, number of local initiatives — be it communities, democracy and the city cultural-social centres, cooperatives, are intertwined, it does rediscover, neighbourhood communities — reframe and reconsider previously that experiment with new models published historical, artistic, partici- and challenge existing structures and patory and theoretical perspectives habits. Urban movements are becoming on the subject by a wide variety of au- legitimate agents for change and chal- thors from different geographical and lenge the status quo on a larger scale. Introduction � the Editors 12

They show the urgent need for a para- that affect their surroundings, digm shift in city policies. their neighbourhoods and their lives. Here we present articles, inter- With this publication we aim to fuel views and visual materials that fo- further debate among citizens, cultural cus on the commons from different practitioners, city developers and all viewpoints, discuss the relationships those interested in the commons, between commons and peer-to-peer ­culture and the future of our cities. production or transition towns, ­examine the class divisions in relation to commons and test political possibi­ A note from the editors lities opened up by mobilising ­people in support of the commons. Most This publication draws heavily importantly we present examples on texts, links and images posted of the ways in which citizens ­organise in ECF Labs (ecflabs.org) — the online themselves and act to bring about community platform developed by a new ­reality that can mirror their the European Cultural Foundation. attempts todeepen ­ democracy and Several articles in the reader were freedom for everything that we hold posted by the community in ECF Labs, in common. or linked to a post in one of the labs We believe in culture as an innova- (e.g. From Lamp Posts to Phone Booths tive terrain for new forms of demo- by Noel Hatch, R-Urban on how to pro- cratic, institutional, social, political duce a resilient city — Doina Petrescu and existential experimentations, and Constantin Petcou). Some con- and believe it is important to underline tributors also moderate labs, the- and further explore its central role in matic spaces open to everybody (e.g. ongoing struggles over the commons Charlie Tims — Occupolitics!, Carmen against the backdrop of an ever-chang- Lozano-Bright — p2p Square!). ECF ing changing city landscape. ‘Build Labs is an ‘engine for communi- the City’ is about people coming to- ties’ and an important knowledge gether through culture to reclaim their resource for the Connected Action cities and take control of the decisions for the Commons network. � “The freedom to make and remake our ­cities and ourselves is one of the most precious yet most neglected of our human rights.”

— David Harvey, The Right to the City Culture WITH People, Not Just FOR People! by Agnieszka Wiśniewska

What culture do we need? Artists meet sociologists, Agnieszka A culture that’s inclusive, anthropologists, historians. Wiśniewska is a member of a culture that creates bonds, This is not limited to Warsaw: Krytyka Polityczna on a local level and in touch in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, (krytykapolityczna. with people. a town with some 70,000 pl), one of the hubs in the inhabitants, cultural activists European Cul- made an exhibition reminding tural Foundation’s Culture as action people about a workers’ colony Networked Pro- gramme — Con­ founded in the city nearly 100 nected Action for On a local, neighbourhood years ago. They consulted his- the Commons. ­level, culture has become torians and worked with tools a language for describing used in recording oral history. ­reality, for making the his- The exhibition was staged in torical past familiar, for ex- the middle of the town square. ploring one’s surroundings. This is the kind of culture Art has entered public space we need: made in touch with not merely as decoration but people, in collaboration with as commentary, ­inspiring them, together; accessible dialogue and reflection on to as many people as possi­ble. the role of that space (as in Only half a year earlier the the case of Joanna Rajkowska’s very same activists initiated Oxygenator), or as a form a debate about the renovated of warfare (best represented town square. Some time be- in Julita Wójcik’s Rainbow, re- fore, the authorities had gone peatedly burned by homopho- to considerable lengths to have bic and nationalist hooligans the square paved with granite, and renovated by volunteers). having forgotten to include in Culture WITH People, Not Just FOR People! � Agnieszka Wiśniewska 15

their scheme the needs of the locals. people typically do. These people who The square was turned into a granite have stayed behind or who are coming desert. The activists reacted: they suc- back to their hometowns after study- ceeded in calling an open debate with ing etc. are inviting artists and cultural the mayor where ideas to reclaim ­activists from other places to share the town square for people were pre- their knowledge and experience. sented. One was to turn the square into a place that welcomes culture, meaning not an occasional concert by a celebrity Culture as inclusion star from Warsaw, as is often the case in provincial towns, but actions that The most thrilling phenomena in cul- are not as much “aimed at” the public ture in recent years have taken place as they are performed “in collaboration in the key sphere where culture is no with” them. longer made for an audience but is For some reason, at school we are instead more often perceived as doing taught quite a lot about the history something with the audience as par- of Poland. They treat us to more than ticipants. This is where the practice a handful of world history, while little of cultural activists meets that of so- space is left for tales about our own cial activists. It suddenly occurs that neighbourhood. We end up knowing both groups seek areas and modes that more about columns in ancient Greece welcome collaboration. They create than about our local town hall. It is spaces where working together is more simpler with large cities: Gdańsk’s is important than the success of an indi- the history of Solidarity; Wrocław had vidual. The line between activities that the Orange Alternative; Warsaw is all are clearly artistic and those that are about its 1944 uprising. It is around clearly social is fading away. those historical events and facts and What about instances of cultural narratives about them that a com- actions, new models of operating cul- munity is built. We have founded tural institutions, where the viewer is our national community on the tales an active participant, not merely a con- of heroic struggles. What about local sumer of a finished work? Have we communities — how do we go about got any? Łaźnia Nowa Theatre, at the building them? One possible answer Nowa Huta post-industrial district of could be offered by people who have Cracow, invites people to paratheatrical not left their smaller hometowns for ­meetings that deal with important so- Poland’s larger cities, as many young cial issues. Praska Biblioteka Sąsiedzka Culture WITH People, Not Just FOR People! � Agnieszka Wiśniewska 16

(Praga Neighbourhood winter holidays for theatre, 1 The Teatro Valle Library) in Warsaw is a place on the opening day of the fes- is a theatre built in 1727 by the art where the locals come not tival some of the spectators patron Marquise only to discuss books, but also showed up wearing goggles, Camillo Capranica to meet and socialise. skis and skiing poles in their inside his spec- tacular Renais- The employees of Teatro hands. Those people were sance palace in Valle1 in Rome, wanting actually the former patrons the historic centre to prevent the privatisation of the event who had to quit of Rome. The oc- cupation, which of their facility, started to oc- going to the KTM, confronted started in June cupy it. They subsequently with exorbitant prices charged 2011, was meant opened the space to the public, by the management. Tickets to prevent the mu- nicipality from pri- turning it into a squat, initiat- for some of the guest per- vatising the theatre. ing artistic and social activity formances sold for roughly In August 2014, the occupants left founded on new principles the same as the total cost the Valle peace- of collaboration between of going to another city and fully following the theatre people and specta- watching the production in a relocation order by the municipality. tors. The theatre has ceased its original venue. Who were Over the course to be a place that you frequent the ideal audience of the KTM, of these three all dressed up, accessible only then? It would seem they were years, the Valle be- came a legally rec- to the chosen few. It has be- the very people who could af- ognised commons come a common space. ford winter holidays. The pro- (Fondazione Teatro testers quoted Sebastian Valle Beni Comune) experimenting Majewski of the Stary Teatr: with collective and Culture as commons “Theatre is not for the elites. grassroots forms Theatre is for everyone.” of cultural produc- tion, urban govern- This kind of theatre — not Sadly, it is still more ance and civic ac- only for the elites — was popular to consider culture tivism, and sparking fought for, on more than one as a commodity, with a price a new wave of com- moning across occasion, by activists from tag attached. As long as people Italy and Europe. Kalisz in central Poland who are willing to pay the price fought against the absurd and buy an expensive ticket pricing policy of the Kalisz in Kalisz, or anywhere else, Theatre Meetings KTM( ). the management will not see After the director of the lo- any reason to make it more af- cal theatre said, in 2013, fordable. The stage is ruled by that one can sacrifice one’s the laws of the market. Culture WITH People, Not Just FOR People! � Agnieszka Wiśniewska 17

But even from a purely economic property: both physical goods, as public point of view, the prevalence of this space, and virtual ones. Artists ­initiate mindset is pernicious enough, as it social debates with their works, activ- excludes a good portion of society ists resort to tools traditionally as- from civilisation, denying them cul- sociated with artists. This is what big tural skills that are crucial in raising European institutions are interested a country’s Gross Domestic Product. in. They perceive the artists-social Little by little the debate on cul- activists as partners. This is the kind ture is approaching the parallel debate of culture we need: made in touch on the concept of commons. Culture is with people, in collaboration with like public transport: everyone should them, together; accessible to as many be entitled to it, with no car ­owners people as possible. privileged over the users of buses and trams. The ever more audible discussions Culture as a social glue on the city and public space in Poland, on commons in Europe, have set in Culture is not there to pay, to bring motion a reconfiguration of the ways profit, not in the sense in which in which we think. We have started making business has to bring profit. to ask ourselves questions like: Culture counts in a different way. “Who is the city really for: only for It is its role in creating a community, those who can afford it or for all its in- in narrating the world, in establishing habitants? Is it parks and public spaces relationships that matters. for everybody that we need more of, In a world where individualism has or is it parking lots? Are we going killed cooperation and the capacity for to let the business of privatising entire being and working together, where co- swathes of our cities, only to be turned operation sucks and self-reliance seems into shopping malls, go unpunished? so cool, we are smoothly and consist- Have streets and plazas with nothing ently dismantling all social ties. Why but banks all over them anything to do am I supposed to do something with with spaces for human beings?” my neighbours? I’d rather do it alone. Go wherever you like in Europe, I am writing this at my cousin’s and talk to activists and art workers, house. He has small children. In his there’ll always be someone talking backyard, there is a trampoline, a large about commons, goods understood one, fitted with a mesh enclosure, as common resources, accessible for safety. I can see an identical one Culture WITH People, Not Just FOR People! � Agnieszka Wiśniewska 18

roughly a metre away, in a neighbour’s There are enough large festivals backyard, and another one, a little in large cities. At such festivals, farther off, at the neighbour’s neigh- we can be no more than spectators, bour. Each child is jumping on its whilst what we need are actions that own trampoline. Will those children offer the opportunity to participate. want to do anything together in the Let’s not fool ourselves: for this kind future? Why won’t their parents get to­ of culture to happen, state assistance gether and buy one trampoline for all is needed. At this juncture, one can- of them to share? Would they be able not but take issue with J.F. Kennedy’s to agree over whose backyard should “Ask not what your country can do have the trampoline and how to split for you — ask what you can do for responsibility of taking care of it be- your country.” Cultural activists tween them? Or, rather, no one would have taken the first step: they have like to keep the trampoline in case done something for their country; a child should get hurt and then whose now is the time for the country to fault would it be? This is the kind of so- respond: offer support, recognition, ciety we are building: lonely children means. Subsidising activities is not on their trampolines. And only a few enough: though essential, it is lim- children at that. Most will only be able ited to sustaining individual projects to watch from behind the fence. over the period from June through Cultural initiatives that challenge December, with security and long- this extremely individualised model term planning being out of the ques- of the world are worth closer attention, tion. Local, common cultural en- as they help us re-establish social ties deavours have to be taken seriously. and our trust in others. They deserve it. � A Rough Guide to the Commons: Who Likes It and Who Doesn’t

by Charlie Tims

The commons is a way of de- that make something com- Charlie Tims scribing resources that belong mon — Creative Commons is currently working as a researcher equally to a community, be Licenses, national parks, with the Doc Next that community an organi- blood banks and so on. Network (www. sation, a locality or a state. But this is all very cold docnextnetwork. org) and is an as- Resources can refer to ‘natural and mechanical. The com- sociate of the think resources’ like air, water and mons is a spirit as much tank Demos. land or resources created by as it is a technical concept. people like language, culture Evoking the idea of the com- and tradition. They cannot mons is one of the best ways be controlled by a single par- we have of expressing a com- ty — be they public or private. mitment to a shared life and The International Association a belief that better, more for the Study of the Commons interesting, healthy, cohesive emphasises that the commons places are those that are ac- are forms of “governance cessible and used and shaped for resources which are cre- by a range of different people. ated and owned collectively”. You can hear it in Woodie In other words, a resource can- Guthrie’s song This Land is not be considered to be held Your Land, and in The Kinks’ in common unless there is song God Save The Village Green a statute, a license or an agree- Preservation Society: ment establishing it as part of the commons. So when We are the Village Green we talk about the commons, Preservation Society. we are really talking about God save Donald Duck, the governance arrangements vaudeville and variety. A Rough Guide to the Commons � Charlie Tims 20

We are the Desperate Dan It is currently reviewing 1 ’The Arbitration Appreciation Society. 501 cases. Originally these Game’, The Eco­ nomist, 11 October God save strawberry jam and agreements were designed 2014. http://www. all the different varieties. to encourage corporations economist.com/ to make long-term invest- news/finance-and- economics/ The point to grasp here is that ments in new countries. But 21623756-govern- the commons is not fixed — according to a recent article in ments-are-souring- it is a contested concept The Economist,1 “multi­nationals treaties-protect- foreign-investors- in culture, policy and law. have exploited woolly defini- arbitration At different times in the past, tions of expropriation to claim governments have legislated compensation for changes and communities have organ- in government policy that ised to extend commons, and happen to have harmed arguably to reduce it. But for their business”. many today, the commons — Campaigners and activ- possibly even the very idea ists have come to see ISDSs of the commons — is ­under as a way of cementing cor- threat from a variety of porate, private interests over sources. Here are some threats democratic will. The Swedish tothe commons in Europe energy giant Vattenfall is that have been in the news currently suing the German over the last year. government for $6 billion because, after the Fukushima disaster in 2011, the German Investor-State Dispute government decided to shut Settlements down its nuclear energy industry; the Canadian gov- Investor-State Dispute ernment is being sued by Settlements ISDS( s) are mecha- a pharmaceutical company for nisms that indemnify a pri- increasing drug prices; Egypt vate corporation investing has been successfully sued across borders against future by waste disposal and main- losses, which can be recouped tenance constructor Veolia for at the International Centre introducing a minimum wage; for Settlement of Investment and Argentina was successful- Disputes in Washington. ly sued for more than a billion A Rough Guide to the Commons � Charlie Tims 21

dollars for legislating to reduce energy services; while there are campaigns prices in 2001. against the selling off of municipal ISDSs have received plenty of pub- housing in Prague and Art House licity recently because the Transatlantic ­Cinemas in Budapest. Trade and Investment Partnership Another struggle is constantly (TTIP) — a major EU/US free trade waged over the control of public spaces deal currently being negotiated — in towns and cities. ­controversially includes ISDS clauses. The issue is almost spiritual. Three hundred organisations are Public space — as some of the most signed up to a pan-European campaign iconic photography of the 20th cen- against TTIP. For these campaigners, tury demonstrates — has a funny TTIP goes far beyond facilitating free way of showing societies for what trade, but rather entrenches the role they really are. For the hopeful, public of corporations, effectively giving them space doesn’t just symbolise the kind a veto on future government policies. of society we want to live in, or pro- The World Democracy Movement likes vide a useful canvas for news photo­ to call TTIP “the end of democracy graphers. It plays a functional role in as we know it”. making democracy. It follows that, if public space is passed into private hands, it will have a detrimental effect Privatising public space on who can use the space and what can happen in it and how well a democracy Campaigners see TTIP as one of many can function. frontlines in a war to defend public It is hard to establish who owns resources from private enclosure and public spaces but the signs of private exploitation. There are many others — control are present in most European for example, Italy’s 2011 referendum cities. You don’t have to look hard on water privatisation and Ireland’s to find gated communities, private se- current struggle to keep water in ­public curity firms, surveillance systems and hands; in the UK there’s a growing districts with special local laws that campaign to renationalise railways, support the needs of shops and busi- or at least not to reprivatise previously nesses. These measures disperse home- failing privatised parts that had been less people and protesters, and they nationalised; and in Germany and quietly regulate what kind of activity France there are spirited campaigns can happen. None of this is that notice- to reverse the privatisation of city able, but the cumulative effect can be A Rough Guide to the Commons � Charlie Tims 22

very bland cities. The issue is set on the western ­liberal way 2 See http://www. also hard to document, as it is is on the rise across Europe ekumenopolis. net/#/tr_TR difficult to find out and col- and at its fringes. This may late information about who not necessarily gate off public owns what. In the UK at least, streets, or sell off public serv- the task is far from simple. ices but it attacks the com- Since 2012, The Guardian mons by narrowing free newspaper has been trying channels for the circulation to map privately owned space of ideas, sometimes by force. that people might “reasonably Two-term Prime Minister expect” to be in public own- and now President of Turkey ership, with limited results. Recep Erdoğan has com- Attempts by protesters in bined repression of dissent London to “occupy” financial with a gradual incorporation districts were hampered by of Islamic values into Turkish the amount of land in private society (head scarves at uni- control in the City of London versity, no drinking after and Canary Wharf. The jour- lights out) with a ­particularly nalist Anna Minton has aggressive form of urban chronicled the rise of privately ­development. The documen- owned public space. She says, tary Ekumenopolis2 makes “The places we create reflect Istanbul look as though it is the social and economic reali- in an almost permanent state ties of the time and provide of preparation for an Olympic a litmus test for the health Games. Residents and shop- of society and democracy. keepers are priced out, bought That fact that we are setting out or forced out of their out to create undemocratic homes to make way for huge places is simply a reflection infrastructure projects and of the times we live in.” apartment complexes backed by an unstoppable armada of overlapping government, Illiberalism corporate and media power. It was, of course, a plan An openly illiberal authoritar- to turn a city centre park into ianism that claims the sun has a shopping mall (in the style A Rough Guide to the Commons � Charlie Tims 23

of an Ottoman fortress) that entrenching his own position 3 Alexander Christie- provoked the Gezi Park pro- and that of his party Fidesz. Miller, ‘Erdogan’s grand construc- tests in 2013. The plans for In April 2011 he passed tion projects are the removal of the park still a constitutional reform, tearing Istanbul appear to be on the drawing gagging the constitutional apart’, Newsweek, 31 July 2014. http:// 3 board. According to Newsweek court, effectively allowing www.newsweek. there are currently $100 bil- the government to pass any com/2014/08/08/ lion of construction projects legislation it wishes. He has erdogans-grand- construction- slated for the city, includ- also purged state broadcast- projects-are- ing a road tunnel that will ers and tried to drive the RTL tearing-istanbul- apart-262102.html divert traffic into the his- out of the country. Non- toric centre of the city, an governmental organisations artificial Bosphorus canal (NGOs) in receipt of funding and the world’s largest air- from international founda- port — seven times the size tions have been blacklisted of London’s Heathrow. and it is becoming harder for The government claims them to operate. He has also the projects are part of an proposed a tax on the internet effort to turn Istanbul into and incredibly, is trying to in- a ‘global city’. So ruthless is troduce mandatory drug test- Erdogan’s regeneration pro- ing for all children, journalists gramme that it has actually and politicians. led to reports of paramili- This dismantling and ero- tary organisations that fight sion of the country’s constitu- the police and ‘defend’ areas tional checks and balances has of the city from ‘gentrification’. led the director of European Erdogan has admirers Alternatives, Lorenzo Marsili, inside the European Union. to call for the European Union Prime Minister of Hungary to place sanctions on Orban, Viktor Orban recently de- which could include sus- clared his interest in creating pension of voting rights in an illiberal state in Turkey’s the European Council, with- image. Since he was re- drawal of structural funds or elected in 2010, he has eroded even suspension from the EU independent institutions, itself. In an article published the judiciary and the media, on Open Democracy last year, A Rough Guide to the Commons � Charlie Tims 24

Peter Kreko — Director of the Political the Apuseni mountains. Local resi- Capital Institute, a Hungarian think dents have refused to sell their houses tank — argues that Orban’s ­example to make way for it. has powerful admirers across In recent years the campaign has Eastern Europe. assumed great importance. Between 2012 and 2013 it became an animating issue in some of the biggest protests Gold mines Romania has seen since 1990. Rosia Montana has become a symbol for The simplest of all commons is the air the concern of the Romanian people that we breathe. It may not be possible at the proposed privatisation of their to enclose or privatise air, but it is pos- health service, the cosy relationship sible to threaten it. between politicians and the media, Poor regulation of heavy industry and the continuing impact of austerity and mining has left Romania with policies. Public outrage has managed a legacy of some of Europe’s most pol- to hold back parliament from grant- luted towns and villages, for example. ing Gabriel Resources the permits it In the year 2000, millions of gallons needs for compulsory purchase orders. of poisonous metals and cyanide However, with suggestions that min- poured out of a holding pond into ing companies are starting to construct the Danube and Tuzla rivers, killing mines without permits, the struggle 200 tons of fish and spreading a toxic seems likely to continue. tide across three countries. In Copsa Mica — a town dominated by smelting works for several generations — 96% Election fail of children aged from 2 to 14 have chronic bronchitis and respiratory Democracy is the mother of all problems. ­commons. Democratic values and the Despite widespread poverty and principle of self-government may be unemployment, new mining projects very much alive, but it is impossible in Romania are hugely controversial. to avoid the fact that its procedural For the last 15 years a Canadian-owned­ moments­ — elections — are not. company Gabriel Resources has Only five countries in the EU27 been trying to open Europe’s largest managed a turnout of more than 50% open cast mine in Rosia Montana — in the 2014 elections to the European an area of Western Transylvania in Parliament, which saw the lowest A Rough Guide to the Commons � Charlie Tims 25

turnouts on record. In Slovakia from venal politicians, self- 4 Flora S. Michaels, the turnout was just 17%. serving corporations and Monoculture: How One Story Political parties that reject dangerously disinterested Is Changing the very institutions they voters, but rather, from all Everything (Red were being elected to did bet- of us — from citizens who Clover, 2011). ter than ever. have internalised market Turnouts for domestic norms and see themselves in parliamentary and presidential an endless competition, blind elections are greater, but with to the common good and un- only a handful topping 66%, quantifiable virtues. Fearful many countries are governed of this future shortly before by parties, presidents and coa- death, Jane Jacobs prophesied litions who have only received ‘The Dark Age Ahead’ while a mandate from a very small Tony Judt apocalyptically de- proportion of the population. clared that ‘Ill Fares the Land’ Or at least, a much smaller shortly before he died. proportion than the period In 2011 Canadian between the end of the Second ­essayist Flora Michaels won World War and the end of the the Orwell prize for her book century when most countries Monoculture,4 which argues in Europe averaged turnouts that an ‘economistic’ way of more than 80%. Whether of seeing ourselves has be- you blame politicians, voters, come dangerously pervasive. the nefarious hand of elites or Economics, as she sees it, is a more subtle set of long-term no longer a social scientific social changes — if elections discipline but an all perva- can’t command people’s con- sive dogma that frames our fidence, then an important everyday lives. “It’s not that part of the commons will go the economic story has no ungoverned. place in the world,” she ar- gues. “But without … other stories we have found es- Monoculture sential throughout history, we imprison ourselves. When Perhaps the biggest threat the languages of other sto- to the commons comes not ries begin to be lost, we lose A Rough Guide to the Commons � Charlie Tims 26

the value of diversity and creativity new kinds of common space. They are that keeps our society viable. We’re left interested in reclaiming institutions, trying to translate something vitally communities and buildings through important to us into economic terms agreements, rules and other ­devices so we can justify even talking about it… to make them more accessible, demo- we end up missing what it means cratic and useable. This, perhaps, is to be human.” why Occupy has been such a power- These sentiments are echoed by ful idea. It is metaphor for what these the popular philosopher Michael groups wish to achieve in other areas Sandel, who laments a social shift from of public life — groups committed “having a market economy to being to reclaiming space. a market society” and the detrimental That’s not of course to say that impact that this has on the discussion they aren’t concerned about fighting of competing values. If it is possible for rights and threatened class groups. to sum up the desires of the post- But the desire to claim, demarcate and 2008 protesters across Europe it is create new rules for space is perhaps perhaps that they want to live in a new way of voicing these concerns something other than an economy. and expresses a desire to engage with They too have come to see ­economics the means of making new space rather as a kind of dogma that needs to be than simply making demands. overthrown — ironically in much The great symbolic, theatrical the same way as the forefathers struggles for power used to take place of economics saw the Church during at factory gates — now they take the Enlightenment. One dogma for place in space. David Harvey calls it another. a fight for the ‘Right to the City’. Teatro Valle call it a spatial struggle. In Spain the municipalist parties are demanding For the commons! a right to decide.

Across Europe there are hundreds of organisations, networks and indi- Reclaiming the political party viduals that are passionate about these issues and campaign for the commons. Europe has a new, ‘new left’ and it is What distinguishes these groups from animated by the desire to ‘reclaim other civil society groups is that they democracy’. A group of new political are arguing for and trying to create parties has emerged with an aspiration A Rough Guide to the Commons � Charlie Tims 27

to reclaim collective decision ­making a political party, but may become one from what they see as a corrupt and in the future. To be consistent with broken political system. They aim Sierakowski’s ideas, it would need to be to make a new kind of political party. markedly different from what the other Spain has Podemos, Partido X, Procés parties offer. Constituent and across the country In 2013 and 2014 there were mass there are municipal parties that per- protests in Slovenia, Romania, Bulgaria formed particularly well in municipal and Bosnia — the latter opened its own elections. Barcelona has Barcelona self-organised, democratic ‘plenums’ en Comu; Madrid has Ahora Madrid. across the country. It remains to be They are all committed to ‘bottom- seen whether these countries will up’ decision making and challenging found parties like those in Spain and the old order. For many involved in Greece and try to construct an alterna- these parties, new forms of participa- tive way of doing politics. tion are an end in itself. Italy of course has the Five Star Elsewhere in Europe attempts Movement started by the Italian come- to reinvent the political party are dian Beppe Grillo in 2008. Five Star is less evolved but the appetite is clear. committed to opposing and disrupting Denmark has the Alternative founded the institutions of representative de- by Denmark’s only independent MP mocracy, passing decisions, via opinion Uffe Elbaek. Alternative describes itself polls, back to voters. The party finished as an ‘international, environmental and third in last year’s parliamentary elec- entrepreneurial party’ and took around tions. Its MEPs signed a contract that 5% of the vote during recent elections. could make them liable for a 250,000 Scotland’s movement for independence Euro fine if they are found to have is headed up by the Scottish Nationalist broken the party’s code of conduct. Party, which includes the ‘against The party is controversial and some the lot of them’ vote. But on their critics suggest that passing votes back fringes are groups like Common to party members is a vehicle for Grillo Weal and Bella Caledonia, which to exercise more control over his party may yet produce a new Podemos style rather than less. The Economist (smugly) political party. In Poland 36-year-old calls it “simultaneously the most and Slawomir Sierakowski leads Poland’s least democratic of Italy’s political Krytyka Polityczna — or Political movements. And that theory, every­ Critique movement (a magazine, cul- thing from the choice of election tural centre and think tank). It is not candidates to the removal of elected A Rough Guide to the Commons � Charlie Tims 28

representatives, is decided Violent protest movements 5 Beppe Grillo, online by the party rank-and- who fight the police and forci- ‘Falling Star’, The Economist, file. In practice, what Mr Grillo bly claim the streets as theirs. 9 December 2014. and Mr Casaleggio say goes, Most of the organisations http://www.econo- and neither was chosen and artists ECF supports fit mist.com/news/ europe/21635792- 5 by anyone.” in somewhere here. beppe-grillo-says- Further afield the Net These are not new strate- he-tired-and-his- Party in Buenos Aires re- gies but they produce sym- movement-tired- his-autocratic- cently contested municipal bolically important events for leadership- elections on the pledge that movements preoccupied with falling-star they would pass all their reclaiming space. According ­voting decisions back directly to Igor Stiks of the University to their members. Although of Edinburgh, reclaiming Argentina is far from Europe, public space has been particu- the Net Party’s Democracy OS larly important for activists operating system for ‘liquid in the Balkans: “The Right democracy’ is proving popular to the City movement in with social groups in Europe. 2009/2010 in Zagreb mobi- On their Wikispace, they pro- lised thousands in defence vide a list of 20 affiliated par- of a square in downtown ties from across the world. Zagreb; in Dubrovnik citizens organised to defend a nearby hill from being turned into Reclaiming public space a golf resort; in Bosnia’s sec- ond largest city, Banja Luka, The movement to reclaim citizens tried to defend one public space across Europe of the few public parks; in includes a huge range of actors Belgrade smaller mobilisa- and approaches. Street artists, tions were triggered by cut- performers and free-runners ting down old trees in one who play with the social of the main streets, so as to conventions of public space. obtain more parking space, or Squatters, occupiers and by destruction of a neighbour- campaigners who defend, hood park; in Bulgaria in 2012 occupy and reanimate ne- people demonstrated against glected parks and buildings. the privatisation of forests; A Rough Guide to the Commons � Charlie Tims 29

in Romania in 2012 against of activists have come to- 6 Igor Štiks and the privatisation of emergency gether to occupy theatres Srecko Horavat, ‘The New Balkan services, and again against and keep their work alive. Revolts: from an ecologically disastrous At Teatro Valle, occupiers Protests to ple- gold mine project in Rosia rallied under the slogan, nums and beyond’, opendemocracy. 6 Montana.” “Like air and water, culture net, 12 March 2014. In Poland, reclaiming is a commons” and “Teatro https://www. public space and control Valle is a commons”. They set opendemocra­ cy.net/author/ of urban life is exercising about creating transparent igor-%C5%A0tiks a new generation. Civil so- and democratic ways to run ciety groups like The Right the theatre. These occupations to the City, The Inhabitants are symbolic and real inter- Forum and the Housing ventions in keeping the gift- Movement, ­operating economy of culture alive ­under nationwide Urban when its value isn’t recog- Movements Congress, have nised by the state or possible successfully campaigned within a purely market-based for participatory budgeting­ approach. In a similar but for planning consultations less direct way, Liberate Tate and against Krakow’s bid in London has been periodi- to host the Olympic Games. cally occupying Tate Modern In recent elections­ the Urban to embarrass it into divesting Movement, which ran for itself of oil sponsorship. the first time in elections 2014 also saw protests as a nationwide coalition sparked across Spain in of city activists, won the response to an attempt by mayoral seat in Gorzow the Barcelona government Wielkopolski, western Poland, to shut down the Centro and a number of city council Social Autogestionado seats in cities like Warsaw, Can Vies, a social centre in Poznan and Torun. Barcelona that had been oc- The struggle for public cupied since 1997. In the wake space takes place indoors of protests in Barcelona, too. In recent years both Valencia and Majorca, the mu- at Embros in Athens and nicipal authorities agreed Teatro Valle in Rome, groups to suspend the demolition. A Rough Guide to the Commons � Charlie Tims 30

At the time of writing this, at the end Interestingly though, the outrage of May 2015, there are seven social cen- at the #poordoor — separate en- tres in Barcelona in former bank build- trances for people living in lower ings that are under eviction orders value housing in luxury develop- and many other struggles to defend ments — illustrates that many people other social centres in Spain — like feel there should be ‘a commons’ the campaign to save Casa Grande del of sorts in private buildings. Pumarejo in Seville. In Bologna in Italy, Since 2006 in Paris a group of street artist Blu recently painted a mu- artist-activists­ Jeudi Noir (Black ral on the side of XM24, a social centre Thursday Collective) have been cam- that has had to fight several battles paigning and launching direct ac- against demolition. tions on housing issues. Among many demands they ask for a cessation in increases to rent controls and pres- Reclaiming housing surise politicians to honour commit- ments to affordable housing. Their Europe has a growing housing move- direct actions have included occupying ment that seeks to defend tenants an apartment near former President from landlords, campaigns to stop Sarkozy’s Paris home as well as staging people being priced out of their parties in, and occupying show-flats homes and argues for housing at an in luxury housing developments. These affordable price. Housing is a com- tactics have been copied in London, mons issue because people in precar­ which has a rapidly growing network ious accommodation are restricted of small groups campaigning on hous- from having a place in the commons. ing issues. In Scotland there is a new Few in it would argue for all housing campaign to control rents. Most cities everywhere to be placed in common across Europe are affected by evictions, ownership, but the movement is com- foreclosures, unscrupulous landlords mitted to stopping housing becoming and the lack of affordable or public a tradeable commodity — ensuring housing — especially in the south that it can be accessed by all ­people and in the most unequal cities. without fear of being exploited. MIPIM — a massive inter­national We may not all want to live in an in- conference for the regeneration tentional community, but that doesn’t industry held in Cannes every mean that a house should be treated March — has become a target for as an exclusively private commodity. all these groups. A Rough Guide to the Commons � Charlie Tims 31

What passes for common sense is clearly about more than creating somewhere for people to go shop- So there you have it. Some threats ping. Maybe that’s because these kinds to the commons and the rearguard of disputes aren’t just about claim- to shore them up. As I mentioned be- ing a commons, they are also an at- fore, Erdogan still hopes to see Gezi tempt by those with power and those Park in Istanbul turned into a shop- without it, to determine what passes ping centre. Making sure it gets built as common sense… � Friendship is a Commons (excerpt)

by Dougald Hine

I want to draw ­attention an alternative to treating Dougald Hine to two different ways the world as if it is made is a social thinker, writer and former of speaking about commons. up of resources. In Silence BBC journalist. He These two ways of speaking is a Commons,1 Ivan Illich has been respon- coexist and often get muddled says that he wants to make sible for starting a series of innova- up, in a way that is problem- “the distinction between tive organisations, atic. So if I could make a con- the commons within which including the web tribution to the growing con- people’s subsistence activities startup School of Everything, versation that is taking place are embedded, and resources the Spacemakers under the banner of the com- that serve for the economic urban regene­ mons, it would be to invite production of those commodi- ration bureau and The Dark Mountain us to notice this difference ties on which modern survival Project. He will act within our ways of speaking. depends”. Instead of the com- as overall facilitator during the Euro- The first way of speaking mons being a pool of resources pean Cultural Foun- about the commons is to talk and a particular approach dation’s Idea Camp about it as a pool of resources to managing them, Illich de- 2015 — ‘Build the City’. to be managed. A typical ex- fines the commons as the op- ample is found in a summary posite of the resource. of Elinor Ostrom’s Governing He talks about the history the Commons. This is offered of the commons in Europe, as a definition: the commons that were The commons is a general enclosed: as part of the en- term for shared resources in try into modern industrial which each stakeholder has an capitalist society, the land equal interest. was taken away from people. The second way of speak- He talks about how these ing about commons is as commons were governed Friendship is a Commons � Dougald Hine 33

by an ‘unwritten law’, a fabric their life work inside those 1 This article is from of interweaving customs by complex, ­illegible social Ivan Illich’s remarks at the “Asahi which different people within realities. Symposium a community had different Illich also frames this ­Science and Man — relationships by which it was ­opposition in terms of indus- The computer- managed Society”, understood that they could trial society, the industrial Tokyo, Japan, 21 make use of particular areas produc­tion of commodities, March 1982. See of land for hunting and fish- and something he calls http://www.pre- servenet.com/ ing, for grazing, or collecting ‘the vernacular’. He draws this theory/Illich/ wood or medicinal plants as an axis on a graph, but an Silence.html to meet their own needs, along axis that is not a straight line: 2 James C. Scott, with different obligations at one end it rises straight Seeing Like to that land. “It was an unwrit- to a single point, but at the a State: How Certain Schemes ten law,” Illich says, “not only other it branches like a root to Improve the because people did not care system in a thousand direc- Human Condi­ to write it down, but because tions. The industrial society tion Have Failed (Yale University what it protected was a reality is the end where it becomes Press, 1999). much too complex to fit into a straight line: development paragraphs.” provides us with a model The first thing I want by which the human needs to say about that complex of everyone on earth are reality is that its complexity identical, defined in the same was not a problem for people. way and to be met by deploy- It may have been a problem ing the same systems of flush for landlords and for govern- toilets, regardless of the local ments, because a way of liv- context. At the other end from ing that is unwritten is, by this homogeneous industrial definition, illegible. In Seeing society of resources and com- Like a State,2 James C. Scott modities, you have the pro- presents the story of the way liferation of the vernacular. in which states and other top- The vernacular corresponds down systems have a problem to what, in a Marxian voca­ with complex, illegible social bulary, would be distinguished­ realities, which is not neces- as production for use value sarily a problem for the people rather than for exchange who live within and make ­value, but Illich’s intention Friendship is a Commons � Dougald Hine 34

was to frame this more broad- Hardin was writing this in 3 Garret Hardin, ly. Going back to its Latin San Francisco in 1968, when ‘The Tragedy of the Commons’, roots, the vernacular refers the front pages of the news- originally published to the home-made, the home- papers were reporting the in the journal brewed, the home-spun. collapse into a Hobbesian Science, 1968. See http://www. Another important dis- nightmare of the first wave mcleveland.org/ tinction is introduced by Iain of hippie communes. So if you Class_reading/ Boal, who points out that want to understand sympa- Hardin_Tragedy_of_ the_Commons.pdf a commons is not the same thetically, rather than only thing as a public space. critically — which is the first A public space is a modern way I would invite you phenomenon, conceived in to understand it — Hardin’s terms of atomised economic Tragedy of the Commons individuals dealing with myth, it is really the Tragedy each other within this realm of the Communes. Boal’s argu- that we call the public. He ment is that the communes points out something fasci- failed because they were nating in relation to Garret based on a utopian ideal that Hardin’s ‘The Tragedy they were creating a public, of the Commons’,3 which is universal space that anyone one of the most influential and could turn up to and access problematic texts on the com- equally, and that this is quite mons. Hardin argues that different to a commons, in any commons inevitably collapse historical sense. A commons because one person takes is a ­fabric of relations that is more than their share and this built and rebuilt and renego­ damages it, until over time tiated over generations. the existence of the commons So, we have these two as a whole is compromised. ways of speaking: commons This is an argument that as a pool of resources to be says: we have to privatise managed, and commons things, we have to marketise as an alternative to treating things, because otherwise the world as made up of re- the free-riders will eventu- sources. Of these two ways ally erode the commons. of speaking, people who talk What Boal points out is that about the commons in terms Friendship is a Commons � Dougald Hine 35

of resources have historically We live in a heavily 4 James C. Scott, almost always been against enclosed world. The com- op. cit. the commons and for en- mons were taken away from closure, rationalisation and us. In England, it started in increased production. Because the fifteenth century and once you look at the commons was more or less over by as a pool of resources, you the nineteenth century. don’t see that complex, un- Laws were passed that over- written, illegible reality; what wrote the unwritten laws you see is the two or three that had endured and evolved things that you enter into for centuries, that granted your spreadsheet to describe new, simple and total forms this forest, and then you seek of ownership to the few, and to improve the productivity disenfranchised the rest. of the forest, and you drive Like the industrial revolution out the people who have had that followed it, this process a right to graze their pigs there spread from England, in one for centuries, you start plant- form or another, to most ing the trees in straight lines, corners of the world and it the process that Scott4 de- continues today. At the height scribes has been set in motion. of the English enclosures, So, as Anthony McCann it was known as ‘improve- has pointed out, it is a peculiar ment’; today it is more likely feature of the wave of enthusi- to be known as ‘development’. asm for the new commons that The result is that what was a lot of those who speak in fa- once seen as misery is now vour of the commons today do taken for granted. In 1330, so in the language of resource a rich merchant in Florence management, rather than in died and left his wealth to be terms of social relations. It distributed amongst the des- is by no means clear that we titute, the people who had have escaped the tendency fallen through the bottom of resource management ap- of society. The people to whom proaches to serve the interests the ­money was doled out were of economic rationalisation drawn from five categories: as against human sociability. the widows, the orphans, Friendship is a Commons � Dougald Hine 36

those who had recently suffered an than worth the deal. I am not want- act of God, those who had to pay ing to make the argument one way or rent for the roof under which they another, only to be clear that this was slept and the heads of household the nature of the trade-off, and that ­dependent on wage work. In other it was frequently made against the will words, in the medieval world, to be of the erstwhile commoner. ­dependent on having to sell your Yet the risk of such stories is that labour for money as your primary they erect a golden age, to be mourned means of staying alive or to have to or scorned, but irrelevant to the fallen pay ­money in order to have somewhere condition in which we find ourselves. to call home, these things were seen In place of this, I would rather we as abject misery. To be a member of so- remind ourselves that, even within ciety was to be part of a household and this heavily enclosed world, the even if you were the lowliest ­member process­ of enclosure is never com- of a very humble household, even plete: there are still things that we with the feudal obligations you were do not treat as resources. The clearest under, you had a security unknown case of this, perhaps, is that we do not to the wage worker. think it acceptable to treat our friends No one is saying that this was as ­resources. In English, we have an a beautiful utopia. The point is to rec- everyday expression for someone who ognise that the modern world in which does that: if you find yourself treated we find ourselves came about not least as a resource by someone you thought through the norma­lisation of people to be a friend, you say, “I’ve been used”. not having access to the means of sub- And everyone knows what you mean, sistence, because land and commoning without any need to elaborate a theory rights had been taken away from them, to make sense of it. forcing them into a position where all For this reason, then, friendship of their needs had to be met through may well be a good starting point from selling their labour to factory owners which to explore what it means to be and their equivalents. Many will argue part of a commons that is not merely that, on a cost-benefit analysis, indus- a resource management exercise, but trialisation and modernity have given an alternative to treating the world us so much that it ends up being more as made up of resources. �

Reclaimed spaces workshop, 2013 coordinated by: studioBASAR; drawing by: Cristi Stoian. El Buen Vivir and the Commons: A Conversation between Gustavo Soto Santiesteban and Silke Helfrich

Silke Gustavo, Buen Vivir (or Vivir Bien) is an ex- Silke Helfrich Helfrich pression that has made its way into the con- is a writer, activist and thinker. She co- stitutions of Ecuador and Bolivia, and has be- founded the Com- come an expression that would summarise an mons Strategies Group with David alternative project for civilisation. Portuguese Bollier and Michel sociologist Boaventura da Souza even took Bauwens. up the slogan, ‘China or Sumaj Kuasay,’1 Gustavo Soto which is not self-explanatory. Can you Santiesteban help explain it? is a writer, semioti- cian and consultant on indigenous Gustavo Suma Qamaña, Sumaj Kuasay and Sumak Kwasay rights at various Soto are Aymara and Quechua expressions that universities in translate into Spanish as Buen Vivir/Vivir Bien. Bolivia. They are reused in the construction of a dis- course that speaks of a horizon of purposes al- ternative to the current state of affairs, one that is neither ‘21st century socialism’2 nor ‘Andean- Amazonian capitalism’.3 I think Buen Vivir is a proposal aimed at making visible and ex- pressible aspects of reality that are ignored by the dominant paradigm. It is a proposal from a radical and spiritual perspective of ecology, and is logically incompatible with development and industrialisation. It speaks of the possibil- ity of living in common, for which the very concept ‘development’4 is not only insufficient but mistaken. El Buen Vivir and the Commons: A Conversation � Gustavo Soto Santiesteban and Silke Helfrich 39

Javier Medina, a philosopher dedicated 1 Boaventura da to Andean studies, writes: “There is always Souza Santos, Di­ versidades y cam­ more in reality than one can experience or bios civilizatorios: express at any given moment. A greater sen- ¿la utopía del siglo sitivity to the latent potential of situations, XXI? (Belem: FED- AEPS, FSM, 2009). assumed as a sort of broader social paradigm, may ­encourage us to think about things not 2 Editors’ note: ‘21st only as they are, in the Newtonian paradigm, century social- ism’ is a political but also in terms of where they are heading, expression that what they may become” (quoted in Soto 2010). gained currency El Buen Vivir/Vivir Bien is the name given ten years ago, par- ticularly in the con- to something that is like a new principle of hope text of the World grounded in ancestral practices of indigenous Social Forum. It is also frequently communities in the Americas. used in Venezuela by the administra- Silke So, it is not surprising that Bolivia and Ecuador tion of President Hugo Chavez. Helfrich are the two countries where the debate

on el Buen Vivir is most alive. In Ecuador, 35% 3 Álvaro García of the population self-identify as indigenous, Linera, Interview with Miguel Lora, and in Bolivia, 62%. In a take on the topic, www.bolpress. Bolivia’s ambassador in Germany, Walter com, 10 May 2009. Prudencio Magne Veliz, his country’s first in- 4 See Vinod Raina’s digenous ambassador, said: “An indigenous per- essay criticis- son thinks more like a ‘we’ than as an individual ing the concept ‘I’.” What does that ‘we’ encompass? of “develop- ment” in Part 2.

Gustavo Suma Qamaña implies several meanings mani- Soto fested in community life: the fact of animals, persons, and crops living together; living with Pachamama (‘Mother Earth’ — the water, the mountains, the biosphere) and finally liv- ing together with the community of ancestors (w’aka). It is a community practice that finds organisational expression in the ayllu, which articulates this ‘economy-life’ in the chac- ra — the rural agricultural space where El Buen Vivir and the Commons: A Conversation � Gustavo Soto Santiesteban and Silke Helfrich 40

reciprocity predominates. It is evident that 5 See http:// these enunciations are made from the com- lareciprocidad. blogspot.com mons, from the community, from the first per- son plural, and not from ‘me’, from the indivi­ dual. Strictly speaking, the ‘individual’ without community is bereft, orphaned, incomplete.

Silke We find these ideas in many different cultures. Helfrich It’s not just one or the other. Things are not separate, but interrelated. Therefore, Javier Medina, a Bolivian philosopher who is one of the most literate interpreters of the idea of Buen Vivir, says it is a display of intelligence that “we Bolivians want to have the State and also want to have the ayllu, though they are two antagonistic magnitudes….” And he continues: “Our problem is that in not picking up on the civilising nature of both, we confuse them, provoking the inefficiency of both… At this point…, let’s not have any more real State: follow the liberal Third World simulation, nor more real Ayllus: in their place, docile social movements.”5 In your opinion, does the ayllu persist in contemporary Bolivia? Do they have like a ‘physical-social embodiment’?

Gustavo The indigenous ayllu, at the ‘micro-level’, Soto at the local level, persists in the Bolivian alti- plano. It is founded on reciprocity more than on the market; on cultural identity more than on homogenisation; on decision by assembly more than the electoral mechanism; on its de facto autonomy and its relationship with the ‘territory’, which is not the ‘land’ — factor of production — but rather precisely the totality of the system of relationships. El Buen Vivir and the Commons: A Conversation � Gustavo Soto Santiesteban and Silke Helfrich 41

Silke Your description of the ayllu is reminis- 6 David Bollier and Helfrich cent of the concept of commoning, which is Silke Helfrich (eds.), The Wealth discussed so much in this book (The Wealth of the Commons: of the Commons6) and which expresses much A World Beyond better than the term commons where the heart- Market and State (Levellers beat of the debate lies. Both el Buen Vivir and Press, 2012). commoning can only be thought of in their specific social context and as a social process. 7 Massimo De Ange- lis, The Beginning Indeed, it seems to me that both are more sys- of History. Value tems of production in community and at the same Struggles and Glo­ time they produce community. bal Capital (Lon- don: Pluto, 2007).

[ … ] Silke Buen Vivir seems to me both strange and fa- Helfrich miliar. Foreign because of the innumerable references born of a different culture and his- tory. And familiar because it makes me think of commoning. Massimo De Angelis writes: “To turn a noun — commons — into a verb [­commoning…] simply grounds it in what is, ­after all, life flow: there are no commons without incessant activities of commoning, of (re)producing in common. But it is through (re)­production in common that communities of producers decide for themselves the norms, values, and measures of things.”7 Louis Wolcher also reminds us that speak- ing of the commons is not the same as speak- ing of conflicts over property rights. Rather, it is about “people expressing a form of life to support their autonomy and subsistence needs”. In brief, “taking one’s life into one’s own hands, and not waiting for crumbs to drop from the King’s table”. Or from the table of the nation-state. At the same time, he fears that in the western world we are in an unlucky El Buen Vivir and the Commons: A Conversation � Gustavo Soto Santiesteban and Silke Helfrich 42

position, because “we no longer have cultural memory of another way of being”.

Gustavo This (re)surgence of social theories and horizons that en- Soto gage in dialogue with the alternative initiatives and quests of the ‘first’ world is very interesting for Latin America. During the 20th ­century, for example, the discourse, organi- sational forms, strategies, and vision of progress or ‘change’ — if you want to call it that — drew on the ‘lessons’ of European social and political processes. Now, on this Amerindian side, they drink from the communitarian fountains of the Americas, which, we always forget, also inspired the first European uto- pians. Yet, as you say, it is not just a question of discourses but of practices, which, for different reasons, have withstood centu- ries, and which are the condition that makes it possible to build another truly inclusive social order, one that is for everyone. It is not at all simply a question of Indigenous Areas or Protected Community Areas. What is needed is a change in paradigm. � “In talking about and engaging the ­commons we must understand this as the creation of a new subject, one that will save ourselves from the homo œcono­ micus not to ­defeat him but to free him from his slavery to the state and market.”

— Saki Bailey, interview with The Common Sense Forum The State, the Market and Some Preliminary Questions about the Commons (excerpts)

by Ugo Mattei

It is a fact that the alliance which push for modernisation. Ugo Mattei between state institutions and Such modernising efforts have is the Alfred and Hanna Fromm private property interests has encouraged and resulted in Professor been the force behind the race the ‘commodification’ of land, of International for colonial plunder, the en- and of local knowledge, sup- and Comparative Law at the Univer- closure of the commons in ported by a process of cultural sity of California, eighteenth century England, adjustment (human rights, Hastings College and the increased concentra- rule of law, gender equality of the Law in San Francisco, tion of capital (the original etc.) that serves as justify- California and a full accumulation of Marxian ing rhetoric for continuity Professor of Civil memory).1 The ­recessive in plunder.2 Law in the Univer- sity of Turin, Italy. world view is instead based on an ecological and holis- [ … ] tic approach to the world Reducing the commons and displays relationship, to commodities actually limits cooperation and community­ their scope and as a conse- as its typical pattern. This quence their revolutionary model, still present in the potential based on a legitimate organisation of communities claim for radical equalitarian in the “periphery” continues redistribution of resources. to suffer a merciless assault by the structural adjustment and [ … ] comprehensive development Alongside the empirical plans of the World Bank and data now available, we must International Monetary Fund, critically assess our current The State, the Market and Some Preliminary Questions about the Commons (excerpts) � Ugo Mattei 45

institutions and reclaim our individualism and competi­- 1 See Sandro Mezza- common sense about the issue tion as the basis of the cur- dra, “La cosiddetta accumulazione of resource distribution, per- rent legal order, the new order originaria”, in verted too long by the ­liberal must correct this imbalance AA.VV., Lessico agenda of modernity. The com- by focusing on the collective marxiano, Mani­ festolibri, Roma mons project must be as much and the commons as the cen- (2008), pp. 23 – 52. about a new framework tre, creating an institutional for participatory govern- setting reflecting long-term 2 See Ugo Mattei and Laura Nader, ment as alternative property sustainability and full inclu- Plunder. When arrangements. sion of all the global commo­ The Rule of Law is Illegal (Wiley- ners, including the poorest Blackwell, 2008). [ … ] and most vulnerable (human The commons are radically and non humans). To do so incompatible with the idea we need first an epistemic of individual autonomy as de- (and political) emancipation veloped in the rights-based from the predatory appetites capitalistic tradition. In this of both the State and private respect, commons are an property, the two fundamental ecological-qualitative ­category components of the dominant based on inclusion and imperialistic Western wis- ­access, whereas property and dom. Commons lie beyond State sovereignty are rather the reductionist opposition economical-quantitative cat- of ‘subject-object’, which pro- egories based on exclusion duces the commodification (produced scarcity) and violent of both. Commons, unlike pri- concentration of power into vate goods and public goods, a few hands. are not commodities and All this, evidently requires cannot be reduced to the lan- the jurist’s attention to the dif- guage of ownership. They ficult and urgent task of con- express a qualitative relation. structing the new foundation It would be reductive to say of a legal order capable of tran- that we have a common good: scending the property-state we should rather see to what dualisms inherent in the cur- extent we are the commons, rent order. Given the domi- in as much as we are part nance of private property, of an environment, an urban The State, the Market and Some Preliminary Questions about the Commons (excerpts) � Ugo Mattei 46

or rural ecosystem. Here, the subject the domains of private property is part of the object. For this reason (and its ideological apparatuses such ­commons are inseparably related and as self-determination and ‘the mar- link individuals, communities and ket’) and that of the State: not a third the ecosystem itself. way but an ecologically legitimised foe of the alliance between private property and the state. The shift Political shift that we need now to accomplish politically, not only theoretically, Today we can see from examples is to change the dominant wis- all around us, from global warming dom from the absolute domination to the economic collapse, that the of the subject (as owner or State) over ­politically recessive but philosophically the object (territory or more generally more sophisticated holistic paradigm the environment) to a focus on the re- offers us a fundamental and necessary lationship of the two (subject-nature). shift in the perception of reality. In this We need a new common sense recog- context the commons can offer an in- nising, outside of the Western liberal stitutional setting reflexive of the need hubris, that each individual’s survival to reject the false illusion of modern depends on its relationship with oth- liberalism and rationalism. This is ers, with the community, with the en- why we cannot settle to see the ‘com- vironment. The first necessary shift mons’ as a mere third way between that becomes apparent is the move private property and the state as most from a focus on quantity (the funda- of the current debate seems to suggest. mental idea of the scientific revolu- To be sure, in the current academic tion and of capitalist accumulation) resurgence of interest, the commons to quality — a key notion of the alter- are reduced to an institutional set- native holistic vision. ting proposed to manage the leftovers A legal system based on the com- of the Western historical banquet that mons must use the ‘ecosystem’ occupies with States and private pro­ as a model, where a community of in- perty (the mythological market) almost dividuals or social groups are linked the totality of the political scene. by a horizontal mutual connection On the contrary, we believe to a network where power is dis- that the commons must be pro- persed; generally rejecting the idea moted to an institutional struc- of hierarchy (and competition, pro- ture that genuinely questions duced by the same logic) in favour The State, the Market and Some Preliminary Questions about the Commons (excerpts) � Ugo Mattei 47

of a part­icipatory and collaborative land, education) is not a ‘commod- model that prevents the concentration ity’ but rather a shared conception of power in one party or entity, and of the reality that radically challenges puts community interests at the centre. with the arms of critique and some- Only in such a framework can social times with the critique of the arms rights actually be satisfied. In this logic the seemingly unstoppable trend a common (water, culture, the internet, of privatisation/corporatisation. � Understanding Peer to Peer as a Relational Dynamics (excerpt) by Michel Bauwens

Immaterial Commons (CS) as long as new contributors Michel Bauwens vs. the Capitalist Market (MP) replace those who leave; is a theorist, author and researcher. but they are not individu- He is the creator It is important to discuss ally sustainable because of the Foundation the complex relationship life-long contributions based for Peer-to-Peer Alternatives, and between so-called ‘immate- on free labour do not en- one of the key- rial commons’, marked by sure the social reproduction note speakers Communal Shareholding of the workers who contri­ at the European Cultural Founda- dynamics, and the capitalist bute to the commons. Both tion’s Idea Camp marketplace, marked by MP for-benefit institutions and 2015 — ‘Build dynamics. It is of course clear market entities are needed the City’. that the so-called Immaterial to ensure long-term viability: Commons (CS) are themselves the first through fundrais- material in many different ing activities, the second ways (electricity, telecommu- through their contribution nication networks, materiality to the social reproduction of the computers and labour). of the workers. But because of the marginal However, peer produc- cost of reproducing digital tion and capitalism can be material, it nevertheless func- said to exist in a situation tions in quite different ways of mutual co-dependency. than its material infrastruc- As argued by Yann-Moulier ture, i.e. ‘immaterial’ com- Boutang,1 contemporary capi- mons allow for self-allocation talism cannot function with- of human effort. out the positive externalities Peer production projects of social cooperation, and in- are collectively sustainable creasingly those externalities Understanding Peer to Peer as a Relational Dynamics (excerpt) � Michel Bauwens 49

that are specifically generated discuss ‘solutions’ to this con- 1 Yann Moulier by peer production. However, tradiction, but it is important Boutang, Le capi­ talisme cognitif, la corporations that benefit to articulate it clearly. nouvelle grande from commons of code not The interrelation between transformation only benefit from the sur- community, association and (Editions Amster- dams, 2007). plus value produced by their market entities is therefore paid workers, but also from inherently contradictory and 2 McKenzie Wark, the immense free labour rife with tension. This can be Hacker Manifesto (Harvard Univer- value inherent in the com- interpreted as the class strug- sity Press, 2004). mon production. What this gle in the era of knowledge Wark’s class theory based on the con- means is that, although com- production.2 Communities flict between mons of code are successful will be driven to maintain hackers and vecto- in creating use value, the peer the integrity of their com- ralist is not entirely adequate to under- producing communities are mons; corporate entities are stand peer produc- not able to monetise and driven by the need to cap- tion class dynamics, capture the surplus value ture ‘scarce’ and therefore but is nevertheless a useful start. themselves. In this sense, peer monetisable market value production serves the con- and are driven to partial en- tinued existence of the exist- closures of the commons. ing political economy, and Corporations can influence­ ensures a pool of relatively the commons through cheap if not free labour, since the power they exert over only a fraction of contribu- their waged workers, and tions is effectively monetised through the subsidies pro- and can serve for the social vided to the infrastructure reproduction of the workers and for-benefit associations. involved. This means that Every commons is therefore peer production creates both marked by a social tension precarity on the workers’ side, over the polarity of power, but also a crisis of accumula- with at least three players, i.e. tion of capital, since unpaid the community, the corporate free labour is driven from entities and the for-benefit the consumption cycle, thus institution (one could say adding to the current effec- the latter plays a role similar tive demand crisis. In the con- to the ‘state’ in peer produc- text of this article, I will not tion projects). Understanding Peer to Peer as a Relational Dynamics (excerpt) � Michel Bauwens 50

Class aspects of peer production require a severe crisis in the older mode of production, and the availabil- I am positing that there is an under- ity of an emergent ‘hyper-productive’ lying class structure to commons- alternative. While it is not possible based peer production. Why is this to prove or even fully argue this important and how is this related point in this contribution, it stands to my general argument? I believe to reason that corporations switching that commons-based peer produc- to commons-based peer production tion is not a full mode of production would outperform and outcompete within capitalism, as it cannot sustain traditional companies using closed its own social­ reproduction. Indeed, proprietary Intellectual Property with the ‘surplus value’ is clearly captured exclusive reliance on waged workers; by the corporations that monetise and that a significant number of work- the value of free software in their ers would find it beneficial to switch own activities. However, I believe towards contributions to projects that commons-based peer production involving commons-based peer is a ­proto-mode of production, just production. as the shift from slavery to ‘coloni’ So, here is the hypothesis (serfdom) created proto-feudal modes as ­regards the class aspects of peer of value creation within the declining production: Roman Empire, and just as proto-­ In my view, producers are capitalist formations within feudal- know­ledge workers, i.e. a section isms would later coalesce as a domi- of the working class involved in nant capitalist mode of production. the production of immaterial ‘sym- For this transition to happen, it is bolic’ value, but often not in the same required that a section of the pro- structural position as factory workers. ducing class is gradually mobilised Indeed, the essential difference is that into the new mode of value creation the ‘means of production’, computers (slaves into co­loni/serfs, serfs into and networks, are at least under partial workers, workers into peer produc- control of the workers, because of their ers), while a similar shift has to occur distributed nature, which greatly in the ‘managerial’ class (i.e. slave- ­facilitates access. The class condition owners into domain-holders; feudal of peer producers is much more fluid landowners into capitalist investors; than those of the previous industrial capitalist investors into netarchical class, as they can move from the condi- capitalism). A successful shift would tion of wages workers, to freelancers, Understanding Peer to Peer as a Relational Dynamics (excerpt) � Michel Bauwens 51

to voluntary contributors, social tension and ‘class strug- 3 Michel Bauwens, to small entrepreneurs (who gle’. Corporations are always The Social Web and its Social can sometimes themselves divided between their need Contracts (2009). become successful for-profit and desire to facilitate social enterprises). On the other side, cooperation, i.e. the drive 4 See http://www. delicious.com/ it is clear that there is a sector towards ‘openness’, and their mbauwens/P2P- of capital that is interested in need and drive to capture Conflicts; other re- investing in commons-based value through closure and lated tags are ht- tp://www.delicious. peer production, and I call control. I have described com/mbauwens/ this sector that of ‘netarchical the nature of this social an- Netarchical-Cap- italism; and http:// capitalism’. Netarchical capital tagonism, and the unstable www.delicious. is the sector that understands nature of the underlying social com/mbauwens/ that value creation is now contracts, in an article for P2P-Class-Theory driven by social cooperation RePublic,3 while the Delicious outside of the classic wage re- social bookmarking service lation, and aims to profit from contains an ongoing tag moni- it. Peer producers and netar- toring such conflicts.4 chical capital have both con- The class antagonism gruent and divergent interests. hypothesis that I describe Convergent, to the degree that above also informs the ­ethics netarchical capital is funding of communal ­shareholding. and facilitating social coopera- The exact hypothesis is tion, through platforms that, the following: peer ­producers albeit under their control, are workers and their social still allow peer to peer so- condition is determined by cialisation. To the degree that tension between their struc- ­netarchical capital has to fight tural position as ­workers against the old structures in a wage-labour based that hold it back, it can often ­dependency, and their desire be on the same side as peer for ­autonomy in production producers. However, to the through their engagement degree that it needs to cap- in production. In addition, ture exchange value from the in a freelance or ‘entrepre- ­commons and the commoners, neurial’ context, there is also and seeks to maximise profits a tension between this desire on the basis of it, it also creates for autonomy and the need Understanding Peer to Peer as a Relational Dynamics (excerpt) � Michel Bauwens 52

for their social reproduc- entities to the creation not →↘ Chisinau Civic tion through the monetisa- only of sustainable livelihoods Center — open air cinema. Flat tion of their activities. From for the commoners (and thus Space exten- the point of view of netar- avoiding a seepage of surplus sion, 2012. With chical capital, the contradic- value outside the commons the participation of studioBASAR, tion is between their desire and its reproduction), but also Urban Reactor, to create the conditions for a strengthening of the auto­ 3*2*1*0, Oberliht sharing and collaboration, and nomy of the commons outside Association. their need and desire to ex- of a capitalist context. In this tract surplus value. I believe context, the new type of ‘for- there is a potential solution, benefit’ market entities would for the knowledge workers form a counter-economy out- as peer producers, which is side the need for profit max- the creation of new coopera- imisation and capital accu- tive market entities, in which mulation. Counter-economic the peer producers them- coalitions that would practise selves would be the owners, shared design and open book and with a mission-oriented management could obtain structure and governance benefits in mutual coordina- that subsumes the activities tion outside of the classic of these new type of market cash nexus. �

The Boom of Commons-based Peer Production (excerpts) by Christian Siefkes

Today, GNU/Linux is General Public License Christian Siefkes one of the three most (GPL) as an exemplary is an author and computer scientist who has written extensively about popular operating sys- license to legally protect peer-production, open source soft- tems (next to Windows these freedoms. The GPL ware development and commoning and Mac OS), used by (also used by Linux) re- millions of people. mains the most popular Linux is most popular free software license.2 with companies that Another crucial factor need reliable servers. is the community that It is frequently used for coordinates the develop- high-performance ap- ment of the operating plications — more than system. The open, decen- 90% of the world’s 500 tralised and seemingly fastest supercomputers chaotic way of work- use Linux.1 ing together pioneered The success by Torvalds and his of GNU/Linux is based collaborators became on the fact that — like known as the ‘bazaar’ all free software — it is model of software de- a commons that every- velopment (Raymond body can use, improve 2001). It contrasts with and share. The freedoms the top-down, hierar- that make free software chical, meticulously a commons were first planned ‘cathedral’ style defined by Richard of development, once Stallman in the 1980s. used for erecting the me- He designed the GNU dieval cathedrals but The Boom of Commons-based Peer Production (excerpts) � Christian Siefkes 55

also characteristic for privately owned, but 1 See http://top500.org/ software develop­ment in they can be used to con- stats/list/37/osfam many companies. tribute to the shared 2 Regarding alternative licenses goals of a project, not and their compatibility with each [ … ] for financial gain.5 other, see Mike Linksvayer, ‘Creative Commons: Governing the Intel- The GNU/Linux story re- While production for lectual Commons from Below’, in veals the essential char- the market aims to pro- David Bollier and Silke Helfrich acteristics of peer produc- duce something that (eds.), The Wealth of the Commons: A World Beyond Market and State tion. Peer production can be sold, the usual (Levellers Press, 2012), pp. 299 – 304. is based on commons: goal of peer production resources and goods is to produce some- 3 For an extensive discussion of peer-to-peer production, see that are jointly devel- thing useful. Projects Michel Bauwens, ‘The Triune Peer oped and maintained by have a common goal, Governance of the Digital Com- mons’, in David Bollier and Silke a community and shared and all participants Helfrich (eds.), ibid., pp. 323 – 330. according to community- contribute to that goal defined rules.3 The ‘four in one way or another. 4 See the GNU Project, The Free Soft­ ware Definition (2010) at http://www. freedoms’ are the most They do so because they gnu.org/ philosophy/free-sw.html important rules that share the objectives the free software com- of the project, because 5 Commons are often hybrids of pri- vate property and public property munity has given itself: they enjoy what they that co-mingle private and joint everybody may use free are doing, or because use. See for example Liz Alden Wily, programs for any pur- they want to ‘give back’ ‘The Global Land Grab: The New Enclosures’, and Mayra Lafoz pose, adapt them to their to the community. This Bertussi, ‘The Faxinal: A Brazilian needs, share them differs from market pro- Experience of the Commons and with others, improve duction, which is based Its Relationship with the State’, both 6 printed in David Bollier and Silke them and distribute on exchange. Helfrich (eds.), op. cit., respectively 4 the improvements. pp. 132 – 140 and pp. 254 – 257). [ … ] 6 For a detailed discussion of the dif- [ … ] Meanwhile, countless ferences between market logic Peer production provides other projects use an and the logic of the commons, see the capacity to ­create open style of coope­ Stefan Meretz, ‘The Structural Communality of the Commons’, new commons and ration similar to GNU/ and Silke Helfrich, ‘The Logic maintain and improve Linux. The free ency- of the Commons & the Market: the existing ones. Other clopaedia Wikipedia A Shorthand Comparison of their Core Beliefs’, in David Bollier and resources, such as com- is the best known ex- Silke Helfrich (eds.), op. cit., respec- puters, are typically ample. Ten years after tively pp. 28 – 34 and pp. 35 – 36. The Boom of Commons-based Peer Production (excerpts) � Christian Siefkes 56

its inception, there are and by the SketchChair 7 The degrees of freedom granted now Wikipedias in more project. The Open by the various Creative Commons licenses vary; not all of the li- than 200 languages; Architecture Network censes assure all ‘four freedoms’ the English edition alone and the Architecture guaranteed by free software. has more than three for Humanity project See Mike Linksvayer, op. cit. million articles. Linux design buildings whose 8 See Benjamin Mako Hill’s essay and Wikipedia are im- purpose is to serve on ‘open’ versus ‘free’. Benjamin portant examples of two the needs of their in- Mako Hill, ‘Freedom for Users, ‘Not for Software’, in David communities — the free habitants, rather than ­Bollier and Silke Helfrich (eds.), software movement (also making building com- op. cit., pp. 305 – 308. called open source move- panies rich or architects ment) and the free culture famous. OpenWear is movement — that are a collaborative clothing much larger than their platform that supports respective flagships. people in becoming There are hundreds producers and finding of thousands of free soft- collaborators. Wireless ware programs and mil- community networks lions of works (texts, im- organise freely ac- ages, music, even movies) cessible wireless net- published under Creative works in many parts Commons licenses.7 of the world. The Open Open hardware Prosthetics Project projects design physical develops prosthetic products by freely shar- limbs. It was started by ing blueprints, design a former soldier who documents and bills had lost a hand in war of materials.8 In the field and was unable to find of electronic hardware, a commercially avail- the Italian Arduino able prosthesis suiting project is especially well his needs. A special known. Many other goal of the project is projects use or extend to improve the medical its products. Free furni- treatment of people who ture designs are created cannot afford to pay a lot by Ronen Kadushin (e.g., in the global south). The Boom of Commons-based Peer Production (excerpts) � Christian Siefkes 57

[ … ] making it impossible for people to pro- Of course, it is neither possible nor duce their own versions or to improve reasonable for everyone to have all them. But parts of the community are the equipment necessary for produc- trying to overcome this limitation. tion in his or her own basement. Their goal is the creation of an entirely It makes more sense for productive commons-based production infra- infrastructures to be community- structure, a network of free and open based (i.e., jointly organised by the in- facilities that utilise only free software habitants of a village or neighbour- and open hardware. This would pave hood). There are already examples the way to lessening people’s depend- of this. For example, the inhabit- ency on the capitalist market, with ants of the South African town of commons-based peer production pro- Scarborough set up a decentralised ducing more and more of the things ‘mesh network’ that allows them to ac- that people need. cess the internet and the telephone network. Necessary equipment such [ … ] as wireless routers are bought by in- Physical production is impossible dividual citizens. No single person without natural resources. Therefore, or entity owns the network or large peer production won’t be able to re- parts of it, and therefore nobody is in alise its full potential unless access a position to shut it down or censor it. to resources is managed according The networks run on free software and to its principles. Digital peer produc- a large part of the equipment is devel- tion treats knowledge and software oped as open hardware. as a commons. Likewise, physical peer Community-organised produc- production needs to manage resources tion places are emerging as well. and means of production as commons, The global Fab Lab network spans over utilising them in a fair and sustainable 50 cities on five continents. Fab Labs way and preserving or improving their are modern open workshops whose current state. For this it is important goal is to produce ‘almost anything’. to find modes that ensure that nobody That’s not yet realistic, but they can loses out and that everyone’s needs already produce furniture, clothing, (whether productive or consumptive) computer equipment (including circuit are taken seriously. boards) and other useful things. So far, The challenge is huge, but the un- Fab Labs mostly employ proprietary expected success stories of peer pro- machines whose design is not open, duction — such as GNU/Linux and The Boom of Commons-based Peer Production (excerpts) � Christian Siefkes 58

Wikipedia — show that peer produc- of commons-based peer production, tion can achieve a lot. And the long it will be very important to bring history of the commons contains together the perspectives and experi- many examples of the successful long- ences of commoners from all areas — term usage of natural resources and ­whether ‘digital’, ‘ecological’ or ‘tra- of the successful management of user- ditional’. They can learn a lot from built infrastructures. For the future each other. � “We are dealing with a radical shake-up of the foundations of the order of things, as we have known it. A key manifestation and actor in this ­process of the emergence of new orders of things are subaltern migrants.”

— Nicos Trimikliniotis, Dimitris Parsanoglou, Vassilis Tsianos, Mobile Commons, Migrant Digitalities and the Right to the City Mobile Commons, Migrant Digitalities and the Right to the City excerpts( ) by Nicos Trimikliniotis, Dimitris Parsanoglou, Vassilis Tsianos

Prolegomena: In a world these precarious spaces Nicos Trimikliniotis turned upside down to be transformed so is Associate Professor of Law and Sociology and Director of the Centre (excerpts) as to assume the intima­ of the Study of Migration, Inter-ethnic cy and become ‘home’, and Labour Relations at the Univer- It is well documented affective spaces; in other sity of Nicosia. that cities are not only words, we explore how Dimitris Parsanoglou spaces of concentrated the ‘roughness of street’, coordinates, as Senior researcher diversity ­reproducing the kind of micropolitics of the Centre for Gender Studies of the Panteion University of Social new and old types of of encroachment of space and Political Sciences, the FP7 inequalities.1 They are is turned into ‘commons’. project “MIG@NET: Transnational also spaces of precarity- Subaltern and precari- Digital Networks, Migration and Gender”, and he teaches Sociology and-resistance that ous migrants together at the Department of Philosophy constantly redefine the with other subaltern and Social Studies of the Univer- notion of ‘rights’ through and precarious subjects sity of Crete. the constant struggles are protagonists in these Vassilis Tsianos about the character, processes. is lecturer at the Department the meaning and the use of Sociology at the University of Hamburg and Senior Researcher of spaces; beautifully [ … ] with the European project ‘Mig@Net, painted by Georgiou We are dealing with Transnational Digital Spaces, Migra- “the city is a canvas” heterogeneous trans- tion and Gender’. for city dwellers who formations and events, constantly “mark their different types of explo- identities” in their sions, from the Occupy “struggles to find a place Movement events in the city and a place in to the rebellions and the world”.2 We explore riots in New York, Paris, the potentialities for London and Athens, Mobile Commons… � Nicos Trimikliniotis, Dimitris Parsanoglou, Vassilis Tsianos 61

right through to the re- of rage” are spread- 1 See Manuel Castells, Luttes ur- volts in the Arab world. ing, causing panic baines (Paris: Maspero, 1973); Alain Touraine, La Voix et le regard (Paris: The Occupy Movement is to the authorities. Éditions du Seuil, 1978); Saskia Sas- as much a global as a lo- The responses by sen, Guests and Aliens (New York: cal movement respond- the forces of law and The New Press, 2000); Henri Lefe- bvre, The Urban Revolution (Min- ing to the particularities order are typical: they neapolis: University of Minnesota within each society; produce “­appropriate Press, 2003); David Harvey, Rebel the Occupy the Buffer plans” to combat Cities: From the Right to the City to the Urban Revolution (Brooklyn, Zone in Nicosia (OBZ), this “new enemy” in NY: Verso, 2012); Judith Butler, one of the last divided post-cold war world. Parting Ways: Jewishness and cities of the previous The titles of the two the Critique of Zionism (Columbia: Columbia University Press, 2012). order of things, speaks documents produced 2 Myria Georgiou, Media and then to a broader au- by the London security the City: Cosmopolitanism dience. Hence, what authorities, which em- and Difference (Cambridge: happens in Istanbul, phasized the dangers Polity Press, 2013), p. 66. Athens or Nicosia is of “­multiple potential 3 Ibid., p. 24. becoming more sig- attacks by ‘non-state 4 Clive Bloom, Riot City: Protest nificant to New York, actors’ utilizing cyber and Rebellion in the Capital (Pal- grave MacMillan, 2012), p. 29. Buenos Aires, Shanghai technology”, are indica- 5 Gerard Delanty, The Cosmo­ or London than ten, tive: “Securing Britain in politan Imagination: The Re­ 20 or 30 years ago. the Age of Uncertainly” newal of Critical Social Theory This becomes appar- and “A strong Britain in (Cambridge: Cambridge Univer- sity Press, 2009), p. 249. ent, once we appreciate an Age of Uncertainly”. how London, “a bastion Today it appears 6 Paul Mason, Why It’s Kicking Off Everywhere: The New Global of old capitalism and rather ironic to claim Revolutions (London: Verso, 2012). a global city of finance”3 that the European pe- 7 Dipesh Chakrabarty, Provin­ has also become “a riot riphery and core “has cializing Europe: Postcolonial city” under “the con- changed to the advan- Thought and Historical Difference (Princeton: Princeton Univer- stant threat” of “a new tage of the periphery”, sity Press, 2000), p. 209. politics and a new place a view shared by nu- 8 See Étienne Balibar, Poli­ 4 for political action”. merous critical cosmo- tics and the Other Scene We witness similar politan scholars before (London: Verso, 2012). 5 scenes alternating in the economic crisis. 9 Michael Burrawoy, ‘Forging Global different cities, from Together with the mas- Sociology from Below’, paper is based on an address to the Con- London, Madrid, Athens sive attack on labour ference of the Council of National or Istanbul as the “days rights and freedoms, Associations of the International Mobile Commons… � Nicos Trimikliniotis, Dimitris Parsanoglou, Vassilis Tsianos 62

there is talk of a “glo- if we are to compre- Sociological Association held bal ­revolution [ … ] hend what seem to be in Miami, 9 – 10 August 2005. See http://burawoy.berkeley. edu/ kicking off every- incomprehensible trans- Global%20Sociology/Forging%20 where”.6 Reversing formations. We propose Global%20Sociology.pdf the Eurocentric para- a multiple Southern 10 Sandro Mezzadra and Brett Neilson, digm that wants Europe perspective: on the one Border as Method, or the Multiplica- tion of Labor (Durham and London: to remain “the sovereign hand, it is inspired from Duke University Press, 2013). theoretical subject of all what can be seen as a so- 11 Raewyn W. Connell, Southern 7 histories”, we claim cial science perspective Theory: Social Science and that the border triangle from the South,11 the the Global Dynamics of Knowledge of Europe is in many Sociology of the South12 (Cambridge: Polity Press, 2007). instances becoming and Subaltern Studies13 12 Eliana Dockterman, “Turkey 8 Bans Twitter”, Time, available the centre. It has in fact as well as critical online at http:// time.com/32864/ become one of the cen- race, class, gender and turkey-bans-twitter 14 tres where history takes postcolonial studies; 13 Ranajit Guha and Gayatri place in a breathless and on the other hand, it is Chakravorty Spivak, Selected breath-taking vertigo, also a Southern/Eastern Subaltern Studies (New York: Oxford University Press, 1988). which unambiguously and Mediterranean per- 14 See Floya Anthias and Nira Yuval- calls for “forging a so- spective, which essen- Davis, “Contextualising Feminism: ciology from below”.9 tially describes a kind Gender, Ethnic & Class divisions”, The border must indeed of border reflexivity Feminist Review, No. 15, November 1983, pp. 62 – 75, and Racialised 10 be seen as method within Europe. � Boundaries: nation, race, ethnic­ ity, colour and class and the anti racist struggle (London: Routledge, 1992); Étienne Balibar and Immanuel Wallerstein, Race, Nation, Class: Ambiguous identities (London & New York: Verso, 1991); Stuart Hall, The Formations of Modernity: Understanding Modern Socie­ ties an Introduction (Polity Press, 1992); Étienne Balibar, Politics and the Other Scene (London & New York: Verso, 2002); Christopher Kyriakides and Rodolpho D.Torres, Race Defaced: Paradigms of Pes­ simism, Politics of Possibility (Stanford University Press, 2012). All Cameras are Police Cameras

by James Bridle

7 November 2014 James Bridle This essay is the first of a series of reports from The Nor, is a writer, artist, publisher and an investigation into paranoia, electromagnetism, and technologist usually infrastructure, commissioned by the Hayward Gallery, based in London. London in 2014/15 as part of MIRRORCITY. His work covers the intersection of literature, culture On the morning of Thursday, widdershins, down the Euston and the network. 30 October 2014, I set out Road towards Paddington. to walk the perimeter of At its Western end, the Zone’s the London Congestion edge turns down Edgware Charge Zone, a journey Road, runs down Park Lane, of some 12 miles around Grosvenor Place, and Vauxhall the centre of the city. I began Bridge Road, before changing at King’s Cross, and walked course again across the river All Cameras are Police Cameras � James Bridle 64

towards Elephant & Castle, Albinus, Governor of Britain, 1 You can explore Tower Bridge, Spitalfields, allied with Septimius Severus, all of these pho- tographs at Flickr: Shoreditch and returns commander of the troops in (https://www.flickr. to Kings Cross once more Illyricum and Pannonia, but com/photos/stml/ by City Road. soon turned against him, sets/721576490 48658422/), and For reasons that will be- proclaiming himself Emperor via this interactive come clear, I did not complete with the support of the legions map (http://short- this walk within the day. in Britain and Hispania. termmemoryloss. com/nor/map). I did however document When Albinus narrowly the portion that I under- escaped assassination by one took — roughly, half of the to- of Severus’ messengers in 196 tal — in the form of 427 pho- he put himself at the head tos of surveillance cameras. of a 150,000 strong army I photographed every camera and ordered the construc- I saw, which could see me tion of fortifications around (consider this a gross underes- the city. Albinus did not last timation of the total).1 long: sailing to Gaul, he met The Congestion Charge Severus’ army at Lugdunum Zone covers the area enclosed (modern Lyon). In short order by the Third London Wall. This he was defeated and beheaded, Wall continues the transfor- his headless body tossed into mation, begun by the Second, the Rhine, and the head sent from a physical into an elec- to Rome as a warning to other tromagnetic entity. It is made usurpers. of bits, electrons and radio The Romans and their waves, becoming less and less successors rebuilt and refor- visible even as it becomes tified the Wall for the next more pervasive. 1,000 years. Enclosing some The First London Wall was 330 acres, the Wall forced built in the late 2nd century all visitors to pass through by the Romans, in response seven narrow gates that con- to a political crisis. Following nected the city to the Roman the murder of Pertinax in road system. Following 193 — the Year of the Five the Blitz, the remaining Emperors — the Empire de- fragments of the Wall were scended into civil war. Clodius among the highest structures All Cameras are Police Cameras � James Bridle 65

still standing in the City, and can both obvious and inevitable that still be found extant at Barbican a physically static wall would not be and Tower Hill. sufficient. Instead, the wall must ex- The Second Wall was erected pand, and diffuse. some 1,800 years later on the orders Much like its predecessor, of the City of London Police, following the Second Wall still stands, but it the bombing of the Baltic Exchange has been entirely subsumed within in 1992 and Bishopsgate in 1993. the territory of the Third. Its sentry Rather than the Kentish ragstone that boxes are frequently left vacant, its made up the First Wall, the Second gates left open. The only permanently Wall was built of sentry boxes and operating components, its video cam- roadblocks, with access streets nar- eras, form an inner processing ring rowed to chicanes to slow vehicles reinforcing those of its successor. at designated choke points. (As with The Third London Wall — that the redesign of Oxford Street follow- which surrounds the Congestion ing the Gordon Riots of 1780, and in Charge Zone — was completed contrast to Haussmann’s strategy in in February 2003, and extended Paris, London pioneered the use of con- the traditional zone of the Wall from gestion as a tool of state control, which, the financial district of the Square if nothing else, is true to the sclerotic Mile to the West End, the commercial nature of the city itself.) and entertainment district. In this The Second Wall, commonly manner it follows, predictably and known as the ‘ring of steel’, extended admittedly somewhat belatedly, only slightly beyond the boundaries the expansion of capitalism itself into of the first, as the new loci of value, the realm of everyday life. the towers of global finance, were The core technology of the Third broadly contiguous with older forms Wall, again pioneered but only par- of wealth and power. In 2003, fol- tially implemented by the Second, lowing the 11 September attacks is Automated Number Plate on New York City, but preceding Recognition, or ANPR. Installations the 7 July 2005 bombings on London of over 800 ANPR cameras record itself, the police described the likeli- the unique ID of every vehicle that en- hood of a terrorist attack on the city ters the Zone in vast databases for later as “inevitable” and widened the ring analysis. When the Wall was initially slightly. But ever since the 1996 constructed, the public were informed bombing of Docklands it had been that this data would only be held, All Cameras are Police Cameras � James Bridle 66

and regularly purged, by Transport the roadway, the driver, passengers and for London, which oversees traffic mat- passers-by. ters in the city. However, within less The gradual vacation of the human than five years, the Home Secretary sentry boxes of the ring of steel, and gave the Metropolitan Police full access their replacement with the automated to this system, which allowed them eyes and minds of the ANPR system are to take a complete copy of the data pro- mirrored, out of sight, by the replace- duced by the system. ment of rooms of watchers with data- This permission to access the data bases, and of cartographers with LIDAR was granted to the police on the sole systems atop cars, and sensors aboard condition that they only used it when satellites in low earth orbits. Watching National Security was under threat. But robots, camera drones, these seeing since the data was now in their posses- systems operate continuously, beyond sion, the police reclassified it as ‘crime’ the range of human interest and en- data and now use it for general po- durance. And they operate, always, licing matters, despite the wording from above, giving them the privilege of the original permission. As this data of surveillance. is not considered to be ‘personal data’ Surveillance images are all ‘before’ within the definition of the law, the po- images, in the sense of ‘before and lice are under no obligation to destroy after’. The ‘after’ might be anything: it, and may retain their ongoing record an earthquake, a riot, a protest, a war. of all vehicle movements within Any system reliant on flow, which the city for as long as they desire. is all networks from vehicle traffic The ANPR cameras that operate on, to commercial supply to video feeds within, and beyond the boundaries to the internet itself, views disrup- of the Congestion Charge Zone capture tions within the same negative moral several pieces of data at once, in two context. Surveillance images attain forms. The first is raw information: the status of evidence for unknown the unique plate number of the vehicle crimes the moment they are created, tracked, the date and time of the track- and merely await the identification ing, and the location. The other two are of the moment they were created images: a cropped image of the plate for. Automated imagery criminalises itself, for supporting the automated its subject. ‘read’, and a wider image of whole Suspicion is a global variable. vehicle at the moment it is tracked, Once triggered it bubbles upward which may also include other vehicles, through the entire system. Walking All Cameras are Police Cameras � James Bridle 67

down Park Lane, I was accosted by equipment that may be used to commit a man in a suit who demanded to know a burglary. what I was doing. He took out his Of course, the threats of the mobile phone, pointed it at my face, policemen were utterly baseless. told me he was going to “circulate my Of course the use of cameras in public, description”. as dictated in numerous statements Shortly afterwards, a colleague by the Metropolitan Police them- of his physically restrained me and selves, is not, and should not be con- called the police. Both men worked strued as, a crime. But, as anyone who at the Grosvenor House Hotel, whose has ever encountered the police in an cameras were among those that had analogous situation knows, the law been trained on me as I walked, and comes a distant second to the exercise so are included in my documentation. of power itself. When they arrived, the police of- The Fourth London Wall will ficers explained that carrying a camera be made of transponders carried in in the vicinity of Central London was the vehicles themselves. Various grounds for suspicion. I might be a ter- forms of these are already on trial in rorist who posed a threat to the good the United States, where the E-ZPass citizens of London — my own city. system has migrated from toll bridges Equally I might be casing the joint for and tunnels and out into the wider some future crime, studying its defenc- city, where it can track the passage es in order to circumvent them. of vehicles with radio waves. The in- Carrying a camera thus justified troduction of diagnostic data ports the suspicion of the security guards in cars has lead to the uptake of con- who stopped me and performed a citi- sumer monitors that also transmit zen’s arrest, detaining me until the ar- location data, as do many common GPS rival of the police. This suspicion in systems. These systems will soon be turn justified the actions of the police, formalised in the eCall platform, which who threatened me with arrest if I did will be mandatory in all new vehicles not identify myself and explain my by the end of 2015. actions. For carrying a camera, I was It is also being seen in the devel- told, I could be taken to the station opment and deployment of roving and charged with “Going Equipped”, ANPR, fitted to every police vehicle and a provision of the 1968 Theft Act that soon onto the bodies of council op- determines the imprisonment for eratives themselves. Finally, the Wall up to three years of anyone carrying loses all physical definition, becoming All Cameras are Police Cameras � James Bridle 68

a truly ubiquitous zone, rather than unique, storeable profiles from them. a fixed barrier. While it’s always amusing to think As the intentionality of the camera’s of how such systems could be evaded image disappears into automation, and through the use of masks or disrup- the Wall becomes ethereal and obscure, tive patterns, it should be noted that so the image itself dissolves, replaced Section 60AA of the Criminal Justice by data. Cameras no longer see in pic- and Public Order Act 1994, deployed tures, but record and process informa- across Central London on the night tion: the string of numbers on a car li- of 5 November 2014, gives the police cence plate, the dimensions of a human the right to define a zone in which any- face, the IMEI of a mobile phone, the in- one refusing to reveal their face may be frared reflectivity of plants, the depth imprisoned for up to a month. and tonality of a voice. Each Wall, and the Abstract Wall Around the time of the Fifth Wall, in its totality, is a model-mirror of so- the system (which once contained ac- cial processes. As the Third Wall is tual human sensors, men with spears the natural product of the expansion atop its ramparts), will regain the abil- of financial systems and logics from ity to see individuals. At first, this will the banking sector into every other, be done through the medium of mobile and the Fourth Wall addresses the phone tracking, which is also already mechanisation of the supply chain and present within the Zone. The swift the domination of logistics systems, shut-down by the City of London so the Fifth goes hand in hand with of the Renew ‘spy bins’, which tracked the rapidly expanding privatisation the movements of passers-by, belies of public space, the latest weapon being the widespread existing implementa- deployed against Londoners’ lingering tion of the system in shops and retail desire for the freedoms of city life. zones across the city, continually I finished my walk at Vauxhall, monitoring the movements of shoppers as my detention on Park Lane had cost and passers-by. the better part of the early afternoon. At the same time, camera sys- I hope to complete the walk at a later tems deployed at the airports in date. The decision to stop was made, the outer reaches of the zone have appropriately enough, in the shadow already developed the ability to read of Vauxhall Cross, the headquarters human faces, irises, expressions and of the Secret Intelligence Service, MI6. gaits in exactly the same manner The blazing red spot on the map, de- as their ANPR predecessors, and build noting a concentration of cameras, is All Cameras are Police Cameras � James Bridle 69

accounted for by this — and by apps, fitness monitors and On next pages: the far more mysterious build- wearable computers), these → All images: James Bridle, ing at 1 Bessborough Gardens are always the accompani- The Nor, Part One: on the other side of the river, ment or introduction to man- The Wall, courtesy blank-faced, festooned with datory systems, and are best of the artist https:// www.flickr.com/ cameras, whose neighbours seen as elective, collabora- photos/stml/ regularly complain of electro- tive trials rather than early sets/7215764904 magnetic interference. adoption or individualistic 8658422/ For contrast, see the statis- disruption. Each successive tically unlikely dearth of cam- Wall is only erected when the eras shown in the area south ­relevant technologies and so- of the Grosvenor Park Hotel, cial systems have arisen that on the lower half of Park Lane. no longer depend on consent. Of course, there aren’t fewer The Sixth Wall will be cameras there. It’s a high- built from the things you risk area. An area attractive wear on your body and ar- to thieves and terrorists. But range on the shelves in when you’ve been physically your bedroom. Nest, QOL, restrained by blank men in Hue. Automatic. Smart TVs. suits, lectured and threatened HAPIfork. Vessyl. Autographer. by police officers, you really Memeto. Glass. Dropcam. just want to get away from Jawbone. Fuel. Withings. there as quickly as possible. Fitbit. Healthkit. Little police- When you get in trouble for men in your pocket, little po- looking at the cameras, you licemen on your skin. stop looking at the cameras. The Sixth Wall will be But you should really be look- made of intelligent dust that ing at the cameras. settles in the folds of your One of the defining clothes and communicates characteristics of the Wall your position and heart rate is that it is not, and cannot to orbiting satellites. London’s be, voluntary. While some citizens will dream, and of the strategies listed here the images of their dreams are based on cooperation with will dance on the telescreens the Wall system (tachyome- of Piccadilly Circus, and be ters, navigation and check-in found wanting. � All Cameras are Police Cameras � James Bridle 70 All Cameras are Police Cameras � James Bridle 71 All Cameras are Police Cameras � James Bridle 72 “The metropolis is a ­factory for the produc- tion of the common.”

— Michael Hardt & Antonio Negri, Commonwealth All Cameras are Police Cameras � Michael Hardt & Antonio Negri 74 What's the Recipe for a Municipal Movement?

What’s underlying the current politi- of the last four years. This was drawn cal situation in Spain? What’s behind by the artist María Castelló and de- the new political actors from Spanish veloped by ZEMOS98 in the context civil society? What have we experi- of the project Radical Democracy: enced since 15M (Spanish Occupy)? Reclaiming the Commons. A project This is an illustrated genealogy that coordinated by Doc Next Network tries to explain the process of some where the Spanish Medialab was of the social movements that drew coordinated by Sofía Coca and on the previous experience of the new formed also by Lucas Tello, Nuria partiets and citizens’ platforms that Campabadal, Guillermo Zapata and are changing the public ­institutions Mario Munera. More media and in Spain. This is just onepossible ­ ­other ­materials are available on itinerary (there are many more) www.municipalrecipes.cc � Class Discourse in the Metropolis

by Carlos Delclós

Social scientists and urban in economic development. Carlos Delclós scholars have been writing for His argument that attracting is a sociologist and writer and editor years about how Barcelona’s and retaining highly educated of ROAR Magazine. social structure has evolved professionals to urban centres He is the communi- over the last several decades, leads to growth, urban regen- cations coordinator for the Doc Next as its previously industrial eration and life-satisfaction Network’s Radical production model has given proved very convincing to city Democracy project way to a post-industrial, officials looking for a new pro- (www.docnextnet- work.org/chal- ­ service-oriented economy gressive narrative for the post- lenge). increasingly centred around industrial scenario. Barcelona tourism. This transformation was no exception to this, and has been accompanied by his work became a standard a ­millenarian fascination with reference in the city’s bid emerging forms of economic to become a Smart City, char- production that has eclipsed acterised by the use of dig- considerations of changes ital technologies to improve in the relationship between economic performance and people and production. Thus, the well-being of residents. as discourses regarding work In such a framework, gen- grew more abstract and im- trification is the focal point material, class discourse of class tensions. But recently, became more absent and less Florida and many like-minded substantive. urban scholars have begun In the early 2000s, ­urban to strongly question the va- theorist Richard Florida lidity of the term, originally recognised this absence and coined by British sociologist stepped into the gap with Ruth Glass to ­describe the dis- his writings on the impor- placement of low-income resi- tance of the creative class dents by more affluent ones. Class Discourse in the Metropolis � Carlos Delclós 77

Their argument is that gen- he describes as ‘high bohe­ 1 Victor Lenore, trification is an exceedingly mians’. Characterised by indi- ­Indies, hipsters y gafapastas: vague concept that is difficult vidualistic lifestyle ­preferences Crónica de una to employ scientifically, and and cultured tastes, they are dominación that attention should instead popularly associated with an cultural (Capitán Swing, 2014). be focused on concentrated increasingly relevant figure advantage and disadvantage. in the urban landscape: 2 Owen Jones, It is a somewhat ­misleading the hipster. Chavs: The Demonization approach to the question, Generally imagined of the Working presenting concentrated as white, male, privileged and Class (Verso disadvantage as static and effete, the hipster provides Books, 2012). ­neglecting the role of gentrifi- critics of Florida’s ‘urban re- cation as the dynamic through newal’ recommendations with which people are displaced a compelling enemy through to such areas. which to sublimate urban Yet the idea is gaining class antagonisms. In recent support among many aspiring years, the pop-political cri- ‘creatives’, not least because tique of hipsters has quickly it lends itself quite favourably emerged as a widely read sub- to the fractal identity politics genre of internet literature of the post-industrial era. and even made it to book- Essentially, the three classes shelves, perhaps most notably Florida refers to (the crea- in Spain with Victor Lenore’s tive class, the service work- Indies, hipsters y gafapastas: ing class and the industrial Crónica de una dominación working class) are a broad re- cultural,1 which is now in its grouping of the USA’s Standard fourth edition. Meanwhile, Occupational Classification. interest in the working class Florida identifies the crea- antithesis of the hipster is tive class with a wide range also growing, as evidenced by of occupations spanning tech the impact of Owen Jones’s workers, artists, engineers, Chavs: The Demonization musicians, health-care pro- of the Working Class.2 fessionals, lesbians and gay On the surface, this inter- men, business ­professionals, est in identities that embody ­teachers, scientists and what urban class antagonisms Class Discourse in the Metropolis � Carlos Delclós 78

seems to stem from the inequalities Guy Standing has referred to them), exacerbated by years of economic crisis there is evidence that the vast majority and austerity in Western Europe. It is of the college-educated precariat had tempting to view the hipster vs. chav parents who did not go to university. conflict as one between the creative Thus, it is reasonable to consider that class and a service working class that a class discourse articulated around has replaced the industrial working identities based on lifestyles and con- class. Yet such a view reifies Florida’s sumption preferences — which are conceptual framework by granting more strongly shaped by one’s age and the same excessive importance to life- educational level than by their social style preferences, consumer habits and class of origin — might do more to di- occupation, overlooking the defining vide and suppress an emerging class issue facing work and shaping social antagonism than it does to galvanise it. classes in the post-industrial era: In contrast, a cursory examina- precarity. tion of the powerful class discourses Precarity splits occupational classes used by the two most recent examples between insiders and outsiders, estab- of massively supported antagonist poli- lishing a hierarchical gradient that goes tics in Spain, the Indignados movement beyond questions of occupational pres- for radical democracy and Podemos, tige to determine the extent to which reveals not only a strong aversion workers are exposed to a variety to identity politics of this kind, but also of risks such as unemployment, under- the desire to overcome them by impos- employment or poverty, or mental and ing a new narrative with a new master physical health risks. While it is known signifier. Slavoj Žižek has frequently to disproportionately affect women, and mistakenly dismissed these dis- youth and foreign-born residents, there courses as a simple demand for a new is also evidence that the neoliberal master directed at an unspecified elite. reforms carried out under the guise What he fails to realise is that the goal of austerity are extending precarity of both the Indignados and Podemos was across occupational categories to those never to engage the political establish- who previously enjoyed relatively sta- ment through calls for ethical reforms. ble employment conditions. Rather, the target of their discourse Moreover, although college-educat- was society at large and they were im- ed young people constitute a substan- mensely successful in getting their tial and growing portion of the rapidly narratives across. By April of 2013, expanding precariat (as the economist the Values and Worldviews Survey Class Discourse in the Metropolis � Carlos Delclós 79

carried out by the BBVA Foundation We are the people at the bottom and we identified Spain as Europe’s most anti- are coming for the people at the top”) capitalist country, with 74% of the into electoral politics. population expressing disdain for To counter this threat of collective the ideology. The country also showed action, the establishment unsurpris- the lowest average rating of the in- ingly seeks to atomise. And to do this, stitutions that make up the Troika, they centre their discourse around including the International Monetary the figure of the entrepreneur (em- Fund and the European Central Bank, prendedor), essentially a re-branding the main targets of the Indignados’s of the creative class, with a telling dif- criticism. ference in the Spanish context: here, Similarly, Podemos’s critique the self-employed were previously of The Regime of 1978 (the year Spain’s referred to as autónomos. constitution was signed into law) and Today, however, this figure has la casta (the caste) have proven tremen- become associated with precarity, dously effective in mobilising massive a condition that is antithetical to au- discontent against the classes benefit- tonomy. It seems that the establish- ting most from the current social order. ment’s most ‘creative’ response to an Applying Ernesto Laclau’s theory about emerging class identification based the utility of “empty signifiers” for on the employment relationship was left-wing populist politics, they have to simply re-brand one subset of pre- successfully brought the Indignados carious workers through a strictly slogan (“We are not the left or the right. ­occupational ­distinction. � How to Stop Gentrification in London: What We Can Learn from Spain’s New Rebel Mayors

by Dan Hancox

Imagine if National Health citizens’ platform Barcelona Dan Hancox Service (NHS) worker and en Comú. is a freelance writer, interested in radical single mother Lindsey The message from Spain politics, protest, Garrett, who campaigned is clear: rather than fighting and pop culture to save the New Era Estate against City Hall, maybe we in Britain, Spain and beyond. He in Hackney from develop- should be fighting from City notably writes for ment sharks, was the next Hall. Backed by, but indepen­ The Guardian, LRB, Mayor of London, rather dent from, left-wing political VICE, New States­ man, Frieze, Five than some slick politician. party Podemos, a wave of city- Dials, The National. It’s not impossible — for based radical democratic one thing, she is running for candidacies has just swept the post in 20161 — but also, Spain’s established parties that’s pretty much what has from power. Ada Colau and just happened in Barcelona. Barcelona en Comú have Ada Colau, the woman who taken the Catalan city,2 while established the hugely suc- the capital Madrid, normally cessful direct action housing the secure home of the right- group the PAH (Plataforma de wing Partido Popular, has Afectados por la Hipoteca or been similarly shaken by Platform for People Affected a new constellation called by Mortgages), which has Ahora Madrid, which seized blocked over 1,000 evictions 32% of the vote3 and will now and counting), has just been form a coalition arrangement elected Mayor of the Spanish with the centre-left Socialist city, as head of the new Party PSOE( ). How to Stop Gentrification in London: What We Can Learn from Spain’s New Rebel Mayors � Dan Hancox 81

Barcelona en Comú is al- of the Mexican state since 1 Simon Harris, ITV ready setting out its store. It the 1990s. The fascinating News, 12 May 2015. See http://www. is breathtaking because it is populist paradox in Spain itv.com/news/lon- so radical and so blindingly is that these new platforms don/2015 -05- 14/ common-sense at the same often have inspiring leaders campaigner-who- fought-housing- time, but most of all because it who look suspiciously like evictions-to-stand- is delivering on its promises: ordinary people. But they are in-mayoral-race/ there will be fines for banks not about their leaders — they 2 Miquel Noguer, that hold empty properties in have direct roots in the mas- El Pais, 25 May the city; a tax on electricity sive, leaderless 2011 Indignados 2015. See http:// companies; free transport for movement, and also in local elpais.com/el- pais/2015/05/25/ under 16s; a review of (often neighbourhood organisations inenglish/14325 shoddy) working conditions of the big cities. Barcelona 41816_126570.html among all City Hall sub- en Comú, Ahora Madrid and 3 Bruno García Gallo, contracted employees; job ­others seek to turn what is El Pais, 25 May creation through property often the sham of modern 2015. See http:// elpais.com/el- renovation; an elimination electoral democracy inside out, pais/2015/05/25/ of official cars; reduction of of- and hand it over to the people. inenglish/14325 ficials’ salaries; a subsidy for As one local put it, “Colau does 41787_724673.html low-income households; and not represent us — I’ve voted 4 Roarmag.org, a freeze on new hotel building. to change representation into 25 May 2015. It is a platform designed to re- participation.”5 See http://roarmag. org/2015/05/ verse Barcelona’s frenetic and As David Harvey ­argued barcelona-comu- untrammelled gentrification, in his 2012 book Rebel election-victory/ and to reverse the trend of cit- Cities,6 the misery inflected 5 See Twitter ht- ies as little more than vehicles by contemporary capitalism tps://twitter.com/ for ever-widening inequality. and state power needs to be BueRubner/sta- Colau announced her vic- tackled based on the realities tus/6024558 19041529857 tory saying that she would of people’s everyday lives,

“govern by obeying the peo- not via dusty texts written by 6 David Harvey, ple”,4 which is a phrase used dead Russians. In the west, Rebel Cities: From the Right by the revolutionary indig- the factories are going or to the City enous Mexican movement gone. Work is often precarious to the Urban Revo­ the Zapatistas, who have es- and labour organising is dif- lution (Brooklyn, NY: Verso, 2012). tablished egalitarian self-gov- ficult — the city must become ernment that is independent the new factory. The terrain How to Stop Gentrification in London: What We Can Learn from Spain’s New Rebel Mayors � Dan Hancox 82

on which we organise This astonishing map provides 7 New Policy Institute and fight for justice, equal- links to 45 housing and anti- and Trust for Lon- don, London’s Pov­ ity and real democracy is no gentrification campaigns in erty Profile 2013, longer the factory shop floor, the capital — only a handful http://www.london- but the actual places where were in existence a year ago. spovertyprofile.org. uk/LPP_2013_Re- we live. London and Barcelona Skills and experience are be- port_Web.pdf share similar problems as they ing shared from the Focus grow, gentrify and privatise. E15 mums to the New Era 8 See vice.com, 27 April 2015: As my hometown residents, from Cressingham http://www.vice. of London explodes in Gardens in south London com/en_uk/read/ size — with 1.3 million to the Sweets Way Estate brixton-foxtons- smashed-reclaim- new Londoners expected in the north. demonstra- by 2030 — its chief subject, Londoners are mounting tion-388 the precarious city dweller, hyper-specific, hyper-local is also proliferating at a rate campaigns to defend their of knots. While each new homes against the ersatz glass skyscraper in the shape golden handshake proffered by of a kitchen appliance is a new the regeneration industry and monument to success for its patrons in our town halls. some, there does not appear These are the most important to be a corresponding reduc- practical battles of the minute, tion in inequality or suffering based as they are in communi- in the capital. On the con- ties, among neighbours, for trary, in the decade leading the essential right to live in up to 2011–12, the number the city. Interestingly, their of people in in-work pov- logic is broadening outwards: erty in London increased by the recent Reclaim Brixton 440,0007 — as real wages protest was notable because stagnated and house prices, it objected to gentrification rents and living costs soared. as a general process.8 In London we are a long The rapid and recent way off the jubilant scenes growth of these campaigns on the streets of Barcelona also speaks to the question and Madrid in May 2015, but posed by the new Spanish there are promising signs that populism of Podemos and the fight back is beginning. its municipal friends in How to Stop Gentrification in London: What We Can Learn from Spain’s New Rebel Mayors � Dan Hancox 83

→ London housing and gentrification campaigns. See https://www. google.com/ maps/d/u/0/ viewer?mid= zFuqvrQCgNdM. kVkO1xRLk01I

Barcelona, Madrid, Zaragoza, housing is insecure as well. 9 Dan Hancox, The ­Guardian, Cadiz and beyond: how do you In the light of its rapid gen- 9 February build a left-wing alternative trification and the deep-set 2015. See http:// whose language and tactics Spanish housing crisis, www.theguard- ian.com/com- don’t reek of a past of failure it makes perfect sense that mentisfree/2015/ and irrelevance? Podemos’s Barcelona’s new Mayor is feb/09/ernesto- populist philosophy, adapted the leader of the PAH, the radi- laclau-intellectual- figurehead-syriza- from the late Argentinian cal anti-eviction movement podemos philosopher Ernesto Laclau,9 that has garnered 89% approv- aims to construct “an inter- al in polls. Tellingly, a docu- 10 See YouTube: https://www. nal antagonistic frontier” mentary about the PAH has youtube.com/ of the people against a cor- been doing the rounds among watch?v=ca rupt and self-serving elite. London’s growing number D17RKJfbc In the context of a city, it pulls of housing activist groups a veil over the ‘old left’ because recently.10 With unaffordable it is based on a new subject: housing the new norm in not the Fordist factory worker, London, this emerging ‘an- but the precarious city dweller. tagonistic frontier’ is forming Their employment is against a property developer ­insecure, irregular and poorly and landlord class that is be- paid, of course — but their ing subsidised country-wide How to Stop Gentrification in London: What We Can Learn from Spain’s New Rebel Mayors � Dan Hancox 84

by the tax-payer to the tune with no more storied an ide- 11 Hilary Osborne, of £26.7 billion a year, via tax ology than the notion that The Guardian, 9 February 2015. 11 breaks and housing benefit. the city should belong to all See http://www. So how do we follow its citizens, not just the rich theguardian.com/ Spain’s example and make and powerful. money/2015/ feb/09/private- the leap from those 45 local- We are many, and they landlords-gain-26- ised campaigns to City Hall are few, and we have to 7-billion-uk-taxpay- itself? The London Mayoral ­remind ourselves of that as er-generation-rent elections in 2016 will see we gaze up at the opalescent, 12 See http://take- a few interesting candidates mocking hubris of The Shard. backthecity.org/ on the ballot — Lindsey As a famous Spanish radical 13 Buenaventura Garrett from the New Era from a few generations prior Durruti. See Estate, for one; Sian Berry to Ada Colau said, ”it is we https://libcom.org/ history/durruti- from the Greens, for an- who built these palaces and buenaventura- other. A new non-partisan cities — and we can build 1896 – 1936 organisation on the Spanish others to take their place”.13 model, Take Back the City,12 To the millions of Londoners was launched in London re- who have been abandoned, cently, with the notion that ignored or exploited by poli- they might find and sup- ticians and bosses; to young port a “people’s candidate for people herded out of public Mayor” in 2016. Hopefully this space and out of free educa- goal will only be a one side- tion, permanent renters, product of a much wider effort migrants, victims of racist to empower the city’s mar- policing, the disabled, ­carers, ginalised communities. Take the insecurely housed, Back The City is formed from the underpaid and unem- the same mindset as the new ployed — it’s time to take wave of housing campaigns, back our cities. � “The fight for the commons in cities is essentially a fight to reclaim democracy — and to ­­re-imagine how city life is organized.”

— David Bollier, ‘The Commons, Political Transformation and Cities’ Watching Radical Democracy: Doc Next Network goes looking for alternative democracy & finds an urban movement for the commons

by Charlie Tims

Initiated by the European by DNN co-funded by Charlie Tims Cultural Foundation in 2010, the Open Society Initiative is currently working as a researcher Doc Next Network (DNN) is for Europe that used media with the Doc Next a platform of media-interested making as a way of research- Network (http:// organisations from across ing, celebrating and support- www.docnextnet- work.org/) and Europe that collaborate with ing people across Europe who is an associate one another on projects that are calling for better forms of the think tank use film and media to explore of democracy. Demos. social issues. DNN believes in In the run up to the using media in collaborative elections to the European ways, often working directly Parliament last year, we an- with citizens and social agents. nounced a media challenge in- Their hope is that this approach viting film and media ­makers will result in powerful new from across Europe to craft stories about life in Europe. videos that proposed ways I have been working with to improve democracy. More DNN for the last year digging than 200 videos were submit- around in its media archive, ted. They came from cam- looking for stories, connec- paigners, amateur film makers tions and associations. and hobby media makers. This article is the story Much dissatisfaction with of Radical Democracy — democracy was expressed. a eighteen-month project Here are some examples. Watching Radical Democracy � Charlie Tims 87

Censorship ↙↓ Backward Run Here are two frames from an animated film Backward Run by by Ayce Kartal, 2013, courtesy Turkish animator Ayce Kartal. The animation shows how control of DNN Media of television and newspapers kept the 2013 Gezi Park protests Collection (CC BY- from public view. NC-ND 3.0).

Repression

These two frames are taken from Grayscale by the Ninotchka Art Project, which questions how much Spain’s policing of public protest has changed since Franco’s dictatorship. ↙↓ Grayscale by Ninotchka Art Project, 2013, courtesy of DNN Media Collection (CC BY-SA 3.0). Watching Radical Democracy � Charlie Tims 88

↖↑ I Believe by ZEMOS98, 2013, courtesy of DNN Media Collection (CC BY-SA 3.0). Venal politics

Many videos submitted to the video challenge poked fun at vain and power-hungry politicians. These frames are taken from I Believe, made by the Spanish collective ZEMOS98. Watching Radical Democracy � Charlie Tims 89

↑ Hungarian Two-Tailed Dog Party by Áron ­Halász, 2013, ­courtesy of DNN Media Collection (CC BY-NC- SA 3.0).

Big business

Fear of powerful corporations and oligarchs bending democratic institutions to their will featured in many videos. The Hungarian Two-Tailed Dog Party submitted by Áron Halász shows an ironic protest in support of bankers and oligarchs. Watching Radical Democracy � Charlie Tims 90

↑ A Little Piece of Land by ­Marjolein Busstra, 2014, courtesy Excluded groups of DNN Media Collection (CC BY- NC-ND 3.0). If measured in video minutes alone, the greatest problem with democracy in Europe, according to the Radical Democracy Video Challenge, was the low status of individuals and groups suffer- ing discrimination, exploitation and criminalisation. This list included homeless people criminalised for living on the streets in Hungary, asylum seekers, sex workers, disabled people, gay people, transsexuals and women. This frame is taken from A little piece of land made by Marjolein Busstra. It shows ‘urban nomads’ struggling for the right to live on a strip of wasteland on the edge of Amsterdam. Watching Radical Democracy � Charlie Tims 91

↑ I Can Be There Too? by Emese Jerne, 2014, courtesy of DNN Media Collection Alternatives (CC BY 3.0).

As well as all this dissatisfaction and frustration, alternative systems of democratic representation were proposed in some videos. I can be there too argues for a democracy featuring the idea of random citizen representation in governments. An election by lottery rather than vote. In the film, Emese Jerne sees her number selected on national television. Later we see her arriving at the parliament to take office. In 2014 the Belgian Youth Parliament dissolved itself calling for elective democracy to be replaced with a citizen lottery. Watching Radical Democracy � Charlie Tims 92

Another video made by a Polish film maker, Inga ↑ Meet Two Hajdarowicz, focused on participatory budgeting in Medellin, of Them by Inga Hajdarowicz, 2014, Colombia. Participatory budgeting is a process of deciding how courtesy of DNN a proportion of a city’s budget is spent through a series of public Media Collection dialogues. Here is a shot of Adriana Giraldo Soto showing build- (CC BY-SC- NA 3.0). ing works paid for by participatory budgeting that is improving her community.

Taking democracy closer to everyday life

But systemic proposals like this were few and far between. Where films drew attention to alternatives and hope, ‘radical democracy’ was interpreted to mean acting locally to defend housing from developers, protecting and supporting the growth of public spaces and challenging institutions to be more publicly accountable. You could say that, for these video makers, radi- cal democracy was about applying the principle of democracy to everyday life. Watching Radical Democracy � Charlie Tims 93

Hope Area #2 made by Jeanne Dressen opens a window ↑ Hope Area #2 by on the Paris Occupy protests in 2011. Jeanne Dressen, 2012, courtesy of DNN Media Col- lection (CC BY-SC- NA 3.0).

← A Winter’s Tale of Spring by Ermni Kadic, 2014, courtesy of DNN Media Collection (CC BY 3.0).

Ermni Kadic’s A Winter’s Tale of Spring tells the story of Bosnia’s plenums — assemblies that formed during protests across Bosnia during Spring 2014. Watching Radical Democracy � Charlie Tims 94

A series of videos submitted by Vladimir Turner show artistic ↖↑ Merrygoround interventions that symbolically challenge the power of advertis- (2012), Enlighten- ment (2013), Urba- ing in public space. nia Jones (2012) by Vladimir Turner, courtesy of DNN Media Collection Emeko Fil Gullarie’s Grand Mansion of el Pumarejo shows (CC BY-NC 3.0). the depth of feeling among people in Seville, Spain who are ­campaigning for a publicly owned apartment to stay open.

←Grand Mansion of el Pumarejo by Emeko Fil Gullarie, 2014, courtesy of DNN Media Col- lection (CC BY-NC- SA 3.0). Watching Radical Democracy � Charlie Tims 95

In Fight Visual Pollution, Marija Jacimovic calls for political posters to be cleared away from public spaces after elections have passed.

← Fight Visual Pollution by Marija Jacimovic, 2014, courtesy of DNN Media Collection (CC BY-NC- SA 3.0).

Reclaiming the commons

Films like this showed campaigners and artists symbolically, ­literally and legally trying to claim space in cities, disrupt its rules and replace the dominating influence of one group with a democratic spirit. In the second phase of Radical Democracy, we referred to this action as ‘reclaiming the commons’ — ­because for these struggles, protests and campaigns to be success­ful, they would need to establish new common spaces, goods and resources in cities. These spaces would need to be ­accessible and influenced by the people who used them. In this second phase, after the original Media Challenge, the four media making hubs of Doc Next Network in Spain, Poland, Turkey and the UK worked with local campaigning orga­ nisations. They aimed to help these campaigns with videos and other forms of media. The campaigners worked in three related areas — reclaiming home, public space and political parties. Watching Radical Democracy � Charlie Tims 96

Homes ↑ Who Guards the Guardians? by DNN UK Media Here are some frames taken from two videos made in Lab, 2015, courtesy London that aimed to support people campaigning to im- of DNN Media Col- prove the conditions of tenants who rent privately in London. lection (CC BY-NC- SA 3.0). The first of the two videos aimed to inform the viewer about the ­diminished status of property guardians — effectively legal squatters who waive what few rights tenants have in London for cheap rents in buildings that are awaiting development. The guardian is in the bottom left hand corner of the shot.

This next frame is taken from a mocumentary that illustrates the socially destructive nature of London’s rental market.

In this scene, a landlord explores his tenant’s underwear drawer — an act that, although illegal, would be hard for a tenant to challenge — given the fact that landlords need no Watching Radical Democracy � Charlie Tims 97

← Londonville by DNN UK Media Lab, 2015, courtesy of DNN Media Col- lection (CC BY-NC- SA 3.0).

reason to evict their tenants in England and can do so with little notice. In the final scene of the film — which shows the dog-eat-dog, rent-or-be- rented nature of London’s housing crisis — all the ten- ants, landlords and estate agents take hammers to the set and destroy it.

These films show that it’s possible for governments to fulfil ↑ Londonville by their legal responsibility to provide people with shelter, but DNN London Media Lab, 2015, courtesy what results can often be far from what might be called a ‘home’. of DNN Media Col- For these video makers, thinking of housing as part of the com- lection (CC BY-NC- mons may not necessarily mean ‘sharing your home with other SA 3.0). people’ — but it does mean that homes in cities are not possible if housing is left to be part of the market like any other commo­ dity. A common good, perhaps. Watching Radical Democracy � Charlie Tims 98

← Autonomy on Two wheels by Attila Endrődi- Mike, 2014, courtesy of DNN Media Collection (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Public spaces

Videos that celebrate new urban community culture — ­bicycle fixing workshops, people who act, play and educate in public spaces & social centres — featured strongly in the ­original challenge. Autonomy on two wheels is a beguiling portrait of two young Hungarians who dream of making Budapest into a cooperative city and have started a bicycle fixing workshop and community.

In the same city,Valyo shows the work of the Valyo Group, which is trying to bring the life of the Danube closer to the city.

← Valyo — Meet the River by the Valyo Group, 2014, courtesy of DNN Media Col- lection © Valyo Group. Watching Radical Democracy � Charlie Tims 99

Here are some frames from Open Jazdow — a campaign to pre- serve some under-appreciated but unique wooden houses and support the growth of a public space around them.

↓ Open Jazdow by DNN Polish Media Lab 2015, courtesy of DNN Media Col- lection (CC BY-NC- SA 3.0). Watching Radical Democracy � Charlie Tims 100

← Open Jazdow by DNN Polish Media Lab 2015, courtesy of DNN Media Col- lection (CC BY-NC- SA 3.0).

And here are two people campaigning to save them.

The Urban Movement in Poland that initiatives like Open Jazdow are part of has been effective in influencing mayoral elections and has also successfully campaigned against the Krakow 2022 Olympic Games. But it’s worth mentioning too that what began as a call for green space — a green commons — has become a call for more democracy. Both Lodz and Sopot have recently introduced participatory budgeting in response to pressure from the urban movement. It probably wasn’t a coincidence that the video about participatory budgeting we looked at earlier was made by someone from Poland.

Political parties

In Spain, new parties have formed in cities with the aim of claiming politics with the same principles they have used to claim spaces and buildings during protests and occupations of recent years. At the end of May, candidates from new mu- nicipal parties — keen on collective decision-making processes, openness and mistrustful of free-market economics — stood in elections all over the country. Watching Radical Democracy � Charlie Tims 101

← Municipal Recipes by DNN ­Spanish Media Lab 2015, courtesy of DNN Media ­Collection (CC BY-SA 3.0).

In Barcelona the municipal government is, at the time of writing, controlled by Barcelona en Comu and its leader Ada Colau. Municipal Recipes is a film made by ZEMOS98 in the spring of 2015, which shows candidates, activists and ­campaigners ­involved in these campaigns. They express a deep and profound faith in the power of wide- spread participation in decision making to make cities better. Sadly Guillermo Zapata (pictured in the centre of the table), although being elected in Madrid and appointed as the culture spokesperson, has already had to resign over a few ill-judged Tweets he made several years ago. So to wrap things up. When the video challenge phase of the project pointed to alternative forms of democracy, radical democracy meant applying ‘democratic’ principles to everyday life in the city. Taken to their logical conclusion, this action means an urban commons, or urban common goods need to be established. That’s why the project focused on establishing ­common goods in three areas — housing, public space and better democracy. The criticism of these movements is that they lack democratic legitimacy as the people involved are unaccount- able, self-appointed interest groups. But it seems that in many ­instances, rather than rejecting them, reclaiming the commons is/leads to a strategy for renewing democratic institutions. � Commoning in the City

by Dougald Hine

In the architecture mu- of the event: “Home-cooking Dougald Hine seum on the island is killing the restaurant is a social thinker, writer and former of Skeppsholmen, in the heart industry”. BBC ­journalist. of Stockholm, 11 of us have I am the night watch- He has been been brought together man on this team, sent in responsible for starting a series to spend two days thinking­ to replace the Swiss author, of innovative aloud around the theme P.M., the man responsible for organisations, of Commoning the City. the anarchist utopia bolo’bolo, including the web startup School The human rights researcher who has had to pull out for of Everything, Saki Bailey provides a forensic family reasons. Taking his the Spacemakers analysis of the foundations place in the open ­conference urban ­regeneration bureau and The of property law. The ­artist that is the centrepiece of the Dark Mountain Fritz Haeg tells us what two days, I realise that this Project. He will act as overall happened when he opened is the first time I have spo- facilitator during his home in Los Angeles ken in public on the subject the ­European to the public as a space for of the commons. For most Cultural Founda- tion’s Idea Camp collective learning and col- of the others, this is a term 2015 — ‘Build laboration. Alda Sigurðardóttir that has been at the heart the City’. leads us through a version of their work for years or dec- of the visioning process that ades. Meanwhile, this event was used by the national as- itself is evidence of the new sembly of citizens, following importance that it is taking the economic and political col- on: ‘commons’ is becoming lapse in Iceland. Meanwhile, a charged word, following Fredrik Åslund — the founder a path similar to those taken of a Swedish think tank, by words such as ‘sustain- the name of which trans- ability’ and ‘resilience’, raised lates as Create Commons — as a banner under which an has the best T-shirt slogan increasing variety of people Commoning in the City � Dougald Hine 103

and organisations wish to place If those camping out in cities across themselves. three continents were reluctant At such moments, there can be to distill their discontent into a set mixed feelings for those who have of demands on government, this was a long history with the word in ques- not simply a utopian refusal to engage tion: there is room for a sense of vin- with the compromises of political real- dication, but also concern at the new ity; it was also a conviction that to put meanings, or new vaguenesses, that ac- hope in government is now the most crete to a word as it comes into vogue. utopian position of all. This is also As a relative outsider, it is interesting the attitude that has driven the rise to observe people coming to terms of Beppe Grillo’s Five Star Movement, with this, and certain questions arise: and it has all the uncomfortable ambi- not least, why is this happening now? guities that such an example suggests. Of everything I hear during Into this vacuum, the commons these two days, the answer that most enters as an alternative to both public impresses me comes from Stavros and private. I find myself wanting Stavrides: ‘commons’ has become use- to push this further, to suggest that ful, he argues, because of a change in it indicates a significant histori- attitude to the state, a disillusionment cal rupture, in at least two senses: with the ‘public’ and a need for an- a breaking of the frame of politics other term to takes its place. The public as a tug of war between the forces sphere, public values, the public sec- of state and market; and the failure tor: all of these things might once of the project of the public, the prom- have promised some counterweight ise of liberal modernity to construct to the destructive force of the market, a neutral space in which we could but this no longer seems to be the case. meet each other as individuals with We are not witnessing a turn certain universal rights. This latter towards anarchism, exactly, but point is particularly uncomfortable, something more pragmatic: a shift in we discover during our ­conversations the general mood, reflecting the reality in Stockholm, since many of our of people’s experience after five years ideas of social justice are founded of this unending crisis, itself coming on that framework. Yet if it is true after decades of neoliberalism. It is that the rise of the commons reflects the attitude that underlies the Squares the failure of the public, it is not clear Movement, from Tahrir to Syntagma, that we can simply expect to borrow the Puerta del Sol and Zuccotti Park. its assumptions. Commoning in the City � Dougald Hine 104

A politics that has abandoned capital firms and huge corporations, the public might justly be called a libertarian ideology, and a California- a post-modern politics. We have inflected mythology about the evolu- ­already seen the cynical form of such tion of human consciousness. a politics in the hands of Bush, Blair Apart from anything else, these and Berlusconi: the reliance on con- entanglements obscure the extent trolling the narrative, the disdain to which the most appealing ­aspects for ‘the reality-based community’. of the internet are often as old as Against this, the appeal to older public the hills: many of the modes of com- values looks sadly nostalgic. (Think munity and collaboration that have of Aaron Sorkin’s latest series for HBO, come into being around these techno­ The Newsroom: its opening titles, a mon- logies are recapitulations of ­earlier tage of a nobler age of American jour- ­social themes, marginalised by nalism, the series itself offers a kind the structure and scale of industrial of liberal wish-fulfilment, while Obama mass societies. presides over drone wars and assassi- One of the defining characteristics nation lists.) The attraction of the com- of such societies has been the mar- mons, then, may be that it promises ginalisation of human sociability: the emergence of a non-cynical form domestic space becomes a private of post-modern politics. sanctum, strangers no longer speak If the commons was to hand to one ­another in the street, while as a reference point for such a politics, there is a compulsion to choose this was to no small extent the result the more profitable and efficient of the emergence of new modes of col- mode of any productive activity over laboration, facilitated by — but not forms whose inefficiencies might -al limited to — the internet. A great deal low more room for sociability and of excitement, some of it well-founded meaning within the activity itself. and some of it hype, has centred Describing the organisation of activity­ on the disruption to our forms of pro­ within cities, the sociologist Ray perty and modes of production being Oldenburg identified the phenomenon brought by the ways in which people of the ‘third place’: neither the home are using networked technologies. nor the workplace, but the convivial It hardly helps that attempts to articu- meeting point — whether pub, cafe late the genuine possibilities of these or hair salon — whose importance technologies that are inevitably en- to the life of a local community is out tangled with the interests of venture of proportion to the amount of time we Commoning in the City � Dougald Hine 105

get to spend there. Where Oldenburg the new social spaces that have accom- views this as an eternal feature of panied it, people have had powerful ­human societies, we might recognise experiences of what it means to come the third place as a kind of native reser- together, work and build communities vation: an enclave in which our indig- under conditions other than those that enous sociability exists under license, dominate the real-world communities while the rest of the social landscape and workplaces we have inherited from is subject to the demand for efficiency. industrial society. Against this, it is striking that Whatever else, these ­ambiguities the online spaces that inspire greatest imply the political nature of such attachment seem to be those that have spaces: the new forms of collabora- something in common with the camp- tion easily turn into new forms fire, the bazaar, or indeed the commons, of exploitation — the line between and that such pre-industrial social crowdsourcing and unpaid labour is forms have been a recurring refer- poorly marked — and hence our con- ence point within internet culture. versations in Stockholm also touch These spaces exceed the boundaries on the need for new forms of collective of the third place, both in the range organisation. of activity taking place within them The historical commons might sug- and the amount of time that many gest another element within the resist- devote to them. Even the structure ance to exploitation and the formation of the internet itself resembles not so of a new politics. As Ivan Illich and much the ‘information superhighway’ Anthony McCann have argued, his- envisaged by politicians in the 1990s torically, the commons was not simply as the proliferating web of trade a pool of resources to be managed, routes that centred on the Silk Road. but an alternative to seeing the world (The ­historical analogy is also implicit as made of resources. Specifically, in the argument made by the informa- the commons was not something to tion activist Smári McCarthy, that be exploited for the production of com- the radical possibilities of these tech- modities, but something that people nologies are under threat from ‘the in- could draw on within customary limits dustrialisation of the internet’.) to provide for their own subsistence. There are deep ambiguities here: During the generations of enclo- technologically, the internet represents sure and industrialisation, the meaning an intensification of many of the dy- of the term ‘subsistence’ was turned namics of the industrial era; yet in upside down: a word which, in its Commoning in the City � Dougald Hine 106

origin, referred to the ability at the mercy of the market 1 Ivan Illich, ‘Silence to ‘stand firm’ came to signify or the state — may be an im- is a Commons’, re- marks at the “Asahi weakness instead of strength. portant piece in the jigsaw Symposium In the language of economics, of a 21st century politics. Science and Man — ‘subsistence’ now stands for If the Pirate Party marks The computer- managed Society”, the barest and most ­miserable one end of the new politics Tokyo, Japan, 21 form of human existence. of the commons, perhaps March 1982. See The irony is that this inversion the other end looks some- http://www.pre- servenet.com/ took place just as the means thing like the Landless theory/Illich/ of subsistence were being Peasant Party. Silence.html taken away from the greater How do we handle it, part of the population, not when words that have mat- least through the enclosure tered to us gather a new of common lands to which momentum and get raised they had previously enjoyed as banners? Of course, I hope claims of usage. that good things will flourish To reclaim subsistence in the name of the commons as a condition of strength, in the years ahead. At the same especially when compared time, the experience of many to total dependence on wage who have worked for the goal labour, is not to confuse it of ‘sustainability’ suggests how with the fantasy of self-suf- disorientating such a journey ficiency that has a particular can become. ‘Subsistence’ grip on the American im- is hardly the only example agination. When Illich speaks of a word that has come of “the commons within to mean the opposite of what which people’s subsistence it once did. activities are embedded”,1 That words fail us is not he is describing a fabric of a mistake, it is in the very na- social relations, a patchwork ture of language. In the plena- of customary law. ry session that brings our time Reclaiming the con- on Skeppsholmen to a close, cept of ‘subsistence’ — the I find myself again quoting ­ability to stand firm, to meet that passage from Illich about many of our own needs, “a reality much too complex without being wholly to fit into paragraphs”. If what Commoning in the City � Dougald Hine 107

matters most is the part that what led him to the invention is hardest to write down, then of bolo’bolo: the challenge is to stay faith- The original idea for creat- ful to this: to tack towards ing this weird secret language the unwritten, rather than set- came up because the European ting a straight course towards left-wing terminology was no an approximation. Ultimately, longer viable. Nowadays when all our language is provisional, people talk about communism, an endless reaching towards that’s gulag, no one wants what we are trying to say. to hear about it. Or if people Such statements sound talk about socialism, then they close to those made by are speaking of Schröder’s pol- the kind of theorists of post- itics — retirement cuts — and modernism whose students no one wants that, either. And often fall into cynicism. Yet all of the other standard left- the provisional nature of lan- wing expressions such as ‘soli- guage need not be a source darity’, ‘community’, they’re all of despair: it can be sufficient contaminated and no longer to our situation. The trick is useful. But the things that to hold our words lightly, to be they stand for are actually willing to let them go, for quite good. I don’t want to suf- no word needs to be sacred. fer because of terminology for And as I write this, four weeks which I am not to blame; in- after those conversations in stead, I’d rather create my own. Stockholm, it occurs to me It would probably take longer that perhaps I am just stum- to explain that the commu- bling towards what P.M. him- nism that I am talking about self would have said to us, had is not the one that I saw. It is he been able to make the trip easier to simply say I am for from Switzerland. bolo’bolo, and then everyone Here he is, in an inter- starts to think of the things all view from 2004, explaining over again, to re-think them. � Transition Towns, or the Desire for an Urban Alternative

by Adrien Krauz

The entry of the term ‘tran- generations into considera- Adrien Krauz sition’ into the vocabulary tion, this term has today been is an architect and urban planner of public action shows that integrated into public policies who is currently questions regarding how and planning and develop- preparing a PhD to build more sustainable ment practices. at the Université Paris-Ouest models for society are still The idea of ‘transition’, by Nanterre La relevant. The response of- contrast, is a concept that is Défense as part fered by ‘transition towns’ is currently emerging. It seems of the Mosaïques team within a model for action involving to pick up where ‘sustain- the mixed research a variety of local and citizen- able development’ left off in unit LAVUE led initiatives that are based terms of public policy. This (Laboratory for Architecture, Cit- on a method for sustainable latter term — after more than ies, Urban Planning environmental development 30 years of existence — no and the Environ- ment). His thesis called ‘permaculture’.1 longer has sufficient clout in questions the vi- the context of the current sions of the world Faced with the threat of an ecological crisis. The notion underpinned by the rhetoric environmental crisis, our of ‘transition’, which has on ‘transition’ and Western societies created made occasional appear- the stakeholders the notion of ‘sustainable ances in specialist milieux that adopt such positions. development’. Defined and since the early 1980s, is now understood as a development at the heart of debates in vari- model that seeks to strike ous arenas: public institutions, a better balance between eco- academia and activist circles, logical, social and economic as well as among citizens. dimensions, as well as a means It takes several forms and of managing natural resources can have a number of dif- that takes the needs of future ferent meanings, depending Transition Towns, or the Desire for an Urban Alternative � Adrien Krauz 109

on the context (‘ecological of the words ‘transition’ and 1 Permacul- transition’, ‘energy transi- ‘town’ may raise a number ture — a form of environmental tion’, ‘post-carbon transition’, of expectations among urban design inspired by ‘sustainability transitions’, planners and other develop- natural ecosys- ‘citizen-led transition’, ‘transi- ment professionals, in antici- tems — was devel- oped in the 1970s tion towns’, etc.). Furthermore, pation of alternative practices in Australia. it is gradually being incorpo- in their disciplines. The esta­ rated into the linguistic regis- blishment of urban planning 2 See Simon Cottin- Marx, Fabrice ter of public action in France as a discipline was built on Flipo and Antoine and Europe. a desire for social reform and Lagneau, “La Of these approaches, it is the constitution of ­models, transition, une utopie concrète?”, ‘transition towns’ that are the first of which took the Mouvements, 75 garnering growing ­interest orm of utopias.5 The word (2013): pp. 7 – 12. through the spatialised di- ‘transition’ itself indicates 3 Rob Hopkins, mension of the notion that a horizon of expectation The Transition they underpin. Since 2006, that is reminiscent of this Handbook: From Oil Depend­ this “unidentified political desire for reform. How does ency to Local 2 object” is made up of ­local the ‘Transition Movement’ Resilience (Green and citizen-led initiatives address the question of space Books, 2008). and experiments that seek and the way space is used 4 See Luc Semal, to develop lifestyles that and developed? Does this “Politiques locales are less oil-dependent. outlook stem from a desire de décroissance”, in Sinaï, A. The towns that have joined to return to a utopian situa- (dir.), Penser la this movement have a practi- tion or a model of some kind? décroissance. cal guide on which to base And if so, to what extent? Politiques de l’Anthropocène their actions — the Transition (Paris: Presses de 3 Handbook, drawn up by one Sciences Po, 2013). of the movement’s initiators, Peak oil and local resilience 5 See Françoise Rob Hopkins — and are cer- Choay, L’Urbanisme, tified and structured by an The ‘Transition Movement’ utopies et réalités NGO, the Transition Network. emerged in England in (Paris: Seuil, 1965). Transition towns can now 2006 at the initiative of be found in over 40 ­different Rob Hopkins, an environ- countries, forming what mental activist who teaches ­observers call the ‘Transition permaculture at Kinsale Movement’.4 The combination College of Further Education Transition Towns, or the Desire for an Urban Alternative � Adrien Krauz 110

in Kinsale, County Cork, the number of local transition 6 More detailed data Ireland. Hopkins is conscious groups, as well as the inter­ can be found here: www.transitionnet- of the imminence of peak oil, nationalisation of the move- work.org/initiatives announced by many experts ment. As of September 2013, as the moment when the glo- it comprised almost 500 offi- bal production of oil will reach cial initiatives in 43 countries.6 its maximum output level Raising awareness of before decreasing until all re- ‘peak oil’ is at the very heart sources are exhausted. In our of the Transition Movement. completely oil-­dependent As a result, a sense of urgency societies, the prospect of emerges, making — according ‘peak oil’ heralds disastrous to the Movement — the pros- consequences. pect of post-carbon transition Hopkins works with his inevitable. The issue at hand students on ‘energy descent is therefore one of ­inventing action plans’ (EDAPs) with and promoting ‘post-oil’ the aim of offering ­solutions lifestyles that can be built for transition towards on the ­reinforcement of com- a ‘post-oil’ future. In 2006, munities’ ‘resilience’ — a con- in Totnes in Devon (south- cept taken from the environ- west England), he ­organised mental ­sciences that, in this the first experimental ‘tran- context, designates the ability sition town’. In 2008, he of a system (here, a communi- wrote the above-mentioned ty) to resist an external shock Transition Handbook, in which (the scarcity of oil). This capac- he explains the reasons for ity for ‘resilience’ amounts “making the transition” to- to reducing communities’ wards less oil-dependent life- dependency on oil by pursuing styles. He proposes a 12-step an ‘energy descent’ objective, method for launching a “tran- in other words a reduction in sition initiative”, from the cre- energy consumption, together ation of a temporary “­steering with a relocation of produc- group” to the construction tion, in particular of food. of an EDAP. This handbook The strengthening and its various translations of inter-community ties and have led to a rapid increase in the ‘Great Reskilling’, which Transition Towns, or the Desire for an Urban Alternative � Adrien Krauz 111

involves reviving vernacular efforts to reintegrate agricul- 7 For a broader skills (cultivating, ­repairing, ture into the city that the work analysis, see Anneleen Kenis making, etc.) that fell into of ‘transitioners’ is most vis- and Eric Mathijs, decline with the advent ible. This takes the form of ac- “(De)politicising of cheap energy, also forms tions and projects (community the local: the case of the Transition part of this local ‘resilience’. gardens, composters, crop Towns movement in The Transition Movement de- plantation in public spaces, Flanders (Belgium),” fines its approach as resolutely city roofs used for agricul- Journal of Rural Studies, 34 (2014): inclusive, positive and practi- ture) that reflect the fact that pp. 172 – 183. cal. It eschews conflict and the movement’s foundations Christian Jonet criticism, preferring to foster lie in permaculture. This in and Pablo Servigne, “Initiatives de commitment through the con- turn forms “the design ‘glue’ transition: la ques- struction of real, tangible and the ethical foundations tion politique”, Mouvements, 75 alternatives. This approach, [used] to underpin Transition (2013): pp. 70 – 76. 8 which professes to be apoliti- work”. Paul Chatterton cal, is, however, also a source and Alice Cutler, Un écologisme of criticism: objections focus apolitique. Débat on the absence of questions Permaculture: a social project autour de la transi­ relating to social justice or for sustainable prosperity tion (Montreal: Ecosociété, 2013). equality, or underline the fact that it forms part of a move- Permaculture (a contraction 8 Rob Hopkins, ment that depoliticises envi- of ‘permanent agriculture’) op. cit., p. 137. ronmental issues.7 is an alternative approach With regard to this ap- to agriculture developed in proach, measures that seek Australia in the 1970s by to ‘relocate’ exchanges, such biologist Bill Mollison and as locally sourced veg-box environmental designer schemes, local and comple- David Holmgren, both en- mentary currencies, LETS (­local vironmental activists. exchange trading systems) and Alongside the rise of a ‘third time banks or waste recovery world’ environmentalism, centres (places where dis- permaculture developed in carded objects can be reused response to observations or recycled) clearly have their of the damage produced by place within the Transition industrial agriculture on culti- Movement. But it is through vable land, and the high levels Transition Towns, or the Desire for an Urban Alternative � Adrien Krauz 112

of energy consumed, as well permaculture “may be one 9 See David ­ as the asymmetries in devel- of the contributions towards Holmgren and Bill Mollison, Permac­ 9 opment it generates. such ends”. Holmgren and ulture One: A Per­ As an alternative, Mollison assert that they have ennial Agriculture Holmgren and Mollison pro- taken into account “problems for Human Settle­ ments (Melbourne: posed the creation of “adap- of unemployment [ … ], of ur- Transworld, 1978). tive, integrated systems for ban neurosis, and of the feel- the self-perpetuation of plant ing of powerlessness and lack 10 David Holmgren and Bill ­Mollison, and animal species useful of direction common to many ibid., p. 15. to humankind”.10 By imitating of us in today’s world”. the relationships and struc- In this sense, permaculture 11 David Holmgren and Bill ­Mollison, tures observed in nature, they claims to be a solution capa- ibid., p. 16. suggested a series of operating ble of bringing sustainable 12 Emmanuel principles (including obser- prosperity to society, based Pezrès, “La perma­ 12 vation, adaptiveness, energy on a truly global vision. culture au sein conservation, diversity and Over the last 25 years, de l’agriculture ur- baine: du jardin au the use of simple, small-scale the definition of permaculture projet de société,” solutions) that could be used has evolved to incorporate VertigO — la re- to obtain efficient, sustainable inhabitants, their construc- vue électronique en sciences production systems. tions and the ways in which de l’environnement, Permaculture is more they organise themselves, 10(2) (2010). than just a set of organic shifting from a vision of per- ­Accessed 14 May 2015, see http:// farming techniques: its origi- maculture as “permanent vertigo.revues. nators present it as a contri- or sustainable agriculture” org/9941 bution towards the construc- to one of a “permanent or sus- 13 13 David Holmgren, tion of a “truly environmental tainable culture”. Moreover, Permaculture: science in education and life” Hopkins declares that he sees Principles and and a model that incorporates the Transition model as an Pathways Beyond Sustainability (East “ecology, energy conserva- attempt to create permacul- Meon: Permanent tion, landscape design, urban ture on the scale of the city.14 Publications, 2011). renewal, architecture, agri- For him, it is a question 14 Interview with Rob 11 culture [ … ]”. Their approach of rethinking human estab- Hopkins by Sami takes as its starting point lishments in the light of a re- Grover, 27 March the observation that “socie- newed relationship with na- 2007, available online at the fol- ties need shared ideals and ture as the key to humanity’s lowing address: long-term goals” and that long-term existence. www.treehugger. Transition Towns, or the Desire for an Urban Alternative � Adrien Krauz 113

From a development on the fringes of cities and com/culture/ standpoint, this means cre- in large urban parks. In terms rob-hopkins-of- transition-town- ating a symbiotic relation- of architecture, he foresees totnes-and-transi- ship between the town and an increase in the energy ef- tion-culture.html the country, with “the pro- ficiency of dwellings, the de- 15 David Holmgren duction of food within velopment of group housing, and Bill Mollison, the city and the production the use of local and natural op. cit., p. 111. of fibres, fuel [ … ] and proteins materials such as rammed 16 David Holmgren in nearby rural areas, and an earth, straw, hemp and and Bill Mollison, exchange of services, assist- wood, or recycled materials, ibid., p. 114. ance and skills”.15 In town, as well as a nationwide train- 17 Rob Hopkins, this means converting po- ing programme in building op. cit., p. 110. tentially productive spaces techniques. These spatial 18 The notion of ‘bi- (“All cities have unused va- measures go hand in hand oregions’ was cant land; roadside verges [ … ], with a slower pace of life influenced by conservatories, concrete and changes in residents’ the work of Patrick Geddes and, later, roofs, balconies, glass walls habits, leading to a greater Lewis Mumford 16 and south-facing windows.” rootedness in their cities and on regionalism. These spaces are used to re- their ‘bioregions’,18 as well It was concep- tualised in order cover energy and produce as increased participation in to define a scale food, leading to architectural what is consequently a more of development adaptations relating to the po- ‘vibrant’ local life. capable of taking environmental sition of windows, the layout problems into of balconies and roofs, and consideration (see the installation of trellis sys- Urban planning based Kirkpatrick Sale, Dwellers in on a hybrid of the natural tems, for example. the Land: The Bi­ In his Transition Handbook, and social sciences oregional Vision Hopkins proposes a ‘vision’ (San Francisco: Sierra Club, 1985); for England in 2030. He Through its reformatory Robert L. Thayer, imagines urban agriculture scope and its description Jr., LifePlace: Bi­ as a priority for urban plan- of measures for a more oregional Thought and Practice ners and for communities desirable use of space, (Oakland: Univer- (“we have redesigned ­cities the Transition Movement sity of California in order to make them pro- could be considered to have Press, 2003); Pe- ter Berg and Ray- 17 ductive places”. He sees characteristics in common mond Dasmann, the return of market gardens with certain urbanistic “Reinhabiting Transition Towns, or the Desire for an Urban Alternative � Adrien Krauz 114

or pre-urbanistic models de- the vision acts as a catalyst or California”, scribed by Françoise Choay.19 compass rather than a plan. The Ecologist, 7(10) (1977): For example, in the Transition Furthermore, the Transition pp. 399 – 401). Handbook and Permaculture does not base its alternative Currently, the con- One, references are made paradigm on ‘culture’ or ex- cept of the ‘urban bioregion’ lies to William Morris and clusively in social relations at the heart Ebenezer Howard, as well but on a new link with nature of the work as to Kropotkin and Lewis considered as the prelude of the Italian terri- torialist school, led Mumford. The origins to a ‘permanent culture’, yet by Alberto Mag- of the Transition Movement without adopting an anti- naghi (see Alberto appear to lie with the ‘cultur- urban stance. Magnaghi, La Biorégion urbaine. alist urbanists’ — through Accordingly, the Petit traité sur the importance accorded Transition Movement le territoire bien commun (Paris: to the community, through would seem to stem from Eterotopia, 2014). its criticisms of industry an ‘environmentalisation’ and technological progress, of ­culturalism. This enables 19 See Françoise Choay, op. cit., and through a certain nostalgia it to firmly tie development Claire Carriou and for a pre-industrial past con- practices to a more in-depth Olivier Ratouis, sidered more ‘resilient’, and knowledge of ecological “[Quels modèles pour l’urbanisme so forth. In this way, it places systems. In doing so, it re- durable?->695]”, itself within a utopian line- examines urban planning Métropolitiques, age, while also introducing from a different angle: while 25 June 2014. Ac- cessed 14 May new elements that enable it it is typically considered a ra- 2015, URL: www. to move beyond this ancestry. tional science or interpreted metropolitiques.eu/ For example, the defini- from the standpoint of the Quels- modeles- pour-l-urbanisme. tion of a desirable future social sciences, here it appears html. Also available society no longer takes place as a hybrid branch of know­ in English (translat- ‘nowhere’ but instead in ledge that combines aspects ed by Oliver Waine): “[Is there a model for the multiple possibilities of- from both the natural and sustainable urban fered by a model for action. social sciences. The Transition planning?->743]”, In this respect, the Transition Movement raises the ques- Metropolitics, 27 November 2014. is rooted in reality. Unlike tion of a design and develop- Accessed 14 May “utopias of spatial form”, and ment rationality that seeks 2015, URL: www. their tendency for closure,20 to move beyond ‘sustainable metropolitiques. eu/Is-there- it proposes a practice for development’ approaches a-model-for- transforming the real where by focusing on the local and sustainable.html Transition Towns, or the Desire for an Urban Alternative � Adrien Krauz 115

the specificities thereof, while the field of possibilities and 20 David Harvey, also establishing the essential of recognising the various Spaces of Hope (Edinburgh: Edin- conditions for the self-replica- means of reaching this goal. burgh University tion of ecosystems. In this way, the Transition Press, 2000). Movement is guided by 21 Karl Mannheim, principles, values and one Idéologie et Utopie Principles rather than a model or more visions that act (Paris: Librairie as compasses that orient its Marcel Rivière et Cie, 1956). The idea of transition calls development. It makes use for us to abandon one situ- of experimentation, training ation and achieve another, and individuals’ capacity for more desirable one. In this reflection. sense, it seems to mobilise Although it main- both utopia, as “a situation- tains links with texts that ally transcendent idea”,21 are considered utopian, and a project-based approach, the Transition Movement as it strives to build a trajec- does not propose any kind tory, however uncertain, of urban model. It calls into towards this desired situ- question our ability to con- ation. There is no question struct our future in a collec- of an overarching rational tive, considered manner, by planning approach, or proposing alternatives that of seeking ‘one best way’, aim to be both radical and but rather of opening realistic. �

→ Chisinau Civic Center — open air cinema, 2012.

→ Chisinau Civic Center — people’s park, 2014. Dance perfor- mance by contact improvisation group in Zaikin Park. Transition Towns, or the Desire for an Urban Alternative � Adrien Krauz 116 Transition Towns, or the Desire for an Urban Alternative � Adrien Krauz 117 A Brief History of P2P Urbanism (excerpts)

by Nikos A. Salingaros and Federico Mena-Quintero

P2P (peer-to-peer) Urbanism drawing in urban designers­ Nikos joins ideas from the open- and planners who have been A. Salingaros is Professor source software movement working independently of Mathematics together with new thinking for years, mostly unaware at the ­University by urbanists, into a discipline of similar efforts being made of Texas at San Antonio, urbanist oriented towards satisfying in other regions of the world and architectural human needs. P2P-Urbanism or even close by. (Some rea- theorist. is concerned with cooperative sons for this isolation will be Federico and creative efforts to define explored in the later section Mena-Quintero space for people’s use. This “Potential detractors of P2P- is a software essay explains P2P-Urbanism Urbanism”). People who join programmer and one of the found- as the outcome of several P2P-Urbanism represent ers of the Gnome historical processes, describes a heterogeneous group con- project, a widely- used, free graphical the cooperative participation sisting of individuals cham- environment mainly schemes that P2P-Urbanism pioning collaborative design for GNU/Linux creates, and indicates the pos- and user participation in systems. sible outcomes of applying planning; New Urbanists tied P2P-Urbanism in different hu- to the commercial US move- man environments. ment of that name; followers of Christopher Alexander; [ … ] urban activists; and others. Gradually, practitioners in The combination of peer- other fields will learn about to-peer and urbanism P2P-Urbanism and bring in their knowledge where ap- The P2P-Urbanism ­movement propriate. Candidates include is quite recent, and it is Permaculturists (who design A Brief History of P2P Urbanism (excerpts) � Nikos A. Salingaros and Federico Mena-Quintero 119

productive ecosystems that to local conditions, and for 1 Permaculture, let humans live in harmony this reason it pertains to P2P- http://www.per- maculture.org.au with plants and animals) Urbanism despite the corpo- with a deep practical un- rate parentage of many New 2 The SmartCode is derstanding of Biophilia,1 Urbanist projects. a model transect- based planning and advocates of vernacular and One implication of this zoning document low-energy construction, new way of thinking about based on environ- and various independent or the city is to encourage mental analysis. It addresses all ­resilient communities that reclaiming common open scales of planning, wish to sustain themselves space in the urban environ- from the region ‘from the ground up’. ment. A significant phenom- to the communi­ty to the block and P2P-Urbanism is all about enon in 20th century urban- building. The tem- letting people design and ism has been the deliberate plate is intended for local calibration build their own environ- elimination of shared public to your town or ments, using information and space, since the open space neighbourhood. techniques that are shared surrounding standalone As a form-based code, the Smart- freely. The implications of this modernist buildings tends Code keeps set- have a broad scope. to be amorphous, hostile and tlements compact In parallel to the free/ therefore useless. Attractive and rural lands open, literally re- open-source software public space was recreated forming the sprawl- movement, designing a city elsewhere under the guise ing patterns of and one’s own dwelling of private, controlled space separated-use zoning. The original and working environment within commercial centres. SmartCode was should be based upon freely In this way, common space released by Duany ­available design rules rather that is essential for citizen Plater-Zyberk & Cie (DPZ) in 2003, than some ‘secret’ code de- interactions (and thus forms after two decades cided upon by an appointed the basis of shared societal of research and authority. Furthermore, values) has been privatised, implementation. It has been continu- open-source urban code must re-packaged and then sold ally updated with be open to modification and back to the people. P2P- input from scores adaptation to local conditions Urbanism reverses this of practitioners from numerous and individual needs, which tendency. In the next sec- disciplines. Since is the whole point of open- tion we will explore how 2004, the model source. For ­example, the DPZ free participation changes code has been completely open 2 ‘SmartCode’ not only allows the way in which urbanism source and free but also requires calibration is done. of charge. A Brief History of P2P Urbanism (excerpts) � Nikos A. Salingaros and Federico Mena-Quintero 120

Participation schemes for A Pattern Language from 3 John F. C. Turner, urbanism and architecture 1977,4 followed by The Nature Housing by People (London: Marion 5 of Order from 2001–2005. Boyars, 1976) http:// Centrally-planned environ- More recent P2P collaborative www.amazon.com/ ments or buildings are often projects based upon the idea Housing-People- Autonomy-Building- designed strictly ‘on paper’ of the commons were devel- Environments/ and subsequently built to that oped and applied by Agatino dp/0714525693/ specification, without any Rizzo and many others.6 These ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_1 room for adaptation or for projects rely explicitly upon 4 Christopher input from the final users. defining common ownership ­Alexander, Sara In fact, the worst examples of a physical or virtual region Ishikawa, Murray Silverstein, Max are the results of speculative of urban space. Jacobson, Ingrid building with no adaptive After decades of central Fiksdahl-King & Shlomo Angel, purpose in mind. However, planning that ignores local A Pattern Language there has always been a small conditions and the complex (New York: Oxford and underutilised intersec- needs of final users, and University Press, 1977) http://www. tion of P2P thinkers and that tries to do away with amazon.com/ urbanists/planners that have the commons for monetary Pattern-Language- promoted participatory events reasons, people have forgotten Buildings-Construc- tion-Environmental/ outside the official planning the principal geometrical pat- dp/0195019199/ system. Those urban inter- terns that generated our most ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_1 ventions have tended to be successful human-scaled ur- 5 Christopher Alex- temporary rather than per- ban spaces throughout history. ander, The Nature manent because of the diffi- There has been an important of Order: Books culty of implementing changes loss of the shared knowledge One to Four (Ber- keley, California: in the built fabric. that once let people build hu- Center for Environ- Although the present mane environments without mental Structure, group behind P2P-Urbanism much in the way of formal 2001 – 2005) ­­ http://www.amazon. was formed only in 2010, planning. com/Phenomenon- participatory planning and Successful urban design Life-Nature-Build- design go back decades, has everything to do with real ing-Universe/dp/ 0972652914/ref= particularly in the work quality of life and sustainabili- ntt_at_ep_dpi_3 of J.F.C. Turner on self-built ty. With the modernist or post- housing in South America.3 modernist status quo, the main 6 Agatino Rizzo’s CityLeft, Christopher Alexander’s most consideration for construction http://cityleft. relevant work is the book has been the visual impact blogspot.com/ A Brief History of P2P Urbanism (excerpts) � Nikos A. Salingaros and Federico Mena-Quintero 121

of the finishedproduct. ­ In contrast of eave, with the traditional forms to this, P2P-Urbanism has just as much used in this region, requires such to say about the process of planning and such materials and techniques. as the final, adaptive, human-scale The final dweller of a house will cer- outcome. It represents a set of quali- tainly be interested in protecting his ties and goals that are widely sharable, windows and walls from rainfall, but and which go far beyond architecture he may want to have a say in what kind and urban design. Principles of good of window he wants: if he wants it urbanism and archi­tecture are widely to open to the outside, then it must not shareable and ­acceptable by ‘every- bump against the wide eave. Thus it is day people’, but they are not entirely important to establish communication ­obvious. For example, it takes careful between users, builders, designers and explaining to convince people that everyone who is involved with a par- a pedestrian network can be woven ticular environment. into car-centric cities, and that rather Our hypothetical rainy region than ­making traffic chaotic, this will will doubtless have similar problems in fact ­reduce traffic, which is some- to other similar regions in different thing that every­one would appreciate. parts of the world. P2P-Urbanism lets In terms of evolutionary design, a step- these geographically separated people by-step design process that re-adjusts connect together to learn from each according to real-time constraints and other’s experience. Trial-and-error human needs leads to the desired final can be reduced by being able to ask, result, something impossible to achieve “who knows how to build windows from a pre-conceived or formal design. and eaves that will stand this kind Let us consider briefly the kinds of rainfall?”, and to get an answer of participation that can be open to dif- backed by evidence. ferent people. Architects of course deal Bigger problems can be attacked in with the design of buildings. An archi- a similar way. Instead of abstract, phil- tect familiar with the needs of a certain osophical-sounding talk like “the shape region may know, for example, that of the city must reflect the spirit an 80cm eave is enough to protect of the age”, and “windows must be de- three-metre tall storeys from rainfall, signed to mimic a curtain wall” (why?), in a particular region with a certain we can look for evidence of cities that average of wind and rain. A builder are humane and livable. We can then may be well versed in the actual craft adapt their good ideas to local condi- of construction, that to build this kind tions, drawing upon the knowledge A Brief History of P2P Urbanism (excerpts) � Nikos A. Salingaros and Federico Mena-Quintero 122

of all the people who par- that document and interpret 7 Nikos Salingaros, ticipate in the P2P-Urbanism the positive or negative ef- “Life and the geom- etry of the environ- community. fects the built environment ment”, Athens Dia­ Construction firms that has on human psychology logues EJournal, embrace P2P-Urbanism may and well-being.7 People’s in- Harvard Univer- sity’s Center for end up being well-liked in stinctive preferences can be Hellenic Studies the communities where they driven either by Biophilia (November 2010) work, for they will actually (a preference for organic http://zeta.math. utsa.edu/~yxk833/ be in constant communica- environments) or fashion lifeandthege- tion with the users of their (with sometimes disastrous ometry.pdf ‘­products’, rather than just consequences). ­doing hit-and-run construc- A central feature of New tion that is not loved or cared Urbanist projects is a ‘char- for by anyone. rette’ that involves user input Up to now, residents have beforehand, although some- not been able to make any times applied in only a super- changes on ‘signature’ archi- ficial manner. Nevertheless, tecture projects, and not even in the best cases, a charrette on the unattractive housing process is not just an opinion blocks they happen to reside poll; it is also a non-dogmatic in for economic reasons. P2P- educational process, a dialogue Urbanism instead advocates among stakeholders ­leading for people being allowed to a final agreement. The re- to modify their environment sult reaches a higher level to suit their needs, instead of understanding compared of relying exclusively on a de- to where the individual par- signer who does not even live ticipants started from. there. P2P-Urbanism is like an informally scientific way of building: take someone’s Consequences for published knowledge, im- marginalised people prove it and publish it again so that other people can do Some proponents of the the same. Evidence-based ­movement view P2P-Urba­ design relies upon a growing nism as a way to give power stock of scientific experiments to marginalised people, A Brief History of P2P Urbanism (excerpts) � Nikos A. Salingaros and Federico Mena-Quintero 123

in terms of ­creating the environment able to build their own environment in which they live. This point of view inexpensively, and knowing that is true, but it is not the whole story. they are building something good. A P2P ­process will have to somehow There exists a precedent for this in ­channel and amalgamate pure indivi­ the ­various eco-villages in Mexico dualist, spontaneous preferences and that do their own construction, with cravings within a practical common­ local materials, and where everything goal. There is a vast distinction is hand-built. P2P-Urbanism provides ­between good and bad urban form: the key to successfully ­integrating only the first type encourages socio- the two existing ways of doing cultural relations to flourish;­ bad things: i) large-scale planning that urban form leads, among other things, alone is capable of providing the nec- to neighbours who never even interact essary infrastructure of a healthy with each other. city; and ii) informal (and most often A top-down way of thinking and ­illegal) self-built settlements that urban implementation has always de- are growing in an uncontrolled way termined accessibility to public hous- in the developing world. ing and facilities built by government, For marginalised people we and has fixed the division of power in can ­expect consequences similar the urban arena. We want to facilitate to what has happened with the use integration of people now separated of free/open-source software in by differences of social status, using developing nations: local expertise the built environment to help accom- is formed, a local economy follows, plish that. and the whole country is enriched Marginalised people or minorities by being able to take care of its will find tremendous power in being own ­problems. � Stimulating Dissonances

by Richard Sennett

In the spirit of Ephraim this fact and trying to enjoy Richard Sennett Lessing, most of us would like the ride. Personally, I think is the Centennial Professor of So­- to believe that it is possible we need to start viewing the ciology at the for all the different people frictions we might ­experience London School who live in Europe to enjoy with others as a positive of Economics and University a life of peacefulcoexistence. ­ rather than always as some- Professor of the In light of this, I would like thing negative. This means Humanities at New to share some thoughts that we need to think of York University. on the issue of ­tolerance, these potential frictions as I believe a great deal as ­something positive that of nonsense has been spoken ­encourages us to think about on this particular subject. our own way of life, whatever Nonsense in the sense that the disruptions these frictions many people seem to believe may cause. tolerance is a peaceful state In this article, I would in which people live together like to focus on one particular in harmony. In my view, this aspect of this issue, namely is an illusion. It is an illusion where we might find a space that coexistence means living in which people can experi- your life in a peaceful state. ence this kind of diversity and It is more a case of living your all the unpleasant, stimulating, life in a state of ‘upheaval’, destabilising and uncertain not in the sense of unrest or self-perception that goes with violence, but in the sense that it. I believe this kind of space coexisting with people who can be created in a particular are different to you may be type of town or city. something of a roller coaster At this point, I would ride. We need to find a way like to quote from Immanuel of coming to terms with Kant’s excellent essay Stimulating Dissonances � Richard Sennett 125

on the subject of peace that he wrote that even the most diverse of people in 1784. In the essay he uses a very could live peacefully together. He was insightful expression: “The crooked of the view that people could not only timber that man is made out of”. Any live together in a relatively chaotic genuinely open urban environment space with all its corners, side streets will be full of people who vary widely and unexpected experiences but also in terms of their financial status, eth- actually enjoy life there. He was com- nicity, politics, sexual orientation and mitted to the ideal of a society that lifestyle and yet share the same space. is capable of living with complexity. Does this crookedness need to be Personally, I believe that words such straightened out? Albert Speer obvi- as ‘multicultural’ and ‘inclusive’ are ously thought so. He tried to mould now worn-out clichés. I’m starting the streets, parks, office buildings and to wonder whether the right condi- houses of German cities, and especially tions for encounters cannot actually be Berlin, into a uniform shape. Today physically created, whether towns and there are other forces at work that con- cities can be designed in such a way tribute to this straightening, including that the appropriate spaces are created the growing financial inequality that is to encourage encounters. helping to divide formerly very diverse At this point I would like to give residential areas from each other. Our you a short insight into my book towns and cities are becoming more The Open City, in which I describe what heterogeneous, but not more mixed. I believe it would take to design such The most popular form of residen- a city. I work on the assumption that tial area these days is the ‘gated com- a city will always require dividing lines munity’. This is what people want if between distinct areas and l generally they are given the choice. Kant would tend to differentiate between two types not be happy if he could see what was of dividing line: borders and boundaries. happening in today’s towns and cities. These are the two fundamental types If we look at the quote in its entirety, of dividing line that traditionally develop what he wrote was: “Out of timber between different parts of a city. so crooked as that from which man is made, nothing entirely straight can be built”. If we accept this, then good citi- The open city zens should accept neighbours who are different to them without attempting The problem that we have today is that to straighten them out. Kant believed we tend to create more boundaries Stimulating Dissonances � Richard Sennett 126

and so create closed spaces. We seem is necessary inside the cell. lt is this to have forgotten how to create bor- tension between permeability and ders. I started to develop these ideas resistance that creates openness, not around 15 years ago when I began the absence of tension — this is a natu- teaching at the Massachusetts Institute ral phenomenon. of Technology and spent more time in the company of natural scientists. I met some biologists there who suggested The tiger’s no-go area that this difference between open borders and closed boundaries exists In contrast, I’d like to use the terri- in nature too — at least under certain tory of the tiger in Asia as an example circumstances. of a natural boundary. Tigers create Let’s take a look at the differ- boundaries by marking what they ence between a cell membrane and see as their territory. This territory a cell wall. A cell membrane selec- then becomes a no-go area, a space tively allows the exchange of sub- that the tiger effectively bans others stances between the outside and inside from entering. The difference here is of the cell. The cell wall, on the other that the territory is an area of lim- hand, retains as much as possible ited activity.­ So in the natural world, inside the cell; it effectively forms the difference between a border and a rigid boundary. The cell membrane is a boundary is that a border defines an open in a very special way, in as much area of high activity between differ- as it is both permeable and ­resistant ent species, while a boundary defines at the same time. When we think a dead space. My argument is that this of something being open, we tend principle can be applied to humans and to think of an open door, which we their activities too. When you bring can simply walk through. However, people together in different situations, the concept of the open door can- you create life, but when you separate not be realistically applied to human them, you are effectively sentencing coexistence. Openness can still mean the city to a slow death. that tensions exist — the kind of ten- I once took a hair-raising heli- sions that are apparent in the interplay copter flight over São Paulo in Brazil between permeability and resistance. and saw a typical example of the kind The cell membrane tries to take in of boundary often created within cit- as many nutrients as possible, while ies. On the left hand side of a wall was at the same time acting to keep what a favela, on the other side was a very Stimulating Dissonances � Richard Sennett 127

expensive apartment block. Every I have described to you are liminal floor had a swimming pool on the bal- spaces and I would like to briefly cony. The swimming pools overlooked refer to the work of William James, the favela and the favela looked one of the world’s first major psy- up at the swimming pools. When peo- chologists. At the end of the 19th cen- ple ask me “How come there’s so much tury, he talked about what he referred violence in Sao Paulo?” or “Why can’t to as the spotlight of the conscious- the people there get along with each ness. When we are conscious of some- other?” I show them one of the photos thing, we shine a spotlight on it and I took from the helicopter and this zone those things on the periphery gives them a clear impression of what out of the focus of our awareness. I mean by the difference between According to James, this is the mecha- a border and a boundary. nism by which we concentrate So, how do we create a perme- on something. able border like a cell membrane in Liminality, on the other hand, is an urban context? Let me give you an an altogether different state, both psy- example from the city of Copenhagen. chologically and psychophysically. It is ln the old part of the city there is the very definition of peripheral vision. a home for patients suffering from The conical field of vision in the ­human Alzheimer’s disease. Many of the resi- eye is a 60-degree circle, so a half dents with Alzheimer’s are brought ­circle would be 30 degrees. According out to visit the local cafés instead to James, we naturally focus our view of being kept out of sight — this on a central point, but the question is an example of permeability. This urban planners have to ask themselves means that there is a permeable re- is what can be seen on the periphery lationship between the inside and of that particular view. This is about outside world. lt may not always be liminality. It is about seeing the big- particularly comfortable for a tourist ger picture and not just the centre. if you have to sit in a café with three This is the basic principle espoused by people suffering from advanced stages the English psychologist and paedia- of Alzheimer’s — and I can say this trician Donald Woods Winnicott and from firsthand experience — but it is deals with the way we view things reality. The truth lies within. on the periphery. To round off these examples, I believe that it is possible to cre- I would like to say something about ate spaces in which people can expe- liminality. These dividing lines that rience a permeable membrane type Stimulating Dissonances � Richard Sennett 128

of life; spaces in which many different they don’t actually live in close contact types of people are brought together. with any Muslims. Wouldn’t this result in people inte- Urban planning needs to be com- grating? Not necessarily. But it would pletely rethought. We need to be fo- at least create the kind of ­physical cusing on precisely these peripheral environment in which people zones between different urban areas. could integrate. For example, we should be building I believe this is really important. schools on the edges of communities Most of the experiences we have in rather than in the middle of them. cities are silent ones. l’m not talking And, as in Copenhagen, we should about reading out the UN Universal take people who suffer from that Declaration on Human Rights every terrible disease into the city, instead time we go to buy a piece of cake or of keeping them in isolation. We need a bottle of milk. But people generally to start thinking of these peripheral remain silent around people who are zones between urban areas as our different to them, even though they natural ­environment. They may not are sharing the same physical space. be the most attractive areas, but they Their experiences of coexistence tend are important. I believe this is where to be of a physical nature, rather than urban planning should start. a verbal one. I also believe urban plan- I would like to quote Kant once ners have got it wrong, because they again, as he is often held up to support should be creating a physical experi- arguments in favour of cosmopolitan ence in which seeing the way some- behaviour. It is worth remembering body moves, for example, or noticing that the French word cosmopolite was whether they wear a burka or how originally used to describe diplomats. they stand next to somebody else can They were meant to be able to move actually lead to learning how to live to- easily from place to place, culture gether, no matter how disturbing that to culture, without becoming inte- might seem. Ironically, the supporters grated or a part of them. In the 19th of the Pegida movement live in an area century this idea of mental mobility of Germany with one of the lowest stood in stark contrast to the idea percentages of foreigners. It doesn’t of physical mobility. In those days, really surprise me that these people, a cosmopolitan person was somebody who have very little actual contact who could move around a city like one with Muslims, think that all Muslims of Baudelaire’s flâneurs and observe are terrorists. The reason for this is that the various comings and goings from Stimulating Dissonances � Richard Sennett 129

a distance. Cosmopolitans of the Pegida movement. They → Chisinau Civic still felt at home no mat- harbour strange ideas about Centre — people’s park, 2014, Park ter how far from home Muslims for the simple reason Fanfare on the they might be. In the words that they never actually come stage, by studio- of the French sociologist into contact with them. My BASAR.

Henri Lefebvre, they felt they idea of a mixed city basically → Chisinau Civic had a right to the whole city. involves expanding the pe- Centre — people’s The advantage of this kind ripheral zones between areas, park, 2014, stage in the park, by of attitude is that it stops rather than creating concen- studioBASAR. people living lives full of fan- trations of specific communi- tasies about other people, as is ties, so that people can coexist the case with the supporters in all areas of the city. � Stimulating Dissonances � Richard Sennett 130 “The commons is not a magic wand. It’s simply an opening, a pathway, a scaffolding to build anew. Indeed, a commons works only if there are commoners participating in it.”

— David Bollier, ‘The Commons, Political Transformation and Cities’ Creative and Collaborative

by Tessy Britton

Although 2011 was a year to get involved in social gov- Tessy Britton in which the headlines were ernance roles, representing is co-founder of the Civic stolen by revolt, riot and stakeholders and groups in ­Systems Lab, ­de­monstration, highlighting a variety of ways. We take and Director large-scale, sometimes violent, on formal roles and respon- of Zero Zero, a collaborative rejections of the status quo, sibilities, through school studio of architects, it was also a year in which governance, standing for local strategic designers, creative and collaborative ­local councils, acting on commit- programmers, social scientists, projects pushed through in tees and community forums, economists and sufficient numbers globally and of course voting in elec- urban ­designers for patterns and longer-term tions. As a way of ensuring practising design beyond its tradi­ implications to become clearer fair and equitable account- tional borders than ever before. ability on decision-making, (www.project00.cc). As regular citizens, we often get involved in public we have a number of well-­ consultations and when we established routes to partici- don’t consider our concerns pating in society. We partici- are sufficiently well heard, pate through being consumers, our frustrations spill over into supporting the economy, cir- challenging decisions more culating money through this directly through campaigning vast system to provide valu- and protesting. able livelihoods for ourselves With such a comprehen­ and others. We also participate sive and varied range of through generosity, giving ­opportunities to participate what we can spare to ­worthy in, why are we seeing people causes and volunteering engaging in their communi- to help people with fewer ties in new ways — and how advantages, both at home and can we define some of those abroad. Many of us choose differences­ more clearly? Creative and Collaborative � Tessy Britton 133

Here’s a simple example of these new needs of people, the ideas and methods creative and collaborative behaviours: of making these social projects suc- a person has an idea of how their street cessful, is slowly becoming more wide- or community might look or feel differ- spread. Professionals are deploying ent. Maybe they think a few benches in their expertise in their own communi- their street would create new oppor- ties voluntarily. There is a much deeper tunities for neighbours to get to know and wider appreciation of the idea one another better through informal of waste, the current waste of people’s contact. Historically, they could take talents, ideas and energies, as well their idea to the local authority or their as the physical resources lying empty. ward councillor — to be supported Collectively, these different strands or not. But if that person knocked of thinking represent opportunities on a few neighbours’ doors, described to act in clever and successful ways their idea and managed to collect some that have the potential to transform donations and together, they could how we live day-to-day. buy a bench or two, or even go so Five years ago, if someone told you far as to design and make their own that their street had joined together benches, perhaps with materials from to rent a space to serve as a creative their own gardens, then this would common community space, you be significantly different to asking would have been very surprised. the authorities to respond to your But last month in Rotterdam I spent suggestion. They wouldn’t be acting the morning in one of these spaces, out of charity, or representing anyone, called the Living Room. This beautiful or campaigning. They had a creative, space is paid for by membership from socially informed idea and, working the community, each paying 3 Euros collaboratively with neighbours, they per month, and managed by volunteers. made it happen. In Israel, the practice of communities This same pattern is appearing renting a shared house for community all over the place, through commu- activities is becoming commonplace nity fruit collections, skill sharing, in some areas. resource sharing and tons of projects People across the globe are redis- relating to food — growing, cooking, covering the pleasures and benefits making and learning — and what we of common activity: neither as passive are seeing is culturally very different consumers of culture, nor as needy from what we have witnessed before. ­recipients of charity, but as active Knowledge about systems, the social ­makers and designers of where they Creative and Collaborative � Tessy Britton 134

live. There is a new sense to live in beautiful places and, 1 See http://www.civ- of agency emerging, of opti- very importantly, that they icsystemslab.org mism and of control, and it is want new types of common 2 See http://www. revealing itself through real, space, places where they can community- positive activity on a human start the work of building loversguide.org scale, not through theorising more sociable communities. or large systemic change. They say that they want to cre- For nearly four years, ate a sense of community, I have been working to pool their own ideas, tal- on a project called Social ents, and build on their innate Spaces,1 concentrating resourcefulness and resilience obsessively­ on understand- through simple activities. ing these phenomena in When added together, they be- great detail, as they have lieve that these activities can emerged. We now have 45 start to make significant steps collaborative books in pro- towards transforming their duction — The Community communities, and individual Lover’s Guide to the Universe2 — pieces of research confirm this. ­collecting stories of these new What has emerged from this types of local project from work is an amazing collective places around the world. vision: a home-made vision Over the past 15 months, that is not being imposed by we have worked in over social theorists, the media 80 communities, asking 2,000 or Hollywood. people what they would like It is important to under- to see more of in the places stand and analyse what effects where they live. Not a single this new type of participa- person has asked for more res- tion may be having, because taurants, clothing or ­jewellery at scale this new independent shops. Instead, people from creativity, often happening all around the UK told us that without the need for funding they want to live in commu­ or permission, has the poten- nities where the divisions tial to seriously disrupt many between age, culture, wealth of our existing systems. (and lack of it) are bridged. If local people can con- They told us that they want nect with one another easily, Creative and Collaborative � Tessy Britton 135

can improve their neighbourhoods If you are a local councillor, through collective activity, can deploy you might easily fall in love with sophisticated and strategic thinking all this place-shaping and making. to their project designs, improving You have vegetables popping up all health and well-being, reducing un- over the place, more people riding employment and crime, without so bicycles, more people smiling. New much as a nod towards politicians, projects are blossoming: there are might this effectively drain those new children’s nurseries co-managed politicians of power? by parents, people are sharing their Perhaps you are thinking that stuff, sometimes people knit jumpers the patterns of activity I have been de- for the lamp posts. OK, sometimes it scribing fit rather well with the stated might seem a little quirky, but we like ambitions of today’s politicians: citi- it, and it is happening. zens getting more involved, relieving As a result of all this new socia- the state of financial burdens, generat- bility and industrious activity, crime ing positive, networked effects that no is going down, unemployment is linear, direct government interventions going down — you know, all by it- could achieve. Yet despite this appar- self — without you, the councillor, ent fit, it may turn out that a signifi- making a budget decision or lifting cant shift in politicians’ behaviours is a finger. So how exactly do you get needed, if they want to stay relevant in re-elected, if there is no direct route such a scenario. of attribution between you and all this One example of what this looks community transformation? like in real life is that of an impressive The penny finally drops for this small group of people I met in a town particular councillor. She or he is go- in Cornwall. They had successfully ing to roll up their sleeves and get negotiated with an energy company stuck in, because they realise that to create a large community fund that it’s the only way to remain relevant. would make it possible to become col- Before you know it, they are digging lectively self-sufficient in generating up vegetables and painting walls, green energy through rooftop solar removing administrative barriers panels, etc. This fund will be managed to community progress, and con- by the community, for the community. necting people, ideas, expertise and Not a single line of responsibility or resources both in the community and credit for the project passes through in the council, as though their life de- the existing local democratic system. pended on it. Creative and Collaborative � Tessy Britton 136

Doesn’t sound too bad does it, a pie — don’t think of these from a citizen’s perspective? as small or trivial acts. Who So the next time someone asks knows, they could turn out to be you to plant carrots, build a bench, the most politically radical things transform an empty space, bake you could do. � LabGov — Laboratory for the Governance of the Commons

a discussion between Michel Bauwens and Christian Iaione

A commons-based economy functions as an enabler, ­giving Professor cannot thrive without ap- citizens individual and ­Christian Iaione is the ­coordinator propriate institutions, espe- collective autonomy. of LabGov.it (LAbo- cially those that represent More than 30 projects ratory for the GOV- a ‘partner state’ approach. have already been approved ernance of Com- mons), Associate Professor Christian Iaione in this context and dozens Professor of Public of LUISS University (Guido of Italian cities are ­adopting Law at Guglielmo Carli Free International this regulation. The CO- Marconi Univer- sity of Rome and University for Social Studies) Mantova project in Mantua, Visiting Professor in Rome is a pioneer of such Italy is one such example. of Governance institutional innovation It has been set up for citizen- of the Commons at LUISS University in Italian cities. His work based social innovations of Rome. with the city of Bologna using a multi-stakeholder on Bologna’s Regulation for ­approach that includes Michel Bauwens the Care and Regeneration Professor Iaione. In the in- is a theorist, author and researcher. of Urban Commons is a break- terview below, we asked him He is the creator through. This regulation al- about his motivation, theideas of the Foundation lows citizen coalitions to pro- that have shaped his work, for Peer-to-Peer Alternatives, and pose improvements to their his urban commons projects one of the key- neighbourhoods, and the city in Bologna and Mantua, and note speakers to contract with citizens how he sees the expansion at the European Cultural Founda- for key assistance. In other of this approach in cities tion’s Idea Camp words, the municipality throughout the world. 2015 — ‘Build the City’. LabGov — Laboratory for the Governance of the Commons � Michel Bauwens and Christian Iaione 138

Michel Before we explore your work, what sparked your passion for Bauwens ­urban commons?

Christian I grew up in Southern Italy, but with an Anglo-Saxon imprint- Iaione ing. My parents lived in the US in the sixties. They eventually decided to go back. My father told me they made this choice because they wanted to give back to their country. In the 1970s, they were both Vice-Mayors in their respective hometowns (Contrada and Atripalda, near Avellino). The first time I went to the US was 1980. I was five years old and running away from a catastrophic earthquake that hit my city and its county (Avellino). Schools and other public services were shut down. My mother, my brothers and I fled to New York and New Jersey to stay with friends and relatives. My father decided to stay in Italy to take care of his city and his citizens. These were the first lessons I learned about life and the US. The sense of duty that my father taught me with his example, and that the US can be a welcoming land for those in need. Almost 20 years later in 1999, I enrolled in the University of California Berkeley Extension Program. In Berkeley I learned the importance of becoming a unique human able to collaborate with other unique human beings, rather than competing to be the first of my class. I came back to the States for a third time to intern at the International Law Institute in [Washington] D.C. — a city where you can feel the immanent presence of power and how distant institutions can be from the needs of ­citizens and how reluctant they are to innovate, but also how you can find innovators within government. Lessons learned: if you want to change something you have to change it from the in- side by finding those who are willing to work with you. I then had the opportunity to work and develop my academic studies as a research fellow at New York University School of Law. It was there that I developed the theoretical framework for local public entrepreneurship, which is the basis of the CO-Mantova project and the idea of the city as a commons. My study on the tragedy of urban roads and experiments in Bologna led to this. LabGov — Laboratory for the Governance of the Commons � Michel Bauwens and Christian Iaione 139

Michel You run LabGov — LABoratory for the GOVernance of commons Bauwens dealing with new commons-centric urban governance. LabGov is part of an important Italian academic institution, LUISS Univer- sity, and, in particular, the International Center on Democracy and Democratization led by Leonardo Morlino — a prominent interna- tional political scientist. What is LabGov?

Christian LabGov is an in-house clinic for social, economic, institutional and Iaione legal innovators who carry out empirical work to implement inno­ vations in public policy based on collaborative governance and public collaboration for the commons, subsidiarity, active citizen- ship, sharing economy, collaborative consumption, shared value, and collective impact. I co-produce the clinic with young people graduating from LUISS University. I designed this programme having in mind a powerful new social class that is on the rise. It is a class of active citizens, social innovators, makers, creatives, ­sharing and collaborative economy practitioners, service ­designers, ­co-working and co-production experts, and urban designers. This social class is pushing or nudging society, business and institutions towards new frontiers. Students should have the opportunity to join this social class and help it move the frontier forward. That is why, through the clinic, student interns develop projects that must come to life. Students must implement inno­ vation in areas where innovation has not been brought yet or amplify the innovation in existing projects. In 2013 LabGov was devoted to the subject ‘The City as a Commons’, while in 2014 it was focused on ‘Culture as a Commons’. In the academic year 2014–2015, the focus of study is green governance, to be understood as a social, economic, institutional and legal technology. Therefore, this year the LabGov is devoted to the ‘land as a commons: environment, agriculture and food’. All the real life projects we design in the Laboratory are then proposed to real life actors that are willing to experiment with the ideas we seed. LabGov is a non-profit rooted in the univer­ sity but working on the outside. LabGov intends to update the Triple Helix concept of the university-industry-government LabGov — Laboratory for the Governance of the Commons � Michel Bauwens and Christian Iaione 140

relationship because we believe in a Quintuple 1 ’Nudge’ regulations Helix approach (embedded in LabGov logo) focus on preventing people from mak- where universities become an active member ing so-called ‘bad’ of the community and facilitate the creation of decisions that may new forms of partnerships in the general interest harm themselves, like over-eating or between government, industry and businesses, buying less energy the not for profit sector, social innovators and efficient appliances. citizens, and other institutions such as schools, The subjective na- ture of what can be academies, plus research and cultural centres. labelled as a ‘bad’ decision means Michel You are known as one of the key authors that the potential scope of ‘nudge’ Bauwens of the new regulation on collaboration for regulations is un- the care and regeneration of urban commons, limited. See https:// which was adopted by Bologna and is now en.wikipedia.org/ ­being adopted by other Italian cities. What wiki/Nudge_% exactly does the “Regolamento sulla collabo- 28book%29 razione per i beni comuni urbani” entail, and are there already practical consequences?

Christian The Bologna Regulation is part of the ‘The City Iaione as a Commons’ project that LabGov started in 2012. It consists of two years of field work and three ‘urban commons governance labs’. The Bologna regulation is a 30-page regula- tory framework outlining how local authori- ties, citizens and the community at large can manage public and private spaces and assets together. As such, it’s a sort of handbook for civic and public collaboration, and also a new vision for government. It reflects the strong belief that we need a cultural shift in terms of how we think about government, moving away from the Leviathan State or Welfare State toward collaborative or polycentric governance. This calls for more public collabo­ration, nudge regulations1 and citytelling. LabGov — Laboratory for the Governance of the Commons � Michel Bauwens and Christian Iaione 141

I have been researching the topic 2 Paper presented of the commons for quite a long time, and at the Second The- matic ­Conference at some point I realised that the city could of the IASC on “De- actually be interpreted as a collaborative com- sign and Dynamics mons. I synthesised my research in a paper of Institutions for Collective 2 ‘City as a Commons’ presented at a conference Action: A Tribute in Utrecht and later published in the Indiana to Prof. Elinor University Digital Library of the Commons. Ostrom”, 29 No- vember—1 De- This was the background study for the Bologna cember 2012, and Mantova projects. I am now working available at the with Sheila Foster from Fordham Law School Digital Library of the Commons. on a more comprehensive study that is ­going to lay out a theoretical framework building 3 See http://www. aedon.mulino.it/ on the background studies I developed in archivio/2013/1/ Italian (see an article titled ‘La città come bene iaione.htm comune’3) and the empirical work I am carrying out in several Italian cities.

Michel We met at the presentation of CO-Mantova, Bauwens an ambitious project to revive the local economy with young social innovators, which also pro- poses an innovative five-fold local governance scheme. Tell us why Mantova needed this, how the process with youth worked, and how the city, province and Chamber of Commerce came to ac- cept the process. Above all: what’s next?

Christian CO-Mantova is a prototype of a process to run Iaione the city as a collaborative commons, i.e., a ‘co- city’. A co-city should be based on collabora- tive governance of the commons whereby urban, environmental, cultural, knowledge and digital commons are co-managed by the five actors of the collaborative/polycentric govern- ance — social innovators (i.e., active citizens, makers, digital innovators, urban regenerators, LabGov — Laboratory for the Governance of the Commons � Michel Bauwens and Christian Iaione 142

rurban innovators, etc.), public authorities, businesses, civil so- ciety organisations, knowledge institutions (i.e., schools, univer- sities, cultural academies, etc.) — through an institutionalised public-private-citizen partnership. This partnership will give birth to a local peer-to-peer physical, digital and institutional platform with three main aims: living together (collaborative services); growing together (co-ventures); making together (co-production). The project is supported by the local Chamber of Commerce, the City, the Province, local NGOs (non-governmental organisa- tions), young entrepreneurs, SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) and knowledge institutions, such as the Mantua University Foundation, and some very forward-looking local schools. The first step was ‘seeding social innovation’ through a collaborative call for ‘Culture as a Commons’ to bring forth social innovators in Mantua. Second step was the co-design laboratory ‘Enterprises for the Commons’, an idea camp where the seven projects from the call were cultivated and synergies created between projects and with the city. The third phase was the Governance camp, a collaborative governance prototyping stage that led to the drafting of the Collaborative Governance Pact, the Collaboration Toolkit and the Sustainability Plan, which was presented to the public during the Festival of Cooperation on 27 November 2014. The next step is the fourth and final phase: the governance testing and modelling through the launch of a public consulta- tion in the city on the text of the Pact and a roadshow generating interest in CO-Mantova among possible signatories belonging to the five categories of collaborative governance actors. We also may have CO-Mantova opening up a Commons School.

Michel What are the prospects for public collaboration and commons- Bauwens oriented local governance schemes? What do you see hap- pening elsewhere and what do you want to see change in the near future? LabGov — Laboratory for the Governance of the Commons � Michel Bauwens and Christian Iaione 143

Christian This really depends on the local context. In my opinion, people Iaione are what matters the most, and the best entry point is always to find the people or group who believe in change, and in do- ing things better by pushing the boundaries of institutional ­innovation. You need people with around-the-clock commitment beyond their official duty both to the community, the institution and to excellence. You always have to take into account that public officials are likely to be very cautious, since changing one thing tends to impact other things. Innovation is not the result of revolu- tion, but it’s quiet, not necessarily slow, but difficult and involves a continuous negotiation process. This is something that you have to ‘­figure out on the ground’. If you manage to implement change with the public administration rather than using politi- cal ­drivers, your change is much more likely to be permanent. There are some good examples about how public collabo- ration and commons-oriented local governance schemes are taking place. Florence is one example where collaboration has been seeded in several institutions and projects that the city is already running. The new mayor and new commissioners have already shown interest in expanding the reach of a collaborative ­approach within the city government. Moreover, a growing community of innovators is working in Italy to foster collaborative practices, sharing economy and social innovation. One example is the Sharing School that was held from 23 to 26 of January 2015 in Matera, the 2019 European Capital of Culture.

Michel What else are you working on? What are your long-term Bauwens goals?

Christian We are talking about a cultural shift. The new governance model Iaione proposed is a new way for us to relate to almost everything, from economy to society as a whole and to other people, in other words: our vision of the world changes. Whether this cultural paradigm takes expression in sharing a car, or caring about where LabGov — Laboratory for the Governance of the Commons � Michel Bauwens and Christian Iaione 144

the trash ends up, this is all part of a 21st century way of living: a way of sharing things, sharing services, sharing spaces, sharing production and sharing responsibilities. You need a ‘nudging class’ instead of a ruling class, a class that has the drive to convince and nudge society and institutions towards a sharing and collaborative paradigm. But you cannot force change, you have to nudge people to share and collaborate. For this reason, since 2012, I’ve suggested the creation of a federalised network of local hubs of expertise gathering best practices, starting up experimentations in different territo- ries, spreading governance culture and disseminating knowledge among Italian territories. This National Collaboration Network could become a hub that provides collaboration toolkits, regula- tions and governance schemes, as well as training programmes and day-by-day assistance for local administrators to help them drive change toward sharing and governance of the commons. This could accelerate the shift towards a 21st century paradigm of public administration.

Michel What other cities are you allied with or are learning from? Bauwens Is CO-Mantova part of any networks or associations that support commons-based urban development?

Christian Many other cities are taking the route synthesised by CO- Iaione Mantova and opened by Bologna with its regulation on col- laboration for urban commons. Milan, Florence, Rome, Naples, Battipaglia and Palermo have decided or are deciding to invest energy, skills and other resources on the challenge of collabora- tion. They increasingly believe that only through co-design and bottom-up processes of civic and economic empowerment is it possible to face the challenges that congestion, agglomeration and density that cities will face in the future.

Michel How are LUISS students or LabGov interns involved Bauwens in ­CO-Mantova? And what feedback are you getting from them so far? LabGov — Laboratory for the Governance of the Commons � Michel Bauwens and Christian Iaione 145

Christian LabGovers’, as we call LabGov interns, participated actively Iaione during all the phases of the Mantova project. They supported project design and field implementation. They handled internal and ­external communication, organised the workshops and ­conferences, and facilitated the different project working groups, which, for instance, created the Collaboration Pact, the Collaboration Toolkit and the Sustainability Plan. For them, CO-Mantova was their first fieldwork and occasion to test the competencies acquired during their university ­studies, and through the colloquium that LabGov holds every year on commons governance, sharing economy, social innovation and nudge regulation. LabGov helps young, talented students develop useful skills for their careers. These are all skills that, due to the continuous transformation of society, you will not find in books or learn in a classroom. For this reason, LabGov teaches ­collaboration, service design, project management and the ­sharing of roles and responsibilities through a ‘learning by ­doing’ ­approach. Thanks to LabGov, young students and graduates enter the working world better prepared than their colleagues. I am confident that LabGovers will hold important positions in ­society and will be the driving force of change by fostering collaboration and a commons-oriented economic approach.

Michel In conclusion, how do you see the inter-relationship of the com- Bauwens mons, city governments, citizens, market players and market institutions?

Christian The job of city governments, and maybe every government Iaione layer, is changing. Their function is less about commanding or ­providing. They are increasingly acting as a platform that ­enables collaboration between citizens and social ­innovators, not for profit organisations, businesses and universities — the five ­actors of collaborative governance — to unleash the full potential of urban, cultural and environmental com- mons, ­promote a sustainable commons-oriented development paradigm, ­updating the concept of State or government and LabGov — Laboratory for the Governance of the Commons � Michel Bauwens and Christian Iaione 146

therefore implying as Neal Gorenflo would say a “shift in power and social relations”. Market institutions are more interested in this process than one might think. This is the main take away of the Mantova experiment. In fact, it is the local Chamber of Commerce, the local cooperative movement, the local busi- nesses and the young entrepreneurs that are investing more in this innovative project than other sectors. SMEs and big companies alike are looking for new, innovative approaches to the way value is produced. The race to the bottom that glo- balisation has triggered is no longer an available strategy for a knowledge economy system like Mantova. Economic actors in- creasingly understand that they should invest in producing col- laborative value and create collaborative economic ecosystems that foster creativity, knowledge, identity and trust. This new phenomenon represents an opportunity to revo- lutionise the current state of play of the society, economy, institutions and law. This new social, economic, institutional and legal paradigm is going to characterise the 21st century as the ‘­CO-century’, the century of COmmons, COllaboration, COoperation, COmmunity, COmmunication, CO-design, ­CO-production, CO-management, COexistence, CO-living. For all these reasons, it is urgent to design the rules and institu- tions of this new century. LabGov is working on this frontier and is doing it together with experts, organisations and indivi­ duals that represent what we think is a newly rising social class, a class of economic and institutional innovators. � Bologna Celebrates One Year of a Bold Experiment in Urban Commoning

by Neal Gorenflo

It all began with park benches. at the awe-inspiring MAST Neal Gorenflo In 2011, a group of women Gallery for the opening is the co-founder of Shareable, an in Bologna, Italy wanted ­ceremony of Bologna’s Civic award-winning to donate benches to their Collaboration Fest celebrat- news, action, neighbourhood park, Piazza ing the one-year anniversary connection hub for the sharing Carducci. There was nowhere of the Bologna Regulation for transformation. to sit in their park. So they the Care and Regeneration In addition to his called the city government of the Urban Commons, work at Shareable, Neal is an adviser to get permission to put in a ­history-making institu- to the US Solidarity benches. They called one tional innovation that enables Economy Network, department, which referred Bologna to operate as a col- OuiShare, Peers, Mayor Park of Seoul them to another, which sent laborative commons. Now in South Korea them on again. No one in Bologna’s citizens have a legal and is a former In- novation Fellow for the city could help them. way to contribute to the city. Mayor Lee of San This dilemma highlighted Since the regulation passed Francisco. an important civic lacuna — one year ago, more than there simply was no way 100 projects have signed ‘col- for citizens to contribute laboration pacts’ with the city improve­ments to the city. under the regulation to con- In fact, it was illegal. tribute urban improvements Fast forward to 16 May with 100 more in the pipeline. 2015. The Mayor, City It was an impevent filled with Councillors, community ceremony, emotion, historical leaders, journalists and hun- significance all in a context dreds of others gathered of tough political realities. Bologna Celebrates One Year of a Bold Experiment in Urban Commoning � Neal Gorenflo 148

City Councillor Luca Rizzo Nervo board. Veronica Veronesi introduced opened the ceremony with a rousing Reuse With Love, a group of 50 neigh- speech. He said a new day was dawn- bours who joined forces to fight waste ing where ‘no you can’t’ was turn- and improve the lives of children and ing into ‘yes we can together’, where the poor. Annarita Ciaruffoli of Dentro citizens are self-determining, and Al Nido (Inside the Nest) spoke where a new, empowering relationship of how the regulation was helping between citizens and city had begun. to restore schools. He said he was tired of the old, pessi- Stefano Brugnara, President mistic rhetoric and that the regulation of Arci Bologna and spokesperson opened up a new, hopeful develop- for the Bologna Third Sector Forum, ment path that takes ‘active citizen- an association of local non-profits, ship’ to the next level. He ended with spoke of the durable role of non-profits a vision of Bologna as an entire city under the new regulation; that they powered by sharing and collaboration don’t get subsumed by it, but rather as part of a global network of other can be strengthened by it, especially ­cities on the same path. if there’s transparency in its applica- Administrator Donato Di Memmo, tion. His comments hinted at a concern the urban commons project leader, that non-profits would be weakened spoke to the importance of the urban by the regulation. commons for urban art, digital innova- Giovanni Ginocchini of Bologna’s tion and social cohesion and the need Urban Centre commented on ­urban for improvement in the application transformation from a physical stand- of the regulation. He said that rela- point including fighting graffiti, reno- tionships are the starting point and vation of the city’s famous arcades, that with training and more visibility green lighting in public spaces and the regulation could meet the high ­better social housing. ­expectations for it. While the proceedings included We heard from the leaders of three a diverse set of stakeholders, Mayor projects that had signed pacts. Michela Virginio Merola was clearly the head- Bassi spoke of the impact of her Social liner. He gave an engaging speech filled Streets project, which has moved from with emotion and historical reflection. a network of neighbourhood Facebook His main point, which was a reminder groups to a non-profit with a set of tan- of Bologna’s long history of civic inno- gible projects including an outdoor ad vation, was that Bologna’s people and turned into a neighbourhood bulletin their cooperative culture are the city’s Bologna Celebrates One Year of a Bold Experiment in Urban Commoning � Neal Gorenflo 149

most important assets, the and for not having a ­vision. 1 Robert D. Putman, things that set it apart. He said I got word after the cere­ Making Democra­ cy Work: Civic Tra­ the regulation was taking this mony that the Mayor said ditions in Modern tradition to the next level. the urban commons is now Italy (Princeton Uni- He got emotional at points his vision. I was blown away versity Press, 1993). in his speech, pausing to hold how aligned his and Luca back tears. This stirred the Rizzo Nervo’s vision is with audience. He connected. Shareable’s and our Sharing He spoke of the need for Cities Network. Perhaps it’s citizens to love each other more accurate to say that our and to have the freedom to vision is aligned with theirs do the best for oneself and as Bologna has a 1,000-year ­others. He said it’s easy to get history of civic innovation depressed by the daily news, that includes the first uni- but that the DNA of Bologna versity in the Western world, is the ability of citizens to self-rule as an independent fulfil their dreams. He spoke city-state during the Middle about the increasing diver- Ages, and more recently the sity of the city — only 30% rise of the region’s famously of residents are Bologna large cooperative sector. born — and the need to focus One conclusion of Robert on commonalities, common Putnam’s influential book assets, human rights and about Italy, Making Democracy equality. He urged the audi- Work,1 was that northern ence to create an intelligent Italians were richer than their city — one based on great southern cousins because relationships — as opposed they were civic, not the re- to a merely smart city. He verse as he had previously concluded that, while there’s thought. The Mayor’s speech a need for much more citizen about the cooperative spirit action, that this doesn’t mean of Bologna was not hot air. the end of hierarchy. The city It had the weight of history still needs dedicated civil behind it. It spoke to a neces- servants. sary and feasible revival of it. The Mayor has been criti- After the Mayor spoke, cised as “the mayor who cries” and at the invitation of our Bologna Celebrates One Year of a Bold Experiment in Urban Commoning � Neal Gorenflo 150

host, Christian Iaione of LUISS LabGov, for quality of life, not to mention Fordham University professor Sheila the tourist trade. Foster, commons activist David Bollier There I saw the regulation’s multi- and I gave short talks about the urban stakeholder collaboration in action. commons. Sheila focused on the poten- The painting crew was a non-profit, tial of the urban commons to foster hu- Lawyers at Work. The municipal waste man development. David spoke about management company Hera had commons-based economic develop- dropped off the painting kit earlier ment and Bologna’s potential to inspire in the day. It included paint that met other cities. And I spoke about the how the city’s historical code, brushes, living day-to-day in the commons smocks to protect clothing, cones builds citizenship. to mark off the work area and more. The ceremony was concluded Hera had also cleared the painting in the most fitting way possible. project with the building owner and All the leaders of projects operating city. The city hosted an online map under the regulation were invited that showed all the projects active that on stage. The Mayor gave each a USB day and their location. Citizens could key to the city with a copy of regula- track and join projects online or do it tions on the drive. The USB key was spontaneously. A neighbour had joined the brainchild of Christian Iaione and Lawyers at Work when they happened Michele d’Alena, the civic collaboration by the worksite, something that hap- fest project leader. What a great idea. pens regularly with Bologna’s urban It created a joyful moment that sym- commons projects. Neighbours also bolised a shift in power from elected share project activity on social media, leaders to citizens. which can spark more activity and The next day Christian Iaione and civic pride. Elena De Nictolis, Alessandra Feola and My idea of placemaking was radi- Elia Lofranco of LUISS LabGov gave cally upgraded by witnessing the regu- a delegation including Sheila Foster lation in action. Here the making part and I a tour of projects that were ­active of placemaking was brought to life in that day. Our first stop was one of a vivid and dynamic way. No longer seven citizen groups painting buildings was placemaking for urban design in the city’s historic centre. Painting experts who plan everything out in is a big deal because of an abundance advance, but rather it was for every- of graffiti and the need to maintain one in a real-time multi-stakeholder the ancient buildings, which is crucial dance that included both planned and Bologna Celebrates One Year of a Bold Experiment in Urban Commoning � Neal Gorenflo 151

spontaneous elements. I began to see be made for urban commons in a city’s the possibilities of an entirely new way administrative law and processes. to live in a city that was even more cre- In addition, they must be productively ative, enlivening and social than what linked to other sectors of with a city. cities already offer. This arguably makes urban commons In between stops in what turned more complex to set up, but could pro- out to be a long, vigorous walk, I had vide more protection for them than the chance to chat with Sheila Foster what’s typical for natural resource and Christian Iaione who had just co- commons, which are prone to clo- authored a soon-to-be published paper sure. This highlighted the importance conceptualising the city as commons of Bologna’s urban commons regula- from an administrative law standpoint. tion. It has opened space for the urban Two points stood out in our conversa- commons to flourish in Bologna and is tion. First, that a new era was dawning already leading the way for other cities where citizens are active co-managers in Italy and beyond. of the resources they use in cities in- After a couple of other stops, we stead of passive recipients of services. ended our tour at Piazza Carducci. Secondly, that the old idea of commons I wanted to see where Bologna’s ur- needed an upgrade in the urban con- ban commons began. I got my wish. text. Most academic studies of com- The park was ordinary, and that’s just mons revolve around relatively isolated the point. The most extraordinary natural resource commons like forests, social innovations can begin in ordi- fisheries and pastures. Urban ­commons nary places with a simple wish. This must by necessity be embedded in was such a place, and it was beauti- a dense weave of institutions. They ful to me for that reason. All of us can’t be as independent of the market gathered on one of the benches for and government as the natural re- a picture to commemorate the pioneers source commons that Elinor Ostrom of Bologna’s urban commons, the wom- was famous for studying. Room must en of Piazza Carducci. � RURBAN PILOT FACILITIES AND CYCLES

RECYCLAB RECYCLING ECOHAB ECOLOGICAL AND ECO-CONSTRUCTION COOPERATIVE HOUSING

-50%y energ 20% consumption uction waste constr -50% 2 CO emission

CO2 / IAL / Y INT T YE OC JO 0T EA PR RE 8 A S B 3 R T D CIVIV AGRICULTURE 9 0 S 1 O U 2 R 1 C AGROCITÉ - O F T CULTURE AND PEDAGOGY

I O

%

N

0 4

R-URBAN Pilots Facilities.­ Credit: atelier d’architecture autogéré R-URBAN or How to Co-produce a Resilient City 1st( excerpt)

by Constantin Petcou and Doina Petrescu

The ‘right to resilience’ an environmental bal- Doina Petrescu ance, resilience is adap- is Professor of Architecture and Design Activism at the University ‘Resilience’ is a key term tive and transformative, of Sheffield. in the context of the cur- inducing change that rent economic crisis harbours vast potentials Constantin Petcou is a Paris-based architect whose and lack of resources. for rethinking assump- work stresses the intersections In contrast to sustain- tions and building new between architecture, urbanism ability, which is focused systems.1 Although and semiotics. on maintaining the sta- the current resilience They are both co-founders of atelier tus quo of a system by discourse is not to be d’architecture autogérée (aaa), controlling the balance embraced uncritically a professional organisation that conducts actions and research between its inputs without paying heed on participatory urbanism and and outputs, without to the sometimes naïve architecture involving local residents in self-managing projects in their necessarily addressing and idealistic com- neighbourhoods, engaging in social the factors of change parison of social and and ecological practices, and ini- and disequilibrium, re- biological systems and tiating resilient networks (www. urbantactcs.org). silience addresses how their adaptability to en- systems can adapt and gendering well-being, thrive in changing cir- the concept of ‘resilience’ cumstances. Resilience is itself has the potential a dynamic concept with to include questions and no stable definition or contradictions addressed identity outside the cir- in terms of political cumstances producing ecology.2 it. In contrast to sus- R-URBAN3 maintains tainability, which tends that urban sustainabil- to focus on maintaining ity is a civic right and R-URBAN or How to Co-produce a Resilient City � Constantin Petcou and Doina Petrescu 154

creates the conditions because collective power 1 See Brigit Maguire and Sophie for this ‘right to sustain- is necessary to reshape ­Cartwright, Assessing a commu­ nity’s capacity to manage change: ability’ to be exercised, urban processes. Harvey A resilience approach to social not only as a right to rely describes ‘the right to assessment (Bureau of Rural on and consume sustain- the city’ as the citizens’ ­Sciences, May 2008). Available at http://www.tba.co.nz/ ability (provided by freedom to ­access urban tba-eq/Resilience_approach.pdf the remains of the wel- resources: “it is a right fare state or bought to change ourselves 2 We are here joining the ranks of po- litical ecologists who criticise the su- 6 from private providers), by changing the city”. perficial understandings of politics, but as a right to produce In this sense, R-URBAN power and social construction it (allowing citizens’ follows Harvey’s ideas popularised in resilience rhetoric (see Alf Hornborg, ‘Zero-sum world: involvement in decision- and facilitates the as- Challenges in conceptualizing making and action). sertion of this ‘right’ environmental load displacement and ecologically unequal exchange Although sustainability through appropriation, in the world-system’, International is on the agenda of many transformation and Journal of Comparative Sociol- urban projects today, this networking processes, ogy, 5(3 – 4), 2009, pp. 237 – 265). does not necessarily im- and the use of urban in- 3 R-URBAN is a bottom-up strategy ply that all these projects frastructures. R-URBAN that explores the possibilities are political in their perhaps differs from of enhancing the capacity of ur- ban resilience by introducing ­approach to the issue. Harvey in scope, as it a network of resident-run facili- A politico-ecolog- does not seek to insti- ties to create complementarities ical approach like that tute a large-scale global between key fields of activity (economy, housing, urban agricul- of R-URBAN will not just movement opposing ture, culture). R-URBAN initiates positively and uncriti- the financial capital locally closed ecological cycles cally propose ‘improved’ that controls urban de- that will support the emergence of alternative models of living, development ­dynamics, velopment, but instead producing and consuming be- but also question the aims to empower urban tween the urban and the rural. processes that bring residents to propose al- 4 Some of these ideas were first about social injustice and ternative projects where developed in Clare Brass, Flora inequitable urban envi- they live, and to foster Bowden and Kate McGeevor, ‘Co- ronments.4 Some voices local and greater net- designing urban opportunities’, SCIBE Working Paper No. 4., 2011 5 such as David Harvey works, testing methods [http://www.scibe.eu/wp-content/ argue that the transfor- of self-management, self- uploads/2010/11/04-PSI.pdf]. mation of urban spaces building and self-pro- 5 David Harvey, ‘The Right to the City’, is a collective rather duction. In this respect, New Left Review, 53 (9 – 10), Sep- than an individual right, R-URBAN is perhaps tember-October 2008, pp. 23 – 40. R-URBAN or How to Co-produce a Resilient City � Constantin Petcou and Doina Petrescu 155

closer to Lefebvre’s idea of many individual and 6 David Harvey, ibid., p. 23. of ‘the right to the city’. collective interventions 7 Henri Lefebvre, Writings on ­Cities Lefebvre imagines a lo- that complement each (New York: Blackwell, 1996). cally conceived emanci- other, forming metabolic patory project, empha- networks that stimulate 8 Speech delivered by British Prime Minister David Cameron sising the need to freely circulatory changes on Big Society on Monday, propose alternative pos- while simultaneously 14 ­February 2011. See https://www. sibilities for urban prac- informing one another. gov.uk/government/speeches/ pms-speech-on-big-society tice at a level of every­day Such networks will ac- life. He proposes a new commodate multiplicity ­methodology, called and valorise imagination ‘transduction’, to en- at all levels. courage the creation R-URBAN could of ‘experimental utopias’. hence be suspected Framed by existing real- of aligning itself oppor- ity, this would introduce tunistically with the ‘Big ‘rigour in invention and Society’ principles pro- knowledge in utopia’ posed by the UK’s Tory as a way of avoiding Prime Minister, David ‘­irresponsible idealism’.7 Cameron, to implement Lefebvre underlines “the idea of communi- the key role of urban ties taking more control, imaginaries in under- of more volunteerism, standing, ­challenging more charitable giving, and transforming of social enterprises urbanity and opening taking on a bigger role, the way to a ­multiplicity of people establishing of representations and public services them- interventions. From this selves”.8 But the es- perspective, R-URBAN sential difference is is a ‘transductive’ that R-URBAN is not project, both rigorous responding directly and utopian, popular to the onset of the finan- and experimental. It is cial crisis and is not a bottom-up approach embracing a programme based on the aggregation of economic resilience R-URBAN or How to Co-produce a Resilient City � Constantin Petcou and Doina Petrescu 156

in which the state is absent: such self-­organised constituency the means a programme would explicitly promote to act locally on a neighbourhood the reliance on unpaid work to mask scale, and creates opportunities for the disappearance of welfare struc- ­actions and activities that could change tures and the massive cuts in public their future. It affirms their ‘right services. The R-URBAN strategy is not to resilience’. relegating economic responsibility Concentrating on spatial agen- to citizens because the state is unable cies and civic hubs, R-URBAN tries or unwilling to assume it any longer, to supply tools and spaces that will but claims the social and political manifest citizens’ existing resilient right to question the state’s power ­initiatives and practices. Spatial plan- in terms of its role and responsibility. ning ­processes contribute to express- Local authorities and public institu- ing ecological cycles in tangible ways, tions are integrated in the strategy and help facilitate citizens’ experi- as equal partners, assuming the roles ences of making and doing. of enablers, sponsors and administra- In parallel to its civic hubs, which tors. In addition to urban residents and represent a new ecological urban in- civic organisations, public institutions frastructure, R-URBAN also puts new (e.g., city councils, regeneration offices, political and democratic tools in place: public land trusts, schools and cultural forms of self-governance support- agencies) are also invited to take part ing the emergence of different kinds in this experimental utopia, and to of formal and informal economic challenge their routines. It is not only organisation across the network. the residents who must “change them- These are all part of a cooperative civic selves by changing the city”, as claimed land-trust, the entity that will govern by Harvey,9 but also the politicians and the entire R-URBAN project. Being specialists presently in charge of a city. transferable and multipliable, these As such, R-URBAN is not only tools are realised in cooperation with about grassroots innovation to meet other partners and concerned citizens. social, economic and environmen- tal needs, but also about political critique and ideological expression, Micro-social and cultural resilience affirming the necessity of new so- cial and economic agencies based Unlike other initiatives exclusively on alternatives to the dominant socio- dealing with sustainability from technical ­regime. R-URBAN gives its a technological and environmental R-URBAN or How to Co-produce a Resilient City � Constantin Petcou and Doina Petrescu 157

perspective, R-URBAN social networking 9 David Harvey, op. cit. advocates a ­general and mutual learning. 10 Rob Hopkins, ‘Resilience think- ‘change of culture’, These micro-social and ing’, Resurgence (2009), p. 15. ­understood as a change micro-cultural prac- in how we do things, tices, usually related in order to change to individual lifestyles our future. and activities (e.g., food R-URBAN proposes cultivation and waste new collective prac- collection, car-sharing, tices, which, in addition exchanging tools and to reducing the ecologi- skills with neighbours), cal footprint, also con- elicit attention to de- tribute to reinventing tails, singularities, and near-at-hand relation- the creative and innova- ships based on solidari- tory potentials found ties (i.e., ways of being on the level of everyday involved and deciding life. R-URBAN maps this collectively, sharing local capacity to invent spaces and grouping and transform in detail, facilities, rules and but also, in parallel, principles of cohabita- the administrative con- tion). The transforma- straints that block it, tion needs to take place proposing ways of by- on the micro-scale passing them by way of each individual, each of restated policies and subjectivity, to build structures. a culture of resilience. As Rob Hopkins puts it, “resilience is not just Commons and an outer process: it is commoning also an inner one, of be- coming more flexible, The issue of commons robust and skilled”.10 lies at the heart of dis- The culture of resilience cussions revolving includes processes of re- around co-produced skilling, skill sharing, democracy. Michael R-URBAN or How to Co-produce a Resilient City � Constantin Petcou and Doina Petrescu 158

Hardt and Antonio According to Ravel 11 Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri11 define ­commons and Negri,14 the revolu- Negri, Multitude: Guerre et démocratie à l’âge de l’empire as something that is not tionary project of our (Paris: La Découverte, 2004). discovered but produced time is all about this biopolitically: We call capturing, diverting, 12 Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri, Ibid., p. 9 – 10, authors’ translation. the currently dominant appropriating and re- model ‘biopolitical pro- claiming of commons 13 Antonio Negri and Judith Ravel, duction’ to underline as a constitutive process. ‘Inventer le commun des hom- mes’, Multitudes No. 31 (Paris: the fact that it involves This is a reappropriation Editions Amsterdam, 2008). not only material pro- and reinvention at one duction in straight eco- and the same time. 14 Antonio Negri and Judith Ravel, ibid., p. 7, authors’ translation. nomic terms, but also The undertaking needs affects and contributes new categories and in- to producing all other stitutions, new forms aspects of social life, of management and i.e. the economic, cul- governance, spaces and tural and political. This actors — an entire infra- biopolitical production structure both ­material and the greater number and virtual. of commons it creates R-URBAN endea­ support the possibility vours to co-produce of democracy today. 12 this new infrastructure that is simultaneously A sustainable demo­ a reappropriation and cracy should be based a reinvention of new on a long-term policy forms of commons, of commons, as well ranging from collective, as the social solidari- self-managed facilities ties understood as such. and collective knowl- “Creating value today edge and skills to new is about networking forms of groups and subjectivities and cap- networks. The facilities turing, diverting and and uses proposed by appropriating what they R-URBAN will be shared do with the commons and propagated on vari- they give rise to”.13 ous scales, progressively R-URBAN or How to Co-produce a Resilient City � Constantin Petcou and Doina Petrescu 159

constituting a net- concludes that “the only 15 John Holloway, ‘Un mouvement work that is open possible way to think ‘contre-et-au-delà’: À propos du débat sur mon livre’,Variations: to various users and about radical change Revue internationale de théorie includes adaptable ele- in society is within its critique, 18(04), 2006, pp. 15 – 30. ments and processes interstices” and that 16 John Holloway, ibid., p. 19 – 20, based on open-source “the best way of oper- authors’ translation. information. ating in interstices is Rather than buying to organise them”.16 This it, the R-URBAN land is exactly what R-URBAN trust currently estab- does: it organises a range lished in Colombes, of spatial, temporal and France bypasses the fixa- human interstices and tion on notions of prop- transforms them into erty and negotiates shared facilities; it sets land for (short and long up a different type of term) uses rather than ­urban space, neither pub- ownership. The right lic nor private, to host re- to use is an intrinsic invented collective prac- quality of commons, tices and collaborative as opposed to the right organisations; it initiates to own. As in previous networks of interstices projects, a specific focus to reinvent commons in here is on urban inter- metropolitan contexts. stices and spaces that This type of organisation evade financial specula- involves forms of com- tion, if only temporarily. moning, ways of ensuring This is also the position the expansion and sus- of Holloway15 who, tainability of the shared ­having analysed various pool of resources, but forms of and initiatives also ways of commonal- for transforming society, ity as a social practice. � From Lamp Posts to Phone Booths: Using Technology to create Civic Spaces

by Noel Hatch

British journalist Paul Mason to create algorithms for how Noel Hatch recently listed “the 10 things cities should be run. is the recipient of a 2014 Research 1 a perfect city needs”, rang- While one day the smart and Development ing from hipster economics city may be able to track grant from ECF to political unrest, but with every interaction we have for his idea: ‘Hack Your Borders’. no mention of public space! with the spaces around us He is a trustee Other city indexes focus to design the optimal ‘user of European Alter- on public space, like those experience’, we value public natives (http://www. euroalter.com/). produced by the EIU2 and spaces in much more instinc- Monocle.3 Where they differ tive ways — like our trip from Mason’s is their data- to the seaside as a child or driven approach. our first kiss in the park. If you took their methods However, we’ve had smart to their logical conclusion, city movements before, from we could end up living in Roman builders to Victorian a world where democracy engineers, transforming our is replaced by a Panopticon, lives for the better, intro- tracking everything to en- ducing new technologies sure the places we live in are to help us travel more quickly, aligned with these indexes. to managing our sewage more Imagine your council’s prom- efficiently. ise in 2030: “If it’s not meas- Nowhere is this more vis- ured, it won’t get done.” Part ible than by the sea. As Dan of the smart city movement Thompson highlights,4 sea- believes we’ll soon be able side towns were “the places From Lamp Posts to Phone Booths: Using Technology to create Civic Spaces � Noel Hatch 161

that industry carried out its structure and control inter- 1 Paul Mason, ‘The 10 research and development. action like shopping malls, things a perfect city needs’, The Guard­ They are scattered with rusted churches or sports clubs. ian, 25 August remains of prototyped cutting- Other groups prefer to use 2014. See http:// edge technology, from con- public spaces as infrastructure www.theguard- ian.com/com- crete seawalls to mechanical to create new forms of in- mentisfree/2014/ marine lifts.” The difference teraction, from doing hob- aug/25/10- nowadays is that it’s become bies together, watching over things-a-perfect- city-needs much easier for citizens to use the neighbourhood to more the infrastructure that tech- spontaneous interventions. 2 See http://www. nology runs on to carry out There are different mod- eiu.com/public/ topical_report. our own research and develop- els of how cities should be aspx?campaignid= ment, from creating a website designed. As you can see liveability2014 to 3D printing a house. So be- from this diagram, they cater 3 See http://monocle. fore we throw the 3D printed to very specific types of users com/film/affairs/ baby out with the bathwater, of public spaces. The chal- quality-of-life- survey-2014/ let’s explore how we can lenge our society faces is that support citizens to use tech- it’s becoming increasingly 4 See http:// nology to make the best use difficult to relate to people mrdanthomp- son.wordpress. of the spaces around them. who don’t think or act like com/2014/09/01/ But first we need to ex- us. People who don’t feel folkestones-on- plore the opportunities comfortable interacting with the-edge-of- something/ there are for people to make people they don’t know feel the best use of the spaces threatened by those who around them. Let’s under- want nothing more than stand what motivates people this. People who want things to use public spaces, using to stay the way they’ve al- Demos’ typology of different ways been are challenged by users of public space. those who want to disrupt What influences people the way things are done most in whether public spaces to stimulate innovation. meet their needs, is the level Trying to organise public and type of interaction they spaces based on the design expect to have with others. principles of a particular Some groups look to spaces model will therefore always where institutions will create inequalities between From Lamp Posts to Phone Booths: Using Technology to create Civic Spaces � Noel Hatch 162

different groups. What’s most im- like using sensors and gaming to get portant is to support different forms lampposts to talk to people. In other of interaction that can complement words, we can find new ways of ­using each other. existing resources that may never So how can we create ‘in between have been used in public space. spaces’ that are at the intersection As Demos argues: “If we can get of spontaneous and curated activities, the micro public spaces of street cor- of formal and informal design and ners, cafés, malls and parks to flourish of intimate and collective interactions? in a way that simultaneously meets We can invert roles, getting citi- people’s personal needs and the wider zens to be the designers of their local common good, then this intelligence parks. We can subvert resources, filling and the patterns of interaction stimu- sweet machines with seed bombs so lated might just ‘trickle up’ and start children can grow their own food. We creating patterns and value on the next can graft practices from other fields, scale up.” � “‘Change life!’ ‘Change society!’ These precepts mean nothing without the production of an appropriate space.”

— Henri Lefebvre, The Production of Spaces The Civic Public as a Constellation

by Pelin Tan

The creation of instituting comes together as a collective Pelin Tan society, as instituted society, body and begins to act as a so- is involved in research-based is each time a common world cial subject. But the emancipa- artistic and archi- (kosmos koinos), the positing tion of this social subject as it tectural projects of individuals, of their types, rises against hegemony is only that focus on urban conflict and terri­ relations and activities; but al- possible through an embodi- torial politics, gift so the positing of things, their ment that is both collective economy, the con- types, relations and significa- and relational. dition of labour and mixed methods in tion — all of which are caught In contrast to common research. up each time in receptacles urban history in Western soci- and frames of reference insti- eties, where the embodiment tuted as common, which make of collectives is usually tied them exist together.1 to a particular space within Cornelius Castoriadis the city, in many Ottoman cit- ies, for example, public space and the social subject exist Embodiment more or less as a constellation. Architectural historian and Does one particular physi- theorist Uğur Tanyeli often cal place in our cities ensure questions the dualistic struc- the notion of a civic public? ture of private and public In what moment and specific space in Western societies.2 urban staging does the ‘civic’ According to him, in Ottoman perform to be able to embody cities such duality never itself as ‘public’? Urban squares ­existed; instead, their complex in cities are often described lifestyles and heterogeneous as the public space where, communities created multiple when confronted with he- spatial experiences and there- gemony, a group of individuals fore opportunities to embody The Civic Public as a Constellation � Pelin Tan 165

a civic public. Therefore, are temporarily occupied or 1 Cornelius Casto- the meaning and practice made use of, they also resort riadis, The Imagi­ nary Institution of of public space here was lay- to the long-term practice ­Society. Translated ered, multiple and performa- of commoning, as an experi- by K. Blamey (Cam- tive, which is rather different ence embodied within the ur- bridge, Massachu- setts: the MIT Press from the more restrained ban. Both result in the oc- Cambridge, 1998). practices we tend to see in cupation and transformation Western cities. of space from anonymous or 2 Uğur Tanyeli, Genişleyen Düny­ Accordingly, instead non-significant to collectively ada Sanat, Kent ve of fetishising the square — significant. Siyaset: 9th Inter­ ­understood as a site that will national Istanbul Biennale (Istanbul: originate a civic public — IKSV, 2005). we should consider different Event forms of organisation and constellations where this According to French philoso- civic public can embody itself. pher Alain Badiou, an event Constellations here mean is political if its material is both the spatial experience in collective, or if the event can the urban territory and the na- only be attributed to a col- ture of collectivity, which con- lective multiplicity.3 Within sists in types of collaboration, this framework, how can the practice of ‘commoning,’ the event of urban resistance and alternative economic cur- transform itself as a collective rencies. Recent events wit- civic embodiment? Why did nessed in parks and squares Gezi Park and Taksim Square such as Zuccoti Park, Gezi become the urban spaces Park, Tahrir Square and oth- to experience citizenship, ers are not only a resounding and what is their relation- call towards an active civic ship to other sites of urban public, but also showcase al- resistance such as Syntagma ternative forms of collabora- Square, Tahrir Square, Zuccotti tion in everyday practices. Park or movements such Although public uprisings in as the Stuttgart 21 protest? demand of non-clerical de- And how, after its invasion mocracy often take place in by the police, did the Gezi temporary urban spaces that Park resistance transform The Civic Public as a Constellation � Pelin Tan 166

itself into urban assemblies in power that derives its visibil- 3 Alain Badiou, Meta­ different districts and parks ity and action from the urban politics (London: Verso, 2005) p.142. within Istanbul? territory can create its own In the last five years we heterotopic site, which is 4 David Harvey, have participated extensive­ the moment when the public Rebel Cities: From the Right ly in and witnessed many collectively re-inhabits and to the City ­instances of how city centres reclaims urban space despite to the Urban host — spatially — urban their differences. Revolution (Lon- don: Verso, 2012). uprisings all over the world. In the case of Gezi Park, Urban resistance, street recent events testify to a new 5 David Harvey, ibid. ­riots and occupying parks urban space of conflict or squares to protest against where a collective power is capitalist society and authori- actively exercised, namely tarian governments, which as the meaning of coming have proven themselves together in public space is as strategies since the 1960s, appropriated as a form of pro- seem to be the only concrete test against urbanisation. collective action nowadays The heterogeneity of the public that is political though non- and the strategy of passive partisan. As David Harvey resistance against police explains when referring force, as well as the common to Lefebvre’s “revolutionary drive to reclaim everyday life moment” in his recent book against a neoliberal system Rebel Cities, “reinventing via a park, has a lot of similari- the city inevitably depends ties with other urban move- upon the exercise of a collec- ments such as the K21 protest tive power over the processes in Stuttgart or the on-going of urbanisation.”4 Addressing anti-nuclear protest in Tokyo urban centres, Harvey con- park following the Tsunami tinues: “there is an impulse of 2011. However, we can see towards and longing for its how this spontaneous and restoration which arises again specific instance of ‘­coming to produce far-reaching politi- together’ is also a force of cal effects; as we have recently accumulation that has an seen in central squares.”5 Thus, impact in other local move- we can see how a collective ments in Istanbul. This can The Civic Public as a Constellation � Pelin Tan 167

be seen in the anti-nuclear where a civic public can per- 6 David Harvey, protests in Turkey, protests form spontaneously through ibid, p. XVII. by the Istanbul Chamber a collective action to create 7 Franco Berardi of Architects, the Istanbul something radically different, “Bifo”, The Soul Chamber of Urban Planners as stated by Lefebvre.6 at Work — From Alienation To Au­ against urban destruction and tonomy. Translated the centralised upside-down by F. Cadel and projects such as 3.Bridge for Crisis G. Mecchia (Los Angeles, London: Istanbul, the Taksim Square Semiotext (E) For- construction and other related How can self-organised, eign Agents Series, movements. self-regulating networks 2009) p.192 – 193. Aside from calling authori- and collective structures ties to participatory, grass- such as the occupy move- roots urban decision-making ments in urban space inspire strategies directly in the sites economic models, especially where this radical democracy where the generation and is taking place, these parks re-distribution of wealth are and squares of urban resist- concerned? ance also foster the formation And how can these spaces, of a radical form of citizen- under exceptional conditions, ship. The project Decolonizing serve as ‘common knowl- Architecture by architects edge’ based on the practice Alessandro Petti and Sandra of ‘commoning’? Nowadays, Hilal is a reference on prac- we discuss precarious work- tices of commoning and ing conditions and their radical citizenship in spaces ­effects on immaterial labour. of conflict urbanism, as seen Immaterial industries, accord- in their study of the forma- ing to Bifo: “…asks instead tion of a refugee camp “where to place our very souls at its a ­citizen is stripped of his or disposal: intelligence, sensibil- her political rights, reduced ity, creativity and language”.7 to bare life”. Conflict urban- Currently, our understand- ism and urban uprising are ing of the nature of pre- still a hope against forceful carious labour is mostly based urbanisation, as they intro- on a time/work frame that duce an instance of “irruption” leads to labour exploitation The Civic Public as a Constellation � Pelin Tan 168

and lack of employment security, but a small shared space by architects these conditions do not necessarily and cultural activists, positions itself correspond to our relative experi- against the conservative institutional- ence in different work types. Rather, ism of architecture in Japan. The ­option precarious labour and the conflict to work on a variety of fronts is tied not of production exist in a totally differ- only to the need to diversify ­sources ent way within autonomous structures of income but also with a desire to and networks. We can witness some ­establish a practice of critical think- examples of this in different geogra- ing within the sphere of design in the phies, where autonomous structures company of like-minded individuals. and collectives whose labour is based Collaborating with cultural activists on relational collaboration and self- and running a café and social kitchen, organisation are actively being pursued the Hanare collective (also in Kyoto) is and developed. a financially self-sufficient practice that There are practical cases of self- deals with the ­pressing social issues organised labour structures managing of everyday life. In Athens, a collective well on their own, not only to sustain formed by artists, architects, ­designers, production but also to maintain fluid NGO workers and immigrants runs networks of creative collectivism and the space Souzy Troust, established collaboration. The practice of collec- as a food/sewing/art/design space tives or self-starting ventures by archi- based on the free exchange of labour. tects, artists and designers such as RAD The collective Woofer Ten in Hong (Kyoto), Hanare (Kyoto), Woofer Ten Kong rejects neoliberal production and (Hong Kong) or Souzy Troust (Athens), focuses on self-organised urban actions to name just a few, is a reaction and public interventions. to the current economic crisis, which Most of these groups and networks cannot be separated from the political are involved in anti-nuclear and eco- one. This crisis is inert and has certain- logical protest, urban pedagogy based ly influenced institutional structures on tools of empowerment and self- and governmentality (government, cul- learning, teaching, acting, research, tural and creative infrastructures such reclaiming alternative urban space, as design offices and art related spaces). social media, urban farming and the Within this context, as a result ­requalification of city centres against of the economic crisis in the country, aggressive real estate development Kyoto-based RAD (which stands for plans. Additionally, they also under- Research for Architecture Domain), take daily activities collaborating The Civic Public as a Constellation � Pelin Tan 169

10 with temporary workers, society.” He defines three no- 8 A useful commen- the homeless and disenfran- tions in order to explain that tary on this was made by art writer chised communities to create the commons are not simply and curator Pauline support structures for these the resources that we share Yao in the context groups. Besides their autono- but a way of commoning: of art production and collectives: mous structures, they also the way in which resources “Art collectives, al- try to create models that are are pooled and made avail- ternative art spac- criticality connected to new able to a group of individuals es, deterritorialized social and relation- forms of social relations and who then build or rediscover al practices all fit commoning.8 Examples of this a sense of community, and within this schema can be seen in the organisation the resulting social process and present possible critical of discussant groups, collec- of ‘being common’. models for how we tive actions, urban movements Also today, food socio­ understand and witness the ways and general meetings. logist and activist Raj Patel in which art can From this perspective, focuses on how we define exert its own en- their work can be seen as a re- commons. He says: “Commons ergy upon a given environment or search method for the practice is about how we manage social context, 11 of commoning — the being resources together.” His rather than simply in common. I think the mean- argument is not only about emerge as its by product.” Pauline ing of ‘commons’ is not what managing and sustaining food Yao quoted from we own or share or produce growing and sharing but also “A Game Played as property, ownership, eco- about how food-related move- Without Rules Has No Losers,” e-flux nomical means or accumula- ments should be in solidar- Journal, 7 June tion, but more along the lines ity with other movements. 2009, New York. of what David Harvey points ‘Commons’, as understood 9 David Harvey out as “social relations” that here, is not a simple concept ­interviewed by are closely connected to every­ about collective sharing or Pelin Tan, Ayşe day life.9 According to po- ownership. It holds a sensi- Çavdar (June, 2012, Istanbul). litical economist Massimo tive position within a de- David Harvey, De Angelis, “Commons are fined community and public, Rebel ­Cities: a means of establishing a new especially in contested ter- From the Right to the City to the political discourse that builds ritories or cities undergoing Urban Revolution on and helps to articulate or under threat of neoliberal (Brooklyn, NY: the many existing, often minor destruction of their built en- Verso, 2012). struggles, and recognises their vironment. Negotiation and 10 An ­Architektur, power to overcome capitalist the conflict of values are key 2010. On the The Civic Public as a Constellation � Pelin Tan 170

in such commoning practices. here is more of an instant Commons: Claiming the commons based community that chooses A Public Interview with Massimo De solely on the idea of the col- to think and discuss together ­Angelis and Stavros lective use of property would rather than a normative Stavrides,” e-flux therefore not constitute an structure. Self-organisation is Journal, 17 June 2010, New York. example of commoning. not a simple hierarchy based As Stavros Stavrides on certain labour activities 11 R. Patel, The argues, more than the act or and their division, but con- Hungry of Earth, Radical Philosophy, fact of sharing, it is the exist- versely, it is a work/labour No.151, Sept/Oct. ence of grounds for negotia- structure that allows one to be 2008, London. tion that is most important. a farmer in the morning and 12 An Architektur, Conceptualising commons a graphic designer in the after- 2010. “On the Com- on the basis of the public, noon. To reiterate Stavrides’ mons: A Public Interview with however, does not focus on sharp analysis, collaboration Massimo De An- similarities or commonalities is not about affirmation, but gelis and Stavros but on the very differences negotiation. It is about debat- Stavrides,” e-flux Journal, 17 June between people that can pos- ing critical issues in an urban 2010, New York. sibly meet on a purposefully space that is itself a pressing instituted common ground. and compelling concern. We have to establish grounds In summary, creating col- for negotiation rather than lective, non-clerical, political grounds for affirmation action in the urban space is of what is shared.12 not about the organisation To go back to exemplary or the event itself, but about cases of collectives in this text, co-existing and functioning it is important to note that together to achieve common- the labour exchange strate- ing. This is rooted on a re- gies they operate are generally consideration and realisation based both on immaterial and of our practices of collabora- physical ­labour. Here, the al- tion, alternative economies, ienating forces of immaterial autonomous networks, self- labour ­disappear and the sur- organisation and surplus plus is handled on the basis strategies, which are different of ethics rather than capitalist from what neoliberal reali- market imperatives. The re- ties and production logics try lational network established to force us upon us. The Gezi The Civic Public as a Constellation � Pelin Tan 171

Park experience is about collaborating, sents the very source of the power of moving in solidarity despite our differ- ­collective action. ences, voluntary work, a non-partisan, As the civic public appeared non-clerical yet democratic platform, as a collective social subject in resist- and friendship. Before the government ance first in Gezi Park and Taksim dispersed the Gezi Park protestors, Square, it later spread all over the food, beverage, and all other needs city of Istanbul in the form of ­urban were managed by self-initiated groups. assemblies. This constellation of Furthermore, a vegetable and flower the civic public embodied itself into garden was even set up in the park. several public forums held every As seen here, all self or collective ini- evening, where discussions and open tiatives are based on voluntary labour speeches took place to make decisions exchange in general terms, but they for further actions of commoning. also beyond, as exchange labour in this The constellation leads to questions: case is not a practice where one could What kind of democracy do we want? be called a ‘volunteer’. Being a ‘volun- How can we turn the urban territory teer’ here both exceeds and diminishes into a site of resistance, prolonging this new form of ­working together, the civic effects of occupation instead as the ‘voluntary’ in labour repre- of ‘fetishizing’ as specific place? � The City Belongs to Everybody: Claiming Public Spaces in Chisinau

by Vitalie Sprinceana

Introduction property, ineffective manage- Vitalie Sprinceana ment and dubious administra- is a Moldovan sociologist, phi- At the Chisinau City Council tion of the Chisinau Airport losopher, activist meeting on 5 September and the Economy Bank.3 These and journalist, and 2013, a scandalous, ­unusual accusations aroused suspicion a member of Ober- liht Association in informal alliance sprang from a small group of civil so- Chisinau, Moldova up between representa- ciety members, but their mis- (oberliht.com), tives of the Liberal Party givings came too late and had one of the hubs in the European Cul- (PL — the party of the Mayor no bearing on the decisions tural Foundation’s Dorin Chirtoaca) and those already adopted by the local networked pro- of the Communist Party. administration. gramme — Con­ nected Action for Together they decided to give This anecdote illustrates the Commons. allotments, green areas and an all-too-familiar scene in other city property to the rep- current Moldovan post-Soviet resentatives of these parties politics, including the arbitrar- and certain affiliated groups.1 iness of ideological platforms; The Liberal Democratic Party the importance of economic (PLDM) boycotted the meet- interests over slogans and ing, accusing PL and PCRM party rhetoric; and the weak- (Party of Communists ness of civil society and activ- of the Republic of Moldova) ist groups. Such groups are of making dubious deals un- constantly unable to voice der the table to divide city criticisms, and are therefore grounds and spaces between excluded from the decision- themselves.2 The Mayor making process, and con- of Chisinau, in turn, accused demned for their supposedly the PLDM of thievery of public reactive attitudes. The City Belongs to Everybody � Vitalie Sprinceana 173

In short, the political land- of communism versus democ- 1 See http://unimedia. scape of Chisinau comprises racy (e.g., in the 2003 election info/stiri/doc-edi- na-CMC-loc-pen- three groups: an administra- campaign for the local admin- tru-tranzaii-fraudu- tion that acts mostly on behalf istration). The result of this loase-65204.html of business interests; scat- continued disregard can be at- 2 See http://www. tered groups of activists; and tributed to the deplorable state inprofunzime. the mostly passive citizens. of public space in Chisinau. md/stiri/politic/ The paradigm has re- Within the last 20 years, pldm-a-boicotat- sedinta-consiliului- mained mostly unchanged the city has suffered a series municipal-pl-si- over the last 20 years. of transformations that had pcrm-au-facut.html Chisinau, along with other detrimental consequences: 3 See https:// parts of the country, did not www.adevarul.ro/ previously witness massive � Existing public spaces moldova/politica/ haos-sedinta-cmc- urban protests that targeted (parks, sport and cultural nu-vorba-despre- the city and its problems. infrastructures, recreational alianta-pldm-trebui- The most tense moments areas, courtyards near housing vina-munca-nu- arunce-acuzatii- of recent Moldavian his- blocks and playgrounds, etc.) 1_52286987 tory were related to more degraded due to looser admin- c7b855ff- general themes of national istration of the spaces by local 564b98ab/ index.html identity (1989), social poli- authorities. The privatisation/ cies (2000) and elections and fencing of public property re- democracy on a national level sulted in the transformation (April 2009). of public spaces (parks, green Major problems of the areas, etc.) into private spaces city — the urban public space, where hotels, restaurants and the policies of discrimination other commercial buildings and exclusion within the ur- were erected. ban space, urban citizenship, � A rise in the number of cars the right to the city, decision- led to a daily overload of traffic making transparency in local in the city centre (the amount public administration — have of daily traffic in Chisinau has been ignored, either pushed increased several times within to the edge of the public dis- the past 20 years). The absence course or, in the best case, of available parking spaces has merely assimilated into wider also turned most of the side- political debates such as that walks and the areas between The City Belongs to Everybody � Vitalie Sprinceana 174

blocks and roads into parking � The citizens have been con- 4 Construction areas, thereby limiting space tinuously excluded from in the Republic of Moldova. for pedestrians and cyclists. decision-making processes National Statistics Intense migration from rural concerning urban policies, Bureau, Chisinau, to urban areas and the sub- city development, local 2011, p. 58 (see http://www.statisti- sequent need for residential project financing and more. ca.md/public/files/ buildings has resulted in � The city centre has been taken publicatii_electro- the explosion of the construc- over by large commercial nice/Costructii/ 2011/Constructii_ tion industry. Between 2005 projects such as those of Sun 2011.pdf). and 2010 over 10,000 new City (a mall), Skytower (an of- apartments were built in fice building), the Nobil Hotel 5 The Black Book of the Cultural 4 Chisinau, resulting in the de- and Grand Plaza (a residential Patrimony of Chisi­ forestation of green areas, complex). nau, 2010. reduction of spaces between � The historic city centre and housing blocks and the de- its existing social structure struction of playgrounds and have been destroyed. Within recreational areas. the past 17 years, of the 977 The commercialisation of pub- architectural sites that formed lic spaces resulted in an explo- the centre, 78 (nearly 10%) sion of street advertising and have been completely demol- vendors (of newspapers, baked ished, and another 155 have goods, cigarettes, alcohol, undergone reconstruction that clothing, fast food, kvas and has significantly altered their other refreshments, etc.) uniqueness and authenticity.5 The public/social activities � Certain political and religious (recreation, socialisation, rest, groups took over public spaces artistic activity) of public in a way that excluded others spaces have been substituted (religious minorities, economi- with profit-making entities cally disadvantaged groups, (parks, public toilets, water etc.) from use of those spaces. sources, etc.). The city has thus Other ‘visibility policies’ not only lost public spaces for and police-enforced political said social activities, but has control of the spaces con- also become devoid of free tributed to the marginalisa- public toilets and sources tion and exclusion of groups of drinking water. that do not fit into the image The City Belongs to Everybody � Vitalie Sprinceana 175

of a ‘decent’ city, such as home- recent, having taken place in 6 For a wider discus- less people, beggars, prosti- the last two to three years, al- sion see Sonia Hirt, Iron Curtains tutes, people with alcohol or though some of the organisa- Gates, Suburbs drug addictions, etc. tions became active much ear- and Privatiza­ Such transformations are lier. The Oberliht Association, tion of Space in the Post-Socialist not unique to Chisinau. Most for example, a participant in City (Hoboken, post-Socialist cities have un- the protest at Europe Square, N.J.: Wiley & Sons, dergone similar processes re- has been active in the pub- 2012) and Kiril Stanilov, The Post- lated to the political-economic lic space of Chisinau since Socialist City: context. They have encoun- early 2000. Urban Form and tered accelerated reforms for My perspective is two- Space Transforma­ tions in Central and the introduction of the market fold, as both an activist and Eastern Europe economy, the de-industrialisa- a sociologist. Therefore this After Socialism (Springer, 2010). tion of urban economies and text will speak in two voices the growth of the services sec- that may sometimes overlap 7 Michael Burawoy, tor, the rise of consumption, but in other cases will speak “For Public Sociol- ogy” in Public Soci­ the gradual dismantlement distinctly. As a sociologist ology: Fifteen Emi­ of the social state, the rise I will attempt to anchor my nent Sociologists of social inequality, political observations, the facts and Debate Policies and the Profession and religious populism, and the activities in the context the Twenty-First the consolidation of some of contemporary social theory. Century, edited political-economic oligarchies My activist perspective will by Dan Clawson 6 et al. (Berkeley: at local and national levels. be influenced more person- University of Cali- ally, as I participated directly fornia Press, 2007) in various ways (in the or- pp. 23 – 64. Claiming public spaces ganisation of the activities, in Chisinau: Methodological dissemination of materials, introduction etc.). I fit this methodology within the tradition of pub- This article intends to describe lic sociology, inaugurated by several urban activism move- Michael Burawoy.7 I under- ments from Chisinau that stand my approach not only differed in vision, strategies, as one of theoretical reflection ethnic and political composi- upon social processes, but also tions, messages and symbols. as a presentation of one type These movements are rather of local activism that might be The City Belongs to Everybody � Vitalie Sprinceana 176

connected to other types of ac- groups of citizens. Protests 8 Marian Pinsky, tivism, and as a development against demolition of historic “From Reactive to Proactive: of some recommendations that monuments and illegal con- The World Social might facilitate other urban structions can be included in Forum and the Anti/ movements. this type of protest. Alter-Globalization Movement,” McGill I will present three The category of proactive Sociological cases of activism in terms protests, on the other hand, Review, Volume I, of claiming public space: refers to protest actions by January 2010, pp. 3 – 28; Gary the Anti-Sbarro protest from which the social movement, Marks and Doug Europe Square; the move- group of activists, or civil soci- McAdam, “So- ment for the revitalisation ety not only opposes a certain cial Movements and the Chang- of the Cantemir Boulevard type of action, but also imple- ing Structure axis; and the reconstruc- ments reform projects or offers of Political Op- portunity in the tion of the Rotonda in Valea suggestions for alternative European Union 1.” Morilor Park. practices. West European I examine these three The distinction between Politics 19:2 (1996), pp. 249 – 278; Ste- cases within the theoretical these categories — which ven M. Buechler, framework of ‘reactive pro- appeared from contempo- “New Social Move- tests versus proactive protests’ rary Gramscian reflections ment Theories”, Sociological Quar­ or ‘from opposition to proposi- on discursive dominations and terly 36:3 (1995); 8 tion’. This conceptual model the possibilities of combatting pp. 441 – 464. was developed following neoliberal hegemony through 9 See especially a reflection upon anti/alter- ‘alter-hegemonies’ — is obvi- Marian Pinsky, ibid. globalisation movements such ously not absolute. It should be as the World Social Forum perceived as a flexible contin- (WSF) and the 1999 Seattle uum rather than a dichotomy. protests. Such flexible approaches9 The category of reactive are aware that the protest protests, as defined gener- isn’t fixed in a linear scheme, ally, includes protests that are but rather under a dynamic ‘anti’ actions, through which logic, in which the reactive the social movement, group and proactive aspects coexist. of activists, or civil society As arbitrary as it is, the dis- opposes an action of the state tinction is still necessary or local authority, of the eco- because it guides the protest nomic agent, or of other movements, allowing them The City Belongs to Everybody � Vitalie Sprinceana 177

to not only identify the fact contest what the dominating ↑ The former that they oppose a certain discourse may present as ‘nat- construction site of the Sbarro cause (via the reactive phase), ural’ or ‘the only possible solu- Pizzeria, Chisinau, but also to recognise and tion’ (in the proactive phase). after the fence was dismantled, ­January 2013.

Case 1: The Anti-Sbarro protest in Europe Square a) Chronology inaugurated by the Delegation of the European Union (EU) The Europe Square, situ- to the Republic of Moldova ated at the entrance in and the City Council of Chi­ the ‘Stefan cel Mare si sinau in 2008. A presentation Sfant’ Public Garden, was of the EU logo redesigned with The City Belongs to Everybody � Vitalie Sprinceana 178

flowers and a newly installed on personal blogs, on some 10 In the Republic flag marked the occasion. public platforms and on social of Moldova, the process of ad- 12 The political significance was networks. There was much herence to the EU obvious — the newly elected controversy about the lack represents more Mayor Dorin Chirtoaca repre- of information on a suppos- than a technical process, of nego- sented the Liberal Party, a po- edly public entity. tiation of policies: litical formation whose plat- Finally on 17 December, it was conceived form placed great emphasis the Mayor commanded as a national project of moderni- on accelerating the country’s the directors for architec- sation and as a civi- European integration. This ture and public relations lising choice. directly opposed the govern- at the city hall to provide 11 See http://curaj. ing party of the time, which the public with more infor- tv/local/chisinau/ had a pro-Eastern, Communist mation on the construction constructie-noua- la-intrarea-in- orientation. of the square.13 These au- parcul-central/ The new leadership of the thorities merely offered city invested enormously in that the construction was 12 Vitalie Spranceana, National Culture the symbolic aspect of this ‘perfectly legal’, which as a Drinking location; it is where the Mayor did not satisfy the ­activist House. About annually presents to the citi- communities, including the Stefan cel Mare si Sfant Public zens his report of the year’s the NGO My Dear City and Garden (see http:// activity. Indeed Europe Square other organisations such voxreport.unime- was built deliberately as as Save the Green Chisinau dia.info/2012/12/15/ cultura-nationala- a monument-space that sym- Association, Salvgardare ca-o-carciuma- bolises the European aspira- Association, Oberliht Asso­ despre-gradina- tions of Moldova.10 ciation, the Agency for In­ publica-stefan-cel- mare-si-sfant/). In the beginning spection and Restoration of December 2012, a fence of Monuments, as well as in- 13 See http://www. went up around the square formal groups of other active privesc.eu/ Arhiva/14079/Sed- indicating new forthcom- citizens and bloggers. These inta-saptamanala- ing construction. The first groups agreed to ­organise a-serviciilor-prima- person to signal this new a public protest for 26 Wed­ riei-Chisinau-din- 17-decembrie-2012 construction site was the ac- nesday. In the meantime, tivist Oleg Brega, on the web they created a Facebook television platform Curaj TV.11 page and a blog dedicated Later some texts appeared to the protest (http://­gradina- about this construction site publica.blogspot.com/). The City Belongs to Everybody � Vitalie Sprinceana 179

The online social networks voice to the protestors’ state- 14 See: A new cafe­ not only brought people to- ments. Because the construc- teria with terrace in the centre gether who did not know tion didn’t comply with all of the capital. each other, but also facilitated legal requirements, lacking The building will be organisation of the protest. the approval of the Ministry placed near Eu- rope Square, (see The activists were able to ef- of Culture and the National http://unimedia. ficiently share the tasks: so- Monuments Council, the info/stiri/foto-o- liciting the official documents protesters demanded that noua-cafenea-cu- terasa-in-centrul- from city hall, researching construction should be sus- capitalei--localul- the legal aspects to prepare pended, that public consul- va-fi-amplasat-in- juridical criticisms, printing tations should be initiated, preajma-scuarului- europei-55580. the banners and slogans for and as a measure that would html#!pretty the protest, etc. prevent similar situations Photo); Natalia Ha- darca, A new “pig- Several days before from happening in the future, house” in the center the protest, the Europe Square there should be increased of Chisinau? (see construction site also caught transparency and citizens’ par- http://adevarul.ro/ moldova/social/o- the attention of the main- ticipation in decision-making nouacostereata- 14 stream media. The public processes. centrul-chisinaului- debate was therefore wid- At that moment, Mayor 1_50d82da5596 d720091300cd5/ ened. On 25 December, Dorin Chirtoaca ordered con- index.html). the day before the protest, struction on this site to stop the entrepreneurs made until the circumstances could 15 Unimedia: What would be built in a public statement that they be clarified. Thus the first ob- Europe Square and intended to build a pizzeria jective of the protest to stop what are the own- that is part of the American the construction was success- ers’ reasons, (see 15 http://unimedia. chain ‘Sbarro’. Later that fully accomplished. However, info/stiri/video-ce- day, the activists participated the same evening, under se-va-construi-in- in a workshop organised by the pretext that the Mayor’s scuarul-europei-si- care-sunt-argu- the Oberliht Association order had not yet been pre- mentele-proprie- to write protest slogans. sented to them, the entrepre- tarilor-55659.html The protest was held, neurs continued construction, http://unimedia. info/stiri/video-ce- as planned, on 26 December, pouring the concrete founda- se-va-construi-in- and without any major set- tion of the future pizzeria. scuarul-europei- backs. The press, widely An activist who witnessed si-care-sunt- argumentele- present, reflected gener- this by chance immediately proprietarilor- ously the event and gave passed the news on via social 55659.html). The City Belongs to Everybody � Vitalie Sprinceana 180

networks. Several activists, official website. More broadly 16 Vitalie Sprincea- accompanied by television speaking, the protest also na — how we pro- test (about Europe reporters, went to the site initiated the practice of open- Square, Sbarro and filmed the process. Mayor ing up sensitive subject mat- and Mayor Chir- Chirtoaca also appeared, ters regarding historical sites toaca), (see http:// www.spranceana. promising to punish the entre- to public debate. com/2012/12/27/ preneurs for wilfully disobey- However, from a differ- cum-protestam- ing city hall orders. The next ent point of view, the protest despre-scuarul- europei-sbarro- day, the secret construction encountered several failures. si-primarul-chir- was broadcast on television First, as one of the protest toacahttp://www. spranceana. and drew much commentary. participants pointed out, com/2012/12/27/ At the weekly city hall “­although the construction cum-protestam- meeting on 28 December, itself was stopped, the bureau- despre-scuarul- europei-sbarro-si- the authorities reconfirmed cratic machinery of the di- primarul-chirtoaca). their intention to cancel rections that give illegal the construction authorisa- authorisation still remained tion and to restore the his- functional and untouched”.16 toric ground to the public No official in the long bureau­ garden space. The fence was cratic chain that initially removed the same day and authorised the construction the pizzeria foundation was has been prosecuted; Mayor demolished in the beginning Chirtoaca only promised that of March 2013. he would withdraw his per- In a way, the protest sonal trust in the guilty indi- against the construction in viduals. The effort also failed Europe Square, with its ef- to generate a debate large fective social mobilisation, enough (i.e. involving at least media presence, pressure a majority of the city) about on the authorities, and even- urban citizenship, participa- tual dismantling of the illegal tive democracy, exclusion and construction, is an exemplary the right to have a voice. story of success. Furthermore, But if we bear in mind that in order to avoid future scan- the activist scene is ethnically dals, city hall began to publish and linguistically disjointed, all construction authorisations the protest had a generally granted and applied for on its ­favourable result. The City Belongs to Everybody � Vitalie Sprinceana 181

b) What lessons can we to position themselves clearly 17 Margaret E. Keck, learn from this protest? within the legal context, with Activists Beyond Borders: Advo­ all its practical and moral cacy Networks I will not elaborate on all advantages — the invocation in International the circumstances and factors of law, naming/calling prac- Politics (Cornell University Press, that influenced the events that tices. The entrepreneurs didn’t 1998) pp. 22 – 23. transpired (anyway we do have any other choice than not know much about what to ‘populate’ the legal field and took place behind bureau- to suffer the negative moral cratic curtains), but I will just and symbolic consequences comment on some I consider of this positioning. noteworthy. � The symbolic moment: The legalist moment: As studies of social move- The ­entrepreneurs did not ments demonstrate, a vital have all the documents in or- tool in such movements der. A decisive factor in mak- are the symbolic policies, ing the legal aspects clear was or the ability to build and the presence and active par- manipulate symbolic in- ticipation of Mr. Ion Stefanita, terpretations,17 which can the Director of the Agency for catalyse the growth of ac- Inspection and Restoration tivist networks or generate of Monuments (AIRM), an additional pressure upon institution affiliated with political actors. In the case the Ministry of Culture and of the Europe Square protest, responsible for protecting the symbolic strategies were the heritage of the Republic moulded on an abundance of Moldova. As a member of pre-existing symbolic for- of the National Monuments mulations: the Classics Alley, Council, the institution that the “Stefan cel Mare si Sfant” would have granted the en- Public Garden, the most trepreneurs authorisation important monument should they have warranted of Chisinau that has existed it, Mr. Stefanita knew that in the centre of the city for they had not properly received 200 years, the monument approval from the Council. of the national poet Mihai This allowed the activists Eminescu, Europe Square The City Belongs to Everybody � Vitalie Sprinceana 182

and the Mayor’s declared a commercial pizzeria right 18 For enthusiastic commitment to the project by the monument! opinions see es- pecially Howard of European integration, � The technological moment: Rheingold, Smart his own image of young Much has been written about Mobs: The Next reformists consistently the role of information tech- Social Revolu­ tion (Basic Books, promoted by the Mayor, nology in protest movements, 2007). For a cri­ etc. The ­activists subverted both positive and negative.18 tical view over the rhetoric of the authori- The “Twitter revolution from the ­liberating potential of the in- ties to use it against them. Moldova” on 7 April 2009 ternet, see Evgeny Thus the slogan, “The Public put the country on the map, ­Morozov, The Net Garden resisted for 200 years making it a prominent fo- Delusion: The Dark Side of Internet under authoritarian regimes cus in studying the impact Freedom (Public but now is on the edge of technology on the political Affairs, 2012). of vanishing in 20 years process.19 The Europe Square 19 Twitter Revolution. of democracy” combined protest certainly benefitted Episode 1: Repu­ references to the democratic from effective use of the in- blic of Moldova (Chisinau: ARC, rhetoric of the Mayor and ternet. One might even say Stiinţa Publishing the authoritarian rhetoric that the protest would have Houses, 2010). from which he claimed sepa- been less successful if the par- ration. Another message, pre- ticipants had not used it. They sented as a collage, showed created several discussions Mihai Eminescu, the national groups on Facebook, as well poet and guardian figure as a blog on which to post of the democratic right, with daily updates, explanations, a Sbarro pizza beside him. scanned copies of official doc- The poet was depicted as say- uments, protest resolutions, ing he would like a pizza for etc. The blog was also a useful his birthday (coincidentally, place to compile feedback from his birthday is celebrated the press — including links on 15 January). This strategic to news sites, television chan- collage aimed to reveal an in- nels and other media presenta- consistency. On the one hand tions. The use of Facebook also the authorities self-impor- led to connection via mobile tantly celebrated Eminescu phones, which has continued every year; and on the other past the end of the protest. hand they intended to build Other blogs and discussion The City Belongs to Everybody � Vitalie Sprinceana 183

forums, namely voxreport.uni- the Mayor as responsible for 20 The conflict related media.md, also helped to raise creating the conflict. This, in to the construc- tion from Europe the visibility of the protest. turn, allowed certain press Square is growing: Unfortunately, the protest to interpret an anti-Mayor a protester claims also suffered negative aspects logic, against the party that to be intimidated by phone (see http:// of technology. Several activists he represents. Another logic www.noi.md/md/ received anonymous Skype attempted to guess some news_id/18156). calls trying to intimidate violent traits of the protest them.20 Even though these actions. Due to such misin- calls failed to achieve their terpretations, keeping a voice goal of causing riffs among of our own where we could the activists, they still showed was crucial to the success the potential vulnerabilities of the protest. of online communication � The political moment: during protest actions. Ill- In many regards, the protest intended anonymity can erode actions from Europe Square the fragile trust of an eclectic represented political innova- community that only knows tions within the Moldovan each other online! political context. First, the ac- The communicative moment: tivists managed to build Throughout the duration a new field of action and of the protest, the participants discourse outside the tradi- maintained a distinct voice tional political space. This and tried to make it heard new political field has centred despite the media turmoil. on the issue of public space Especially important was and served as a platform to answer, at each step, three for the discussion of some fundamental questions: Who broader political themes — are we? Why do we protest? urban citizenship, symbolic What are the claims of the pro- policies, the right to claim test? Sometimes local media the city — that often escape misinterpreted certain as- narrower partisan discourses, pects. For example, the fact as well as of social move- that city hall was guilty of bad ments in Moldova. Second, management of public prop- the theme of political space erty resulted in identifying turned out to be one that The City Belongs to Everybody � Vitalie Sprinceana 184

could transcend the ideologi- organisations of artists, ↑ The imagi- cal, ethnic and linguistic Russian-speaking activists, nary line along the Cante­mir barriers that fissure the ac- Romanian-speaking activists, ­Boulevard, tivist medium in Moldova. left-wing activists and right- Chisinau. The protest brought together wing activists. Oberliht mapping workshop, 2012

Case 2: Cantemir Boulevard

The project of Cantemir in a development plan for Boulevard, led by architect the city of Chisinau. According Alexei Shchiusev, emerged to the plan, the lower immediately after the war part of the city was to be The City Belongs to Everybody � Vitalie Sprinceana 185

demolished in order to give the boulevard could make 21 Virgil Pâslariuc. way to a spacious boulevard road traffic through the cen- Who destroyed his­ torical Chisinau? that would allow for the syn- tral sector more fluid, and (see http://www. chronisation of the upper connect the Chisinau Airport historia.ro/exclu- part of the city with the lower with the Buiucani district. siv_web/general/ar- ticol/cine-devastat- part. The mass destruction A large community of ar- chisinaul-iulie-1941). resulting from the Second chitects criticised this ini- World War — which partially tiative on the grounds that it 22 The General Urban Plan (see or totally destroyed approxi- would violate national laws http://www.chisi- mately 70% of the city’s build- and international conven- nau.md/category. ings21 — and immense respect tions signed by the Republic php?l=ro& idc=500 of Shchiusev’s authority al- of Moldova protecting his- lowed the authorities to carve torically significant parts 23 See http://unimedia. info/stiri/-1212.html the city as they pleased. of the city, which includes The first plan intended the city centre.23 for Cantemir Boulevard The architects accused to end at Cosmonauts Street, city hall of adopting decisions but in 1972 the boulevard without consulting special- was extended to reach Calea ists in the field. Afterwards, Iesilor Street. Only several the GUP was rejected by parts of the projected boule­ both the Moldova Academy vard have actually been built, of Science and the Ministry however: the Cosmonauts of Culture. Street, the part between At the time of writing, Negruzzi and Ismail Streets, Cantemir Boulevard remained and the part extending from in limbo. The discussions sur- Calea Iesilor. rounding the GUP had shifted Surprisingly, the idea to the Zonal Urbanistic Project of building Cantemir (ZUP), which likewise hopes Boulevard survived the col- to improve the city centre and lapse of the Soviet Union to build the boulevard. and has continued under In response, a group of art- democratic leadership and ists and architects launched its General Urbanistic Plan a project to prevent the build- (GUP), adopted in 2007.22 ing of the boulevard, the mass The leadership argued destruction of historically The City Belongs to Everybody � Vitalie Sprinceana 186

significant architecture, and in Post-Socialism’ led by so- 24 Mapping of Public the subsequent negative im- ciologist Vitalie Sprinceanu, Space in Chisinau­ workshop pact on community life. They which was held in the summer (2012 – 13) (see aimed to engage locals — both and autumn of 2012 and gath- http://chisineu. temporary and permanent ered students, artists and ac- wordpress.com/ proiecte/atelier- residents, service workers, tivists. This reading group, also cartografiere/). passers-by — in various ac- present on social networks, tivities that would strengthen aimed to familiarise its mem- 25 See http://chisineu. wordpress.com/ local identity, revitalise some bers with the fundamental biblioteca abandoned public spaces and theoretical concepts necessary attract and inspire other parts to understand urban policies, of the city. urban democracy, the right The first stage of this to the city, and the regional project of revitalisation, and local transformations that which took place from 2–6 occurred in post-Socialist July 2012 and was organised areas over the last 20 years. by the Association of Young A direct result of the group Artists Oberliht (Chisinau, was the organisation of a re­ Moldova) and Planwerk (Cluj, gularly updated online library Romania), was a workshop containing relevant texts, both on mapping the public spaces classic and contemporary, of Chisinau.24 The programme in Romanian, Russian, English included an exploration and French.25 of new criteria and ways The third stage was to con- of cataloguing the city’s duct a survey-questionnaire public spaces, conception for the users of the public of a new grid for evaluating space from the chosen ten selected public spaces, and locations along Cantemir tours of the mapped zones. Boulevard. Sprinceanu de- It also identified ten locations veloped the questionnaire of the would-be Cantemir in collaboration with several Boulevard with potential students from the Faculty for revitalisation. of History and Philosophy, The second stage was the Department of Philosophy the creation of a reading and Anthropology of the State group called ‘Public Space University of Moldova and The City Belongs to Everybody � Vitalie Sprinceana 187

conducted the survey from a series of artistic events 26 The Chisinau Civic March to April 2013. The sur- on Cantemir Boulevard con- Centre: Recovered Spaces. Urban vey included questions about cerning the revitalisation Interventions the activities of the places, of the ten identified loca- Workshop with stu- civic involvement, wishes and tions. Architects Alex Axinte dioBASAR (Cristi BORCAN) and visions for changes in the lo- and Cristi Borcan from Tudor ELIAN [RO], cals’ use of public space, mech- studioBASAR in Romania 7 – 11 September anisms of social inclusion or organised a public work- 2013 (see http:// chisineu.wordpress. exclusion, and emotional at- shop of urban interventions com/2013/08/23/ tachment to the place. The re- for 7–13 September 2013.26 spatii-recuperate/). sults were publicly presented This workshop was followed 27 See http://chisineu. in May 2013. by a hands-on rehabilitation wordpress. The most interesting — project by residents at the in- com/2013/09/21/ daca-nu-va- and perhaps most useful — tersection of Ivan Zaikin and trebuie-film/ feedback was the prevailing Sf. Andrei Streets, as well scepticism among users as a picnic and film screening. 28 SPACES: Intersec- tions, an installation of the public spaces regarding As part of the same project, by Karl Hallberg, 20 the possibility of their being Slovak artists Jana Kapelova September 2013, involved in decision-making and Michal Moravcik con- 17:00 (see http:// chisineu.wordpress. processes. A large majority ducted an ­intervention com/2013/09/20/ of those surveyed expressed in a different location, on intersectii/). that they would gladly partici- Balanescu Street, reusing old pate in and have many ideas furniture gathered from local for the renovation of these residents.27 Swedish ­artist spaces, but were doubtful Karl Hallberg contributed whether authorities would an intervention of his own, pay any attention to them. in ‘Triangle 2’, on the intersec- As such, this community tion of Pruncul, Sf. Andrei, of artist-activists decided and I. Doncev Streets.28 that the project they launched One of the great difficul- must not only be done for ties in evaluating the suc- the citizens, but also by them. cess of these movements They organised, through is in the fact that they are international participation almost always works-in- as a part of the project SPACES: progress. Such is the case with The Civic Center of Chisinau, Cantemir Boulevard. It is still The City Belongs to Everybody � Vitalie Sprinceana 188

too soon to evaluate its chances as ‘regular’ local artists are obses- of long-term success. Fortunately, sively separate from politics. This is the boulevard plan is still in discussion a consequence of the excessive po- and there is strong enough opposition liticisation of art in the Soviet period from the artistic community against its and tendency to keep any political art construction. On the other hand, entre- to ‘quiet’ themes such as anti-Commu- preneurs and commercial agents have nism, national­ identity or orthodoxy. taken advantage of the chaos of GUP The possibilities of art interventions and ZUP to demolish and rebuild large are truly limitless, both in real space parts of the area without the approval and in virtual space. of the authorities. As indicated by The second community is that one of the activists, there is a risk that of foreign artists. Their significance the Cantemir Boulevard zone could be lies in the possibility of establishing completely demolished even before any transnational connections. However, decision is made on its plans. this community is not without its In these circumstances, two com- complications. Although its efforts munities gain particular significance. could improve the visibility of local ac- The first of these is artist com- tions outside the country, it could also munities, specifically those within take away opportunities from local urban activism. They decidedly enrich Moldovan artists; art interventions in the symbolic repertoire, make activ- public spaces could become a privilege ist movements more attractive, and of foreign artists, leaving Moldovan bring about new reflections and ar- artists to search for other niches. There tistic practices in public space. Urban is a difficult balance to strike between activist-artists are as opportune their respective involvements.

Case 3: The Rotonda from ‘Valea Morilor’ Park a) Chronology Robert Kurtz and began construc- tion in 1950 under then-Secretary Valea Morilor Park (known during of the Moldovan Communist party, the Soviet era as the ‘Central Culture Leonid Brejnev.29 The eponymous and Recreation Park of the Leninist youth division of the Communist Komsomol of Moldova, Leonid Party, the Komsomol, and other young Brejnev’) was developed by architect people throughout the city carried The City Belongs to Everybody � Vitalie Sprinceana 189

out the actual ­construction could re-open to the public, ↖↑ The Rotonda of the park, the lake and other parts — including before (left) and after (right) the cultural objects. In the sev- the Cascade ladder, the street reconstruction enties, the main entrance lights and nearby roads — (2013 – 2015). at Serghei Lazo Street, where remain in a state of disrepair the Rotonda and the Cascade and disuse. The Rotonda also 29 Chisinau: an ency­ Ladder are situated, became became covered in graffiti clopedia (Chisinau: an important centre of cultural and its base a site of public A. I. Timush, 1984). life and recreation for the city garbage disposal. residents. The park’s condition After the collapse of the moved Moldovan immi- Soviet Union, the lake be- grant Antonina Svalbonene, came filled with mud and originally from Greece, the surrounding park signi­ to put out a discreet call ficantly degraded. Although on Facebook for the revi- the authorities organised talisation of the Rotonda. a thorough cleaning and In January 2013, she urged reconstruction of the lake city residents to organise a col- from 2006 to 2011 so it lective cleanup of the area The City Belongs to Everybody � Vitalie Sprinceana 190

surrounding the Rotonda, as well as social media and 30 See https:// especially the steps and pa- blogs. Together they garnered www.facebook. com/groups/ vilion. The response was further interest in the area. vosstanovim. positive: a small but slowly City leadership also kishinev/ growing community con- reacted to this initiative, solidated on the Facebook with Mayor Dorin Chirtoaca group, ‘Vosstanovim Kishinev’ promising at a City Council (Russian) or ‘Sa restabilim meeting that he would orasul Chisinau’ (Romanian), grant the necessary sup- which translates as ‘Let’s re- port to restore the Rotonda. cover Chisinau’ in English.30 He ordered calculations After further deliberations, of the finances required, but the group decided to organ- the presented sum turned ise a cleanup for Sunday, out to be extremely high: 3 February 2013. 600 million lei (around Despite the cold weather US$50 million). Some acti­ and the snow, several dozen vists suspect that city hall people went to the park, justified its lack of action and where they set to work clean- withdrawal from the rehabil- ing the area. They gathered itation effort because of this the withered leaves and potential financial burden. branches, the plastic and met- Meanwhile, for ­several al trash, and other garbage. months, the Rotonda ini­ The cleanup attracted the at- tiative continued within tention of several politicians, the online social networks; including a former mayoral locals decided that they must candidate, as well as several take the effort into their own television stars, journalists, hands rather than count bloggers and activists. This on the support of the au- civic action, all the more thorities. They decided that admirable considering the the recovery of the Rotonda weather conditions, was meant not only restoring its widely presented in the media physical condition, but also later, both through ‘tradi- restoring the cultural life it tional’ media (some of which once had. This would sustain were present at the cleanup) their motivation and efforts, The City Belongs to Everybody � Vitalie Sprinceana 191

and make them meaningful its potential outcomes are 31 Inhabitants of in the long term. numerous. Chisinau are be- ing called to clean A second collective clean- The movement still has the Valea Morilor ing took place on 10 August. to face several challenges Park, http://www. This time the activists not in the near future, includ- pan.md/blog/ Kishinevtsev- only cleaned the area but ing the following: building zovut-pribratisya- also painted the Rotonda bridges with Romanian- v-parke-Valea- itself, as well as the fence in speaking communities; ac- morilor/4112532 the back. The cleanup was cepting alternative cultural followed by a master class groups; traps of political of Argentine dance organised affiliations; maintaining its by the School of Dance Tango civic dimension. Argentino Chisinau, led by Below I will reflect and Tatiana Grodinskaia.31 elaborate further on signifi- On 22 August, the cant aspects of the movement: Rotonda hosted its first live � The proactive moment: concert with the support This is perhaps the most of the Presidential Orchestra significant contribution of the Republic of Moldova, of the movement. The actions drawing 2,000 people to the not only helped to restore event. In September several a space that was abandoned benches and trash cans were for many years, but also installed. ­reintegrated it into the city’s cultural life. Furthermore, b) Reflections and practices through this movement, the activist community shifted The revitalisation of the decidedly from the reaction Rotonda in Valea Morilor Park phase to one of social and po- is an interesting case of ac- litical creativity. The Rotonda tivist efforts with important recovery initiative undoubt- transnational and multi-ethnic edly enlarged the protest and participation. Like the afore- activist repertoire of the city. mentioned rehabilitation � The political moment: of the Cantemir Boulevard Even though the organis- area, however, this is a move- ers and activists took care ment still in development and to remove the affiliation The City Belongs to Everybody � Vitalie Sprinceana 192

of the cause from any political par- usual in 2014, an election year for ties, political influence was palpable the Parliament. In the political context at each step. Initially, Igor Dodon, at the time of writing, Mayor Chirtoaca the former mayoral candidate and represented a national political party President of the Socialist party — that was in strong opposition to and and therefore a political rival of the competition with the other parties, serving Mayor — participated ac- ­especially the Communist Party. tively at the general cleaning from The success and failures in Chisinau 3 February, both personally and would count immensely on Chirtoaca’s through a youth organisation he leads. election agenda; this is why a success- His presence­ as well as his declarations ful initiative such as the Rotonda, con- significantly impacted the Mayor’s ducted without support from the local quick reaction, who dubbed the re- authorities, would be rather uncom- covery of the Rotonda populist. After fortable for the city administration, this, political interest in the Rotonda which might decide to get involved diminished for a while, allowing in order to co-opt the movement and the movement to develop following claim its success for the administra- its own logic and to plan, far from tion. On the other hand, some other po- the eyes of the press, its further ac- litical forces such as the Socialist Party, tions. Eventually, however, some jour- with the most consistently anti-Chir- nalists, political activists from another toaca platform, might decide to claim ­opposing party — the Communist being part of the success of this move- Party PCRM( ) — became involved. ment and to become involved at a later These included Dimitrii Kavruk, stage of the project. If that happens, the Editor-in-Chief of the Communist we shall see. publication PULS, and Constantin � The ethnic-cultural moment: Starish, Deputy in the Parliament The initiative for the revitalisation of the Republic of Moldova from PCRM. of the Rotonda is certainly anchored Even though they claimed exclusively in the personal and collective nostalgia civic, non-party-affiliated participa- of a particular social group — a large tion, their known affiliation repre- part of Chisinau’s Russian-speaking sented a challenge for the movement population (which includes Russians, to ­constantly prove that it positioned Ukrainians and Jews). This is one itself outside party sympathies. of the project’s strengths, but simul­ The challenge of political ­affiliations taneously also one of its greatest was likely be more acute than vulnerabilities. The explicit aim The City Belongs to Everybody � Vitalie Sprinceana 193

of the community, declared would succeed in integrating 32 See http://www. ­countless times, is to restore the different architectural and publika.md/ editie/_371_ the Rotonda as an object of historic heritages of the city. 2576111.html local and national importance, This is why, even if the ini- as it was before the 1980s. tiative of the Rotonda is an However, the logic of resto­ excellent and successful one, ration of a certain past hides too few Romanian-speaking several traps. First, doing activists find themselves so anchors the movement within a project of restoring in a specific, pre-conceived a Soviet architectural monu- notion of public space, one ment. Many of them would ‘controlled’ and accessible prefer a different form of re­ only to certain social groups storation that would include (the so-called ‘good’ people, the destruction of pre-Soviet the ‘good rest’ and ‘good era monuments. Therefore music’ type). This definition activism confronts a ­variety explicitly excludes those of seemingly ­incompatible of ‘unwanted’ social groups, restoration discourses, like homeless people, but a fact that the ­community also those of alternative so- of ­activists has not yet cial groups — graffitiartists, ­ overcome. rockers, punks, hipsters. � Another challenge for Another equally complex the Rotonda initiative is trap is in the different Soviet a cultural one. The cultural architecture and monuments actions for revitalisation and their interpretations. of the zone consisted until For example, there are many now of events of traditional Romanian-speaking ­activists or mainstream culture: fan- who consider Chisinau over- fare music, dance, poetry loaded with traces of the ­readings. During a ­conference Russian and Soviet pres- dedicated to the public spaces ence and believe that some of Chisinau, one of the organ- of these should disappear isers said that the space was completely.32 The city has not still ‘spared’ of the interven- yet established a long-term tions of informal and alterna- identity strategy — one that tive groups such as rockers, The City Belongs to Everybody � Vitalie Sprinceana 194

punks and others. How the commu- traditional political actors’ attempts nity will react to a potential cultural to co-opt successful movements for intrusion of this kind, or how and their own interests — are unique whether it will succeed in integrating to the Moldovan context. into the image of the ‘idyllic Soviet’, Due to all these complexities, is still to be determined. it is quite difficult to paint a definitive picture of urban activism in Chisinau. Still, I would permit myself two pre- Conclusion liminary conclusions: � Even if these social movements The social movements in Moldova were to further develop only under ­described above have, without a doubt, the worst circumstances — that is, commonalities with other similar if they were dissolved or co-opted movements in surrounding countries. by other political actors — they would The dependence of the movements still have made a significant contri- on the internet and online social bution in that they introduced new networks; the use of information themes in political debates: of public technologies for mobilisation and or- space, of domination and control over ganisation; the effort to enlarge the na- public space and of urban democracy. tional and local political discussion These themes have already solidified by including new and relevant topics, and found a place within the agenda such as urban citizenship, the right for of current political debates in various the city, local democracy and transpar- forms (in topics such as protection ency of decision-making processes; of architectural heritage, or preventing the inequality of power and resources exclusion of certain sexual or religious both among activist groups and among minorities in public spaces, and actions big businesses and local or national for revitalisation of public spaces). authorities. These are some elements We expect them to be discussed more that can be found in other capitals intensely in the ­upcoming elections. of post-Socialist countries as well. � An indirect but very important ­effect Yet some aspects — such as the sepa- of these movements is the ­recovery ration of the communities of activ- of protest as an instrument of ­creating ists by ethnic and linguistic criteria, political pressure. It allows us to pro- cultural and ideological separation pose new forms of political organisa- concerning the Communist city herit- tion and cooperation outside the tradi- age, the activist efforts to counteract tional political field, and to use various The City Belongs to Everybody: � Vitalie Sprinceana 195

communicative means in to build an active urban citi- ↑ B68 — free the arts, such as performance, zenship and give citizens new, zone//art space, 2012 drawing by to express an important mes- innovative ways for getting George Marinescu, sage. These elements will help involved. � studioBASAR.

Chisinau Civic Center

by Vladimir Us

How can we make, through different lenses such as criti- Vladimir Us art, research, urban ­planning, cism and protest — to think is a Moldovan artist and curator, and architecture, institutional of the public role that art could the co-founder creativity and activism, the have in post-Soviet societies. of Oberliht ­­ public spaces of our ­cities The project also examined Association in ­Chisinau, Moldova more welcoming, open the potential of art to bring (oberliht.com), and democratic? about change by ­organising one of the hubs participatory art events in in the European Cultural Founda- Initiated in 2012 by the Chisinau, making use of tion’s networked Oberliht Association, the ­available public spaces. programme — Chisinau Civic Center series All three programmes il- Connected Action for the Commons. of projects and events opened lustrated below were inspired up a dialogue on the issue by and are based on the results of public space during­ a period of the Mapping of Public Space of transition — ques­tioning in Chisinau workshop that the role of common goods took place in July 2012 and their role in community (http://chisineu.wordpress. ← Chisinau Civic develop­ment. New models for com/proiecte/atelier-carto- Center — Beyond the Red Lines, govern­ing these spaces and grafiere/). The programmes, If You Don’t goods were proposed, as well in turn, stimulated a series of Need It by Public as forms of institutional inno- artistic interventions and soci- Pedestal (Michal Moravcik and Jana vation that would help to pro- ological research by artists and Kapelova), 2013. tect or democratise them. curators, architects, sociolo- Photo: Oberliht. The Chisinau Civic Center gists, historians and other pro- → Chisinau Civic series of projects encouraged fessionals interested in urban Center, Alternative citizens to get involved in development — shedding light Network of Public cultural as well as urban and on the unequal distribution of Spaces for Chi­ sinau, map de- social projects. They could look spaces and resources that char- signed by Diana back at their work through acterises post-Soviet states. Draganova. Chisinau Civic Center � Vladimir Us 198 Chisinau Civic Center � Vladimir Us 199 Chisinau Civic Center � Vladimir Us 200

Chisinau Civic Center — ­beyond the ‘walls’ of Flat →↘ Chisinau Civic Open air cinema Space into the rest of the Center — open air cinema. Flat Space (18 – 31 August 2012) square, reclaiming it for cul- extension, 2012 http://chisineu.wordpress.com/ tural action. They organised With the parti­ proiecte/centrul-civic-cinema/ exhibitions, poetry readings, cipation of studioBASAR, screenings, concerts, artistic Urban Reactor, The project consisted interventions and campaigns 3*2*1*0, Oberliht of a two-week residency for there. To support the needs Asso­ciation. several collectives of archi- of the artistic community, tects and focused on two dif- they designed an open-air ferent spaces in the Moldovan cinema as an extension capital of Chisinau: a public of Flat Space. This not only square on Bucuresti str. 68 blocked one of the automo- (that in the meantime had bile ­accesses to the informal become a parking lot) and an parking lot, but also accom- abandoned fountain in front modated diverse members of Chekhov Theatre, next of the public who came for to a luxury hotel and a shop- the film screenings, flea mar- ping mall. Both spaces provid- kets, sports and other activi- ed evidence of the state’s fail- ties organised within the pe- ure to maintain open public riod of the residency. spaces in the city and provide During the same time, the necessary public services a special film programme (for example, lighting, security called Demolition was for pedestrians and proper screened on one of the ex- cleaning). In the square there terior walls of the Chekhov was also the issue of il- Theatre, facing the Leogrand legally parked cars in front Hotel (Leopress SRL), which of the Cultural Department was responsible for the de- of Chisinau. Several art col- molition of an architectural lectives that used Flat Space monument next to it in 2011. (an open structure installed in To create seating, they adapt- the square in 2009 that serves ed an abandoned fountain as a platform for artistic in front of Chekhov Theatre; events) gradually expanded they cleaned and repainted it, their activities and moved as well as creating a staircase Chisinau Civic Center � Vladimir Us 201 Chisinau Civic Center � Vladimir Us 202

access into the fountain. forms of criticism and protest. → Chisinau Civic As a result, the fountain This collaboration turned into Center — beyond the red lines. If you ­acquired a new meaning and a series of participatory art don’t need it, 2013. public function, transformed works involving Chisinau Installation by Pub- from a water fixture into an inhabitants. Together they lic Pedestal (Michal MORAVCIK and open-air cinema. opened new public spaces for Jana KAPELOVA). culture and civic engagement in the areas where Cantemir ↘ Chisinau Civic Center — beyond Chisinau Civic Center — Boulevard was supposed the red lines. Beyond the red lines to be built. Intersection, 2013. (26 August – The project challenged Installation by Karl Halberg. 22 September 2013) the way urban plans were http://chisineu.wordpress.com/proiecte/ designed in the past ­during ccc-liniile-rosii/ an authoritarian regime, half a century later, taken On next pages: One of the issues raised by for granted and not even dis- Chisinau Civic ­Center — people’s the artistic and architectural cussed publicly — ­hindering park. Consultations community in Chisinau was citizens’ participation in the with Zaikin Park’s the construction of Cantemir process of urban planning. neighbourhood, 2014. Chisinau Boulevard. The boulevard, Civic Center — designed in the 1970s by people’s park. Soviet architects, was only Chisinau Civic Center — Defensive Fruit partially built, but still re- People’s Park (11 August – Tree, 2014. Instal- mains on the official Chisinau 6 September 2014) lation by Angela Candu. General Urban Plan, two http://chisineu.wordpress.com/

proiecte/ccc-parc-comunitate/ decades after the dissolu- Chisinau Civic tion of the Soviet Union and Center — people’s park. Picnic in Moldova’s independence. Beyond the consequences the Park, 2014. To address this issue, a group that the major infrastruc- Daniela Palimariu in of artists, architects and ture projects could have for collaboration with studioBASAR. researchers participated in the life of the city, the fate a residency programme and of some smaller spaces in conference to share similar the districts of the histori- experiences that could enrich cal centre also worried the their understanding of this curatorial team. The third situation and reveal new Chisinau Civic Center Chisinau Civic Center � Vladimir Us 203 Chisinau Civic Center � Vladimir Us 204 Chisinau Civic Center � Vladimir Us 205 Chisinau Civic Center � Vladimir Us 206

programme focused mainly the potential to fulfill some →↘ Aqua-park, on the park located at the in- vital needs of the city’s resi- 2014 by URBalance. tersection of Sf. Andrei and dents, ­including children and Ivan Zaikin streets. One of ­parents, as well as young the few green spaces from ­people and the elderly. the historical area, the park The programme put is situated at the edge of the a strong an emphasis on old centre, once known involving the residents of as one of the most ­dangerous Chisinau, especially those ­districts. Characterised by who lived nearest to the area. abandonment and ­decay, Through their interactions, it has threatened to dis­ ­appear they settled on a common into the shadow of real vision for the park as a pub- estate interests. Once re- lic spot accessible and habilitated, the park had open to all. � Chisinau Civic Center � Vladimir Us 207 Culture for Democracy: A Central European Perspective

by Igor Stokfiszewski

Tense times federal order whose economic Igor leanings aim to make ­savings Stokfiszewski is a Polish artist I write these words at a time at the expense of public and activist, of great tension across services (health, transport, member of Krytyka the world. In the countries education, culture, sheltered Polityczna, one of the hubs in of the European Union, housing) and whose politics the European Cul- the echoes of euro-parlia- entail a gradual closing of bor- tural Foundation’s mentary elections from May ders, which impacts negatively networked pro- gramme — Con­ 2014 continue to resound, on public attitudes to ‘others’. nected Action for along with the campaigns Even though the elections saw the Commons. preceding them, in which the triumph of the moderate either the meaning of union conservatives, surely no cam- is undermined and national paign has ever heard so many interests put forward ahead xenophobic, combative and of those of the continent, confrontational slogans di- or there is wrangling over rected towards neighbours. the shape of Europe, where Alongside the events political ambitions directed surrounding the euro- towards the tightening of co- elections, in the southern operation between members belt of the continent and and concomitant interna- in some of its Western tional solidarity are presented countries, there were dem- as contradicting economic onstrations urging funda- activity that has a negative mental reform of the Union. effect on the trust and bonds Thousands of people marched between countries. Or we see the streets chanting slogans the defence of an obligatory in which three appeals stood Culture for Democracy: A Central European Perspective � Igor Stokfiszewski 209

out particularly strongly: for inter- order. It is characterised by a level human and international solidarity; of ruthlessness that we have not for a demo­cratic order that would be seen in a long time. People are dying, directed more towards the self-deter- the planes of existential order and mination of citizens; for the transfer sense of what is meaningful are laid of what is common into citizens’ waste — both historically and practi- hands — beginning with natural cally. The spectres of nationalism and resources, through to public spaces, militarism are awakening. Xenophobia and ending with cultural and digital intensifies — with its hostility to goods. These ­demonstrations added ­others, particularly to Russians. yet another voice to the campaign that ‘The horror!’ as Joseph Conrad would began in 2011 by social movements say. The situation in Ukraine proves that speak out against the domination that our perception of individual and of mercantilism and the inefficiency collective life in Europe continues to be of representative democracy, blaming it dominated by concepts of war, hatred for Europe’s deepening crisis. and violence. If I have understood correctly the atmosphere prevailing in the ­societies of western and southern Europe, The post-Communist landscape I would say that they find themselves facing the challenge of progressive Where in the crucible of all these ten- economic and cultural social disinte- dencies are we to locate the countries gration, and that the way to improve of the central-European belt, begin- social well-being is by working to ning with the Baltic countries, down establish communities, to forge col- through Poland, the Czech Republic, lective bonds — between individuals Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Moldova, and groups — and to form attitudes Bulgaria, as far as the Balkans? orientated towards empathy, soli- They seem to have accumulated all darity and reciprocity. Furthermore, the tendencies listed above — social empo­wering citizens, raising the level stratification, combativeness, aloof- of ­individual participation in decision- ness towards ‘others’, disintegration making ­processes, regaining control of the collective, individual passivity. over ­common resources are all areas in In the countries of Central Europe, which work should be done. we bemoan, too, how the private is ad- Meanwhile, a battle rages in vantaged over what is public and com- Ukraine to establish a new political mon, the underinvestment of citizens’ Culture for Democracy: A Central European Perspective � Igor Stokfiszewski 210

voices, the lack of indi- Zone of Transition: On the End 1 Boris Buden, Strefa vidual empowerment and of Post-Communism,1 notes przejścia. O końcu postkomu­ that of entire social groups, that one characteristic nizmu, tr. Michał and the low level of par- of the condition is the region’s Sutowski (Warsaw: ticipation in collective life. ensnarement, as it were, by its Wydawnictwo Krytyki Polity- Furthermore, direct proximity Communist past that contin- cznej, 2012). with Ukraine and the living ues endlessly to constitute memory of the Balkan wars the subject of debate and col- resonate in central European lective passions. Alongside societies through the growth the ‘settling of accounts’ with of violent reactions. Just like Communism, a profound their Western and Southern reinterpretation of the histori- neighbours, the countries cal foundations of collective of the continent’s central identity is going on. The traces belt certainly feel the con- of its multicultural heritage sequences of the changes in and convictions are ­fading, contemporary capitalism and along with the memory of the malfunctions of parlia- emancipatory battles that mentary democracy — often emerged out of this ­heritage, in an intensely concentrated the traces of the cultural form, since the free-market legacy of the industrial era — experiment was implemented the world of labour and the more violently here than in ethos of the working class. other parts of the continent, We are left with a patriotically and the formation of state sys- inclined ‘mono-society’ nur- tems is still in progress. I re- turing national identities and ferred to tense times: Central permeated with national ver- Europe, is in fact, marking sions of religious doctrines. a quarter of a century since The de-legitimisation it emerged from Communism of any progressive agenda and this post-Communist due to the catastrophic con- condition is still what distin- sequences which, people are guishes the region. How can it convinced, were brought about be characterised? by ‘the dictatorship of the left’ The Croatian philosopher (as Communism is perceived), Boris Buden, in his work permits the flourishing Culture for Democracy: A Central European Perspective � Igor Stokfiszewski 211

of conservatisms and na- to “a particular type of social 2 Ibid., p. 63. tionalisms that are the bane callousness”3 that can be un- 3 Ibid., p. 61. of the region. Meanwhile, derstood in terms of a kind the important role played by of collective passivity. Changes the Catholic and Orthodox in the sense of identity linked churches in weakening and with economic reforms have dismantling Communist re- yet another tangible con- gimes now puts them in an sequence: the millions of advantageous position from ­workers’ biographies on which which to conduct an open a collective identity has been battle against secularisa- built for half a century now tion on a number of fronts: reveal themselves to be an through language, pressure historical error. These ­people for legislation and in public live in a void, drifting in spaces, which they appropriate the direction of nationalistic through religious symbols. attitudes. Furthermore, along- Moreover, for Buden, side the de-legitimisation the landscape of the post- of the heritage of ­industrial Communist part of the conti- culture accompanied by nent is the landscape of ‘New radical changes at the heart Europe’ “plus capitalism, of the economy, there has been which is more capitalist than a corrosion of the positive val- its Western original, and thus orisation of employment law, more elastic, more relative, which today, in this region, more savage, which… has begins to grow in importance liberated itself to a far greater once more. extent from… state institu- However, post-Communist tionalised forms of social societies share one positive solidarity”2 and which is domi- characteristic — according nated by “an ever-growing to Buden — which differenti- chasm between rich and poor, ates them from other parts the elimination of all forms of of the continent and provides social solidarity, the social in- a glimmer of hope that social equality which cries to heaven change might be possible. This for vengeance, and widespread is their passionate engagement social traumas”, which lead with and sincere approach Culture for Democracy: A Central European Perspective � Igor Stokfiszewski 212

to democracy. Writing about between the individual, 4 Ibid., p. 18. the attitude of ‘Westerners’ the social and the political. 5 Piotr Piotrowski, towards the Central European What, then, are the chal- Agorafilia. Sz­ revolutions of the beginning lenges facing the democra- tuka I demokracja of the 1990s, Buden quotes cies of Central Europe? Let w postkomunisty­ cznej Europie the Slovene philosopher us list again those that we (Poznań: Dom Rado Riha who says that seem to share with other Wydawniczy RE- “what fascinated them so parts of the continent: greater BIS, 2010), p. 7. much was ‘the assumed empowerment of citizens, fascination without reser­ raising levels of participa- vation with Western demo­ tion, building community cracy on the part of Eastern bonds and social integration. Europeans — their naïve, The leading slogans here might almost blind faith in it’”.4 This be empathy, solidarity and sincere and enthusiastic en- reciprocity. Further: the battle gagement was dictated, among to reform concepts of property, other things, by the way life the establishment of common had been saturated with poli- goods, the retrieval of ­public tics — a legacy of communism; space by citizens. In ­another it had pervaded every sphere area: efforts to weaken of existence, which meant eruptions of violence; and that the depoliticisation of looking at yet another area: society happened very slowly. relegitimising emancipatory Thus collective ­behaviour traditions — from workers’ after the Communist era disputes to feminism and was — as Piotr Piotrowski, the rights of immigrants. the Polish scholar of the re- And finally, the challenges of: gion’s art, puts it — character- neutralising the influence ised by ‘agoraphilia’: “the drive of the church in the domain of to enter the public space, language and in public spaces; the desire to participate in absorbing the cultural ­heri­tage that space, to perform critical of labour into the process functions for the sake of and of creating a sense of identity; within that social space”.5 nurturing links between in- In Central Europe, there ap- dividual lives, social impact pears to be a smaller distance and politics. Culture for Democracy: A Central European Perspective � Igor Stokfiszewski 213

Culture for democracy plastic and wood. Let us encourage in Central Europe people to transform it into their own art and place it in spaces they can Where do cultural practices fit among make their own. I see reclaiming social all these endeavours? In some cases — space by appropriating it for civic art such as the sphere of language or iden- as an essential weapon in the battle tity — they are absolutely essential. for the common good. Furthermore, In others, they play a key role since there are so many icons and symbols culture and art, among their many that need to be completely rethought in functions, can boost an individual’s order to balance those of the religious powers of expression, shape mutual or patriotic imagination that overruns relations, raise levels of participation the streets and squares of post-Com- and mitigate attitudes towards others. munist towns. Such icons can emerge In short — culture and art can make only from below, through grassroots a positive contribution to the cause collective creation. of democracy thanks to the pressure � When talking about self-expression, they exert on those things, which seem its individual dimension is worth today to hinder social revitalisation, opening out to what is common. particularly in the following areas: The creation of space to build relation- ships based on reciprocity and empa- Through stimulating citizens to crea- thy, to stimulate the senses — touch, tive action and establishing platforms smell — in order to facilitate extra- for free expression. Making culture verbal communication, empathy with a tool with which ordinary people, others, and to encourage openness; art not experts, can express themselves and cultural institutions have a role and experiment imaginatively. I en­ to play in all of this. visage artistic practices as moderating � We need to create a common artis- activities of civic self-expression, with tic symbolism that can incorporate culture providing the infrastructure the multitude of human biographies, or interfaces. experiences and hopes and which can By providing citizens with public be located in parks, squares, courtyards ­spaces for open-air sculptural purpos- and railway stations. es, and providing buildings as canvases � Another possible area of activity could on which to paint. There are so many be a theatre of emancipation history: objects that can be used as material making streets and squares into stages to create structures — so much glass, for presenting the past, action replays Culture for Democracy: A Central European Perspective � Igor Stokfiszewski 214

of strikes, revolutionary battles and into the region of realpolitik or joyful marches, so that they become struggles in the field of culture. Art the experimental halls of the politi- ­institutions have been the subject cal rallies of the future. Let us not be of ­democratic debate for several years ashamed of our fathers, mothers and now. Obviously, they demand reform grandparents who were workers — in the direction of co-governance let us listen to their biographies, hon- by workers and public participation. our their grimy hands, the stink of ma- This process takes place and develops chine oil and their workers’ gloves. alongside the ­struggle of the art pre- Let us reclaim emancipation narra- cariat to ensure that employment law tives through art — this is what art is in this field is observed. One cannot for. And in doing so, let us do justice influence demo­cracy through nurtur- to the truth about our proletarian and ing feudal power ­structures. In recent peasant roots. years, our c­ountries have experienced Our ideas about culture demand the creation of ­artists’ unions, art- a reversal of perspective, so to speak. activism, and ­disputes between artistic People create culture by being together, circles and the state. through celebrating common feasts, � But in this part of Europe we are adapting civic and suburban aesthet- plagued by a lack of autonomous spaces ics to suit their own needs, and by for cultural-artistic activity that has putting values into practice through grown out of the milieu of ­activists — interaction with neighbours and with i.e., those people who prefer the ­social strangers on the metro. It is through to the artistic. Practising politics strengthening these basic activities through art — ‘agoraphilia’, which that I see hope, in creating the condi- has yielded a crop of powerful poli­ tions for their unhindered blossoming, tical projects initiated by artists devoting the tools of art to the cause in the countries of Central Europe — of citizens’ self-determination and demands structural strengthening the continuity of cultural movements. of independent circles that operate In this way, one can mark a trajectory within a circuit of social practices along which — as I see it — culture ­beyond the institutional. This is where can move for the promotion of de- a radical and real grassroots approach mocracy in this part of the conti- to culture is nurtured that can con- nent. In what sort of institutional stitute an effective tool with which framework or organisational system to promote democracy; this is where could this be realised? Here we cross structural boundaries are crossed Culture for Democracy: A Central European Perspective � Igor Stokfiszewski 215

through sacrifice, engagement the promotion of social well- → The Laboratory and opposition that takes no being through grassroots of Insurrection­ ary Imagination account of conditions or cir- ­practice of being together, on Tour with cumstances. This is where one social interaction and applying the Clown Army. can really believe that demo­ surrounding material resour­ Free ­performance ­announcing ope­- cracy is an absolute value. ces to one’s own imagination ration HaHaHa and aesthetics. against the G8 In such a structural frame- summit. Spring 2005. In conclusion work, one should pay particu- ­Photo: Ian Teh. lar attention to artistic activity The field of culture can posi- that aims to encourage grass- tively and effectively promote roots self-expression through democratic processes in art by non-professional Central Europe if its insti- artists. Second, one should tutional and organisational encourage practices that are framework is reformed. This geared towards the communi- can be done on the one hand ty, shaping extra-verbal ways by democratising artistic in- of creating bonds through stitutions, and on the other developing empathy and through more investment reciprocity. Third, it is worth in autonomous organisations stressing the importance that act socially through cul- of creative initiatives that ture. In both cases, particu- aim to reclaim emancipation lar awareness of the labour narratives or that appreciate law as it applies to artists historical identities emerging is indispensible, as is neu- from the world of industry. tralising the social impact Finally, one should stress of the growth of instability the importance of discussing among the art precariat. It is the symbols appearing in pub- also crucial to appreciate lic spaces that could refresh cultural activities as ­forming collective iconography and a natural component in symbolism. � Culture for Democracy: A Central European Perspective � Igor Stokfiszewski 216 Culture for Democracy: A Central European Perspective � Igor Stokfiszewski 217 Isabelle Frémeaux, John Jordan and the Rise of the Insurrectionary Imagination

Isabelle Frémeaux and John Jordan in conversation with Rob Hopkins

Isabelle The work we do has several dimensions. We do Rob Hopkins Frémeaux a lot of experiments. We like to call what we do is an ­activist and writer. experimental projects or pieces. We like the idea He is the founder of experimenting collectively and accepting of the Transition that sometimes things might fail, and that by Towns network. embracing that capacity for failure we can be Isabelle more creative. I’m by training an academic and Frémeaux and John Jordan a trainer, so I tend to be more into the training are the co-founders dimension of what we do. of the Laboratory We do quite a lot of workshops and train- of Insurrectionary Imagination. ings, from a day to two weeks with artists and It’s a collective activists to really see the synergies between that, according arts and activism and often permaculture, and to Isabelle, “aims at opening spaces, to see how when these three domains merge, real or virtual, and we can create synergies for more creative, bringing artists and more efficient, more productive, more resilient activists together to work on and projects that we aim to be projects that are co-create more geared towards forms of resistance and civil creative forms of resistance and disobedience. civil dis­obedience”.

John What we don’t do is ‘political art’. We’re quite Jordan critical of the notion of political art, which for us is art that is about political issues. Occasionally we make films and books but we call those “holidays in representation”. Rise of the Insurrectionary Imagination � Isabelle Frémeaux and John Jordan with Rob Hopkins 219

The majority of our work is not making films 1 See http:// and books, it’s actually making these experi- labofii.net/ experiments/grrr/ ments that are really critiquing representation; the idea that most artists will make a perform- ance about climate change or a sculptural installation about the loss of biodiversity or a film about climate justice. What we are very clear about is that actu- ally what we like to do, and what we think is vitally important, is to bring artists and activists together, not to show the world but to transform it directly. Not to make im- ages of politics, but to make politics artistic. The reason we work with these two worlds is we think that artists have a lot of creativity, a lot of capacity to think outside the box, a lot of capacity to transform things into poetics, yet often have big egos and not much social engagement. We think activists — and of course these are generalisations — often have a lot of so- cial critique, capacity to work collectively, but often a failure of imagination. Often they have the same rituals, the same kinds of demonstrations, the same kinds of tools for transforming society. By bringing these two worlds together, we think we can actually create something different. We are always embedded in social move- ments. We spent five years as organisers within the Climate Camp and at the same time as or- ganising the camp we were also organising workshops and actions that brought artists and activists together. For example, one project was the creation of a thing called the Great Rebel Raft Regatta1 where we buried a whole load Rise of the Insurrectionary Imagination � Isabelle Frémeaux and John Jordan with Rob Hopkins 220

of boats in a forest a week before the Climate Camp happened in Kingsnorth in Kent. The Climate Camp was a self-managed camp developed to create education and alternatives to the climate ­catastrophe, but it also always had an action at the end of it. This camp at Kingsnorth was actually to stop the building of a new coal- fired power station that was taking place next to a power station that already existed. The project that we did, the Great Rebel Raft Regatta basically brought people together into affinity groups. We buried boats a week beforehand in the forest and with the boat was a bottle of rum. We also gave them a treasure map. We sent people off in their affinity groups to find the buried boat with the treasure map. They would dig up the boat, sleep in the forest overnight, then at 7 o’clock run out of the forest, take their boat onto the river and go and find and block the power station. We got about 150 people, and one boat managed to block a third of the power station and shut a third of it down. For us, it’s really using forms of action that are effective in terms of ­having an effect on the real world, but also are fun and adven- turous. The whole aesthetic of the treasure map and the bottle of rum and the people dressed up as pirates brings a playful ­element to activism, which we think is absolutely fundamental.

Rob You use this term ‘insurrectionary imagination’. Could you just Hopkins say a little bit more about what you mean by that?

Isabelle The imagination has the potential and is a fundamental ingredi- Frémeaux ent for insurrection. We wanted to reclaim the offensive and the defiance that is often lacking in art. Calling it a ‘laboratory’ would call on the idea of imagination without having what we feel can be quite a bland understanding and bland connotation of the word ‘imagination’ — which is very often seen as some- thing lovely and creative and child-like — by actually reclaim- ing the existence of the defiance of what we wanted to do. This is why we put the word ‘insurrectionary’ in the name of our collective. Rise of the Insurrectionary Imagination � Isabelle Frémeaux and John Jordan with Rob Hopkins 221

John Here’s how we describe it on our website:2 2 See https:// labofii.wordpress. Jordan The Laboratory of Insurrectionary Imagination com/about/ (Lab of ii) merges art and life, creativity and re- sistance, proposition and opposition. Infamous for touring the UK recruiting a rebel clown army, running courses in post-capitalist cul- ture, throwing snowballs at bankers, turning hundreds of abandoned bikes into machines of disobedience and launching a rebel raft regat- ta to shut down a coal-fired power station; we ↑ Policemen treat insurrection as an art and art as a means encircle the CIRCA (Clandestine of preparing for the coming insurrection. Insurgent Rebel The Lab of ii is now in the process of setting Clown Army) dur- up an international utopian art/life school ing the day of action against on a Permaculture farm in Brittany. the G8 — Gle- We don’t actually believe in the separation neagles, Scotland, between artists and activists, and we don’t July 2005. Photo: Ian Teh. actually believe in those two terms. We think Rise of the Insurrectionary Imagination � Isabelle Frémeaux and John Jordan with Rob Hopkins 222

the notion of art as a separate action in every- ↑ A rebel clown day life is a very recent phenomenon within puts lip stick on and repeatedly the Western tradition. In most cultures there kisses riot shields. isn’t a separation of art and everyday life. Resistance against We think that activism — this idea the G8 summit, Ed- inburgh, Scotland, that activists have this monopoly on social July 2005. Photo: change — is exactly the same as art having Labofii. a monopoly on creativity. Actually everyone can and has the capacity and does change the world in some way, all the time. So in a way it’s a kind of dialectical relationship, because we wanted to get rid of both those notions. For us, creat- ing an insurrection or some kind of revolu- tionary change (which we think is absolutely necessary), we have to provide the alternatives to capitalism and the climate catastrophe and resist the problems that are happening that we can’t divide. Rise of the Insurrectionary Imagination � Isabelle Frémeaux and John Jordan with Rob Hopkins 223

We see the DNA of social transformation as being two strands. Being the creation of alternatives such as Transition Towns etc., and a resistance, a resistance against the fossil fuel industries, the banks that fund them and so on. One without the other is absolutely pointless, because if we don’t resist then we forget who the enemy is and there’s a massive danger that our projects become simply experiments in laboratories for new forms of green capitalism. If we don’t create the alterna- tives, then of course we simply have a culture of resistance and a culture that’s simply saying ‘no’ all the time and that isn’t sus- tainable in terms of mental health and personal sustainability because people just burn out. Historically we see the division of these two movements being absolutely a problem, and I think the 1970s is a classic example. For us in all our projects, we try to make models of al- ternative forms of living. So we haven’t flown on a plane for ten years, despite the fact that we have this international art world career, where most of the people in that world spend their life on aeroplanes. We live ecologically, we live in a yurt in a com- munity where we set up an organic farm, where we put the land into production. For us that’s not necessarily political but that’s what we do normally anyway, and resistance work is always done with- out hierarchy. We teach consensus at the beginning of all our projects and we try and use permaculture principles to make them happen. As one example, and this is relevant because our latest project is geared towards the COP 21 in Paris, the UN Climate Summit, which is aiming to find a universal agreement on CO₂ emissions and adaptation and so on in December 2015. In 2009, we were invited by two museums to do projects around COP15 in Denmark, in Copenhagen. We were invited by the Arnolfini Gallery in Bristol and the Centre for Contemporary Art in Copenhagen. We had already spent some time in Copenhagen. We published a book on alternatives called Paths Through Utopias, Rise of the Insurrectionary Imagination � Isabelle Frémeaux and John Jordan with Rob Hopkins 224

unfortunately only available in French, Korean and German. And we spent some time in Christiania, a self-managed com- munity in Copenhagen. We noticed then, during that time, that there were thousands of abandoned bikes all over Copenhagen. So we thought: there’s the material. There’s a permaculture principle, “create no waste”. We thought let’s see what we can do with the waste of Copenhagen with these abandoned bikes. Let’s transform them into tools of civil disobedience. Traditionally, civil disobedience in the Gandhian, Thoreau tradition is through the body and we thought what can we do with the body and a bicycle? We proposed this to the two museums, they both agreed. In the project we worked with the Climate Camp as the movement we were working with and the idea was that we would produce prototypes in the Arnolfini Gallery where we would put 50 people together in an open free workshop. We would teach them the basics of permaculture principles and so on, and we would then go — “ok, what can we do with these bikes”, and design a prototype that we’d then take to Copenhagen to scale up. Then we had an interesting moment when both museums said “you can’t do any welding in the museum”. So we thought ok, fine, we’ll get a container outside and we can put an image in it and it’ll be a more public space anyway, so the problem was the solution. Then they had a phone call from the Copenhagen curator and she said, “we’ve got a container, but there’s just one little thing. We just talked to the police in Denmark, and there are certain rules about what is a bicycle.” A bicycle can’t have more than three wheels. It can’t be more than three metres long etc., etc. If your objects are outside of those rules then you have to write to the police, you have to show them the design and it will take three weeks before they come back to you and say you’ve got the right to go on the road. So we said, “well that’s very interesting, but we’re doing civil disobedience. We don’t really care whether the bikes are legal or not.” At which point there was this pause, and she was like “so you’re really going to do it…” Rise of the Insurrectionary Imagination � Isabelle Frémeaux and John Jordan with Rob Hopkins 225

We’ve had this experience in the art world ↑ Put the Fun a lot. Basically, a lot of the art world pretends Between Your Legs: Become the Bike to do politics. They have these very radical Bloc — Installation texts and radical propositions. Maybe she before the gallery ­imagined we were going to build these objects was transformed into an open bike and stay in the museum, but for us that’s not workshop, Arnolfini the point. The point is actually to take action. Gallery, Bristol. Au- Unfortunately the museum then pulled out, tumn 2009. Photo: Labofii. but we did find an ex-squat in Copenhagen that is a sort of art and cultural centre called the Candy Factory and produced a project there. About 200 people ended up being involved and took part in the demonstration against the cor- porate domination of the UN climate talks. In a way this is a good example of how we think a lot of so-called political art at the mo- ment, which is very trendy. There are endless biennials, museum exhibitions, theatre festivals Rise of the Insurrectionary Imagination � Isabelle Frémeaux and John Jordan with Rob Hopkins 226

that use the word ‘political’, ‘radical’, ‘socially ↑ Put the Fun engaged’ and so on. Actually, as far as we’re Between Your Legs: Become the Bike concerned, a lot of it is what we’d call “pictures Bloc — The DDT of politics”. (Double Double Trouble) one of the machines Rob You recently wrote that “the Left is very scared of disobedience Hopkins of using desire and the body and capitalism and built and used dur- the Right are brilliant at it”. Can you talk us ing the direct ac- tions at the COP15 through what the implications of that are, and Climate Summit, for Transition as well? Copenhagen, December 2009. Photo: Kristian Isabelle There is a tendency amongst the Left, and Buus. Frémeaux of course these are massive generalisations. A tendency to feel that the problem is what people don’t know and that therefore if we can produce more facts or figures or information or reports and that people know what’s going on; if we can show the maths, if we can have Rise of the Insurrectionary Imagination � Isabelle Frémeaux and John Jordan with Rob Hopkins 227

better pictures of the number of species that are going extinct or the number of people that are being affected, the figures of unem- ployment etc., then people will react. There’s this idea that there is a large number of people who don’t act because they don’t know. Whereas we believe that very often the problem is actually what people do know, that they cling on to things and values that have been the structure of their life for a long time, and that what generally makes people move is not rational thinking but much more often desires and fantasies of what could be. There’s a beautiful quote by an American author called Stephen Duncan that puts it very beautifully, about “the dreams of what could be”. The dreams of what could be are much more located in the emotions, in the body, rather than in the left brain. It’s re- ally important to combine them. It’s not a question of throwing the baby out with the bathwater and saying “stop all reports, stop all research, stop all science”. But to not overly rely on them. The numbers should be there as backup, to be used as crutch- es, but what is going to motivate most of us is to be able to ex- perience emotionally and bodily a life that is more just, that is more healthy, that is more relaxed, that is more enjoyable. That’s not something that is purely rational. That is one of the knots that is very complicated to untie, the great lie of neo-liberalism and capitalism, which is that more stuff necessarily means a bet- ter life. We know that it’s untrue, and yet this is something that is difficult to untie. We will manage to untie that by talking and calling upon people’s values. At the same time, one of the notions that can be of new learning for projects like Transition Towns is that these emotions are the positive emotions of what could be, but also the nega- tive emotions of what we know is wrong with what is going on. Actually, it is a matter of finding the balance and finding how one can feed the other and not overcome the other. Sometimes there can be a tendency to want to deny and obscure the anger and frustration at the injustice and the destruction. Actually these emotions need to be acknowledged, and need to be used as fuel for resistance, while the emotions of what Rise of the Insurrectionary Imagination � Isabelle Frémeaux and John Jordan with Rob Hopkins 228

could be can be used as a tool to move forward to the alternative. It’s the combination of these two emotions that can make the so- cial movements irresistible and indestructible, and very often the movements are indestructible when they’re only calling upon one of those. So it comes back to this DNA of the yes and the no, but I think it’s very true in the kind of emotions that we call upon in ourselves and in other people.

Rob Permaculture is a big part of your work. Could you say a bit about Hopkins that? Why is permaculture important to what you do?

Isabelle It offers a very inspiring and stable framework; a very stable Frémeaux value framework. To be able to work in the way we want, we thought that the three main pillars of permaculture are a very efficient way of making people understand that actually it’s not so complicated. Because the principles are a really good road map for working towards the system, and designs that are productive and resilient and respectful. Personally we feel very touched by the idea that you take nature as your teacher and the more you do that, the less you see nature as this external thing outside of you. More and more you take it as a tool so that you can reinte- grate yourself in nature, which we’ve been taught to see as this thing… the fact that we very often talk about the environment is telling. It’s this thing that surrounds us, that obviously we’re not part of. Permaculture is an excellent tool to be able to reintegrate oneself into what is actually our only consistent thing. So we try to use the principles as frameworks for our experiments, and generally the spirit of permaculture is our inspiration.

John And we have this ten-day training called Think like a Forest, which Jordan we have done four or five times over the past years. It’s actually very inspired — it’s a training in art, activism and permaculture and it really looks at what does art bring to activism, what does activism bring to art, what does art bring to permaculture, what does permaculture bring to art and activism and so forth, to look at it as a system of three worlds. That training was actually very Rise of the Insurrectionary Imagination � Isabelle Frémeaux and John Jordan with Rob Hopkins 229

inspired by a training by Starhawk, who’s an ↑ Think Like anarcho-feminist witch. She was very involved a ­Forest workshop in art activism and in the peace movement in the 80s and the alt permaculture. to globalisation movement, who has a course Laboratory called the Earth Activist Training Course that of Insurrection- ary Imagination, we both attended. This was very much a big in- la r.O.n.c.e, Brittany, spiration for us many, many years ago. Autumn 2011. Photo: We modelled our course on that in a sense John Jordan. where there’s a permaculture element, but instead of having the witchcraft element, we replaced witchcraft with art. Her thing is earth- based spirituality, activism and permaculture. Ours is art, activism and permaculture. And in a sense, art is magic. It’s a form of magic. We think that’s one of its powers, that actu- ally things become true when enough people believe in them. Art is very good at weaving the magic that we need in these moments. � Not Sustainable Development, but Sustainable Co-living 1

by Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez

Developed societies people and nature, Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez of the global north, buf- capable of maintain- is an art critic and independent curator based in Paris, France. feted by financial crises ing balance in the face She was the curator of the 7th and crises of values, of constant change, thus Triennial of Contemporary Art in the acceleration of time laying the groundwork Slovenia — Resilience. and unrelenting tech- for resilience. nological progress, now Resilience stands talk of socio-ecological counterpoised systems. This new way to the idea of socio- of looking at things technological develop- stems not only from ment. First emerging the urgent necessity as a concept within to start implementing the study of the ecology ecological policies and of systems in the 1970s, raise civic awareness, but resilience evolved into also from growing finan- a science dealing with cial and economic complex adaptive sys- instability, local and in- tems, becoming estab- ternational forms of ter- lished as the prevalent rorism, natural disasters strategy adopted in risk and crucial new develop- and natural resources ments in the humanities, management.2 Over most notably anthropol- the past two decades ogy and sociology. Socio- it has been included in ecological systems are the conceiving of the so- networks or intercon- called commons soci- nected systems between ety,3 in social sciences, Not Sustainable Development, but Sustainable Co-living � Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez 231

international financial without a major setback. 1 The term “sustainable living” is and economic ­politics, Applied more narrowly taken from an interview with the eco-feminist and activist Van- logistics of crisis in the sphere of cultural dana Shiva. (See: http://navdanya. manage­ment, terrorism work, resilience is more org/news/327-vandana-shiva- and natural disasters than just the ability traditional-knowledge-biodiversity- a-sustainable-living and http:// manage­ment, corporate to adapt, promoted by www.vandanashiva.org/). Ac- risk analysis, the psy- the concept of the flexi- cessed on 25 November 2013. chology of trauma, urban ble subject4 over the past 2 A significant text on resilience planning, healthcare and two decades, which was and ecology is the Canadian as a proposed upgrad- adopted by corporate ecologist C. S. Holling’s, “Resil- ing of the global trend capitalism and neolib- ience and stability of ecological systems,” Annual Review of Ecol­ of developing sustain- eralism and triggered ogy and Systematics 4 (1973): ability in the societies the mass movement 1 – 23. A more contemporary work on this topic is Brian Walker and of the global north. of precarious labour. David Salt, Resilience Thinking: The term is used Resilience encom- Sustaining Ecosystems and widely, with a vari- passes exploring recipro- People in a Changing World, (Washington: Island Press, 2006). ety of connotations: cal dependence and find- in natural sciences or ing one’s political and 3 Commons society, unlike physics, a resilient body socio-ecological place in the market-oriented one, pro- poses a new understanding is described as flexible, a world that is out of bal- of natural and social resources durable, and capable ance and creates increas- as collective and common. of springing back to its ingly disadvantageous 4 According to Suely Rolnik, who original form and trans- living conditions. Rather develops the concept of flexible forming the energy than trying to find global subjectivity based on Brian Holmes, received into its own solutions for some indef- this is the product of the emergence of the creative class in the 1950s, reconstruction (a good inite future or projecting which meant existential experiment- example of this is a possible perfect bal- ing and a radical break with the dom- the sponge). In psychol- ance, resilient thinking inant forces: “Flexible subjectivity was adopted as a politics of desire ogy, resilience refers focuses on the diversity by a wide range of people, who to the subject’s ability of practical solutions for began to desert the current ways to recover its original the here and now, and of life and trace alternative cartog- raphies — a process supported and state relatively quickly on the cooperation and made possible by its broad collec- after some significant creativity of everyone tive extension”, in Politics of Flex­ stress or shock and con- involved in a community ible Subjectivity. The Event-Work of Lygia Clark, http://www.pucsp. tinuing with the proc- or society. At the same br/nucleodesubjetividade/Textos/ esses of self-realisation time, resilient thinking SUELY/Flexiblesubjectivity.pdf Not Sustainable Development, but Sustainable Co-living � Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez 232

looks at the critical and economic crises echoed 5 This phenomenon is discussed dystopian near future; in conversations with by Bojana Kunst in her new book Umetnik na delu. Bližina umetnosti unable to anticipate younger artists. I had in kapitalizma (Artist at Work. Prox­ or postpone it, it can the opportunity to see imity of Art and Capitalism): “An only react by adapting how difficult it is to do excellent case in point for analysing the social contradictions of the new to it. Similarly as every creative work under forms of production is the status new concept, resilience these circumstances and of freelance artists, in particular too has drawn a lot in this environment. from the point of view of the bureau- cratic ideas for regulating this status of unfavourable critical Young artists, architects, we have witnessed in Slovenia over ­responses, with the main designers, activists, cura- the past two decades, a period in reproaches being its tors and other cultural which the artist transited from an ‘independent (freelance)’ to a ‘self- general depoliticisedness “fighters” talked about employed’ person. At the beginning (which makes it vulner- experimenting with of the transition, there was still an albeit hazy but nonetheless able to appropriation artistic practices, further consensual social sphere of public by neoliberal thought), futile transformations independent/freelance work, sup- its favouring resources of Slovenian freelance ported as a common good also by the state; precisely because while ignoring conflicts, cultural workers into artists are public figures, they are and its focus on re-estab­ self-managing admini­ also construed as ‘independent’. lishing the previous strative bodies,5 the cuts Now, however, bureaucrats prefer to speak of them as self-employed, status quo rather than in already minimal which automatically renders the art- effecting change. public funds, the lack ist a part of the private economy. I began examining of private initiative, and This in turn reduces the public consent to support the artist’s contemporary art pro- the emergence of new work, since the independent public duction in Slovenia, and forms of co-financing sphere as such is disappearing.” concentrically beyond such as KickStarter and (Ljubljana: Maska, 2012) p. 123. its borders, at the time concepts of collabora- 6 Deriving from the do-it-yourself when the Occupy move- tion such as co-working, (DIY) concept, do-it-together ap- ment came to an end, do-it-together and peared as a term on the internet just 6 under a decade ago, most notably the all-Slovenian upris- do-it-with-others. in the sphere of art and activism ing was organised, a gov- Keen on inter- as a form of collaboration along ernment fell and another connecting, they are the principles of the open source movement, non-hierarchical rela- took office, and drastic increasingly aware tions, and network co-creation. austerity measures were of the importance of introduced. The growing cooperative economies discontent and social, and the open-source political, moral and mentality, commoning, Not Sustainable Development, but Sustainable Co-living � Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez 233

producing one’s resour­ of artists uses to trans- 7 Vandana Shiva talks about self- ces or, as Vandana Shiva form the role of the crea- making or swadeshi as a desire to achieve the ultimate quality in 7 calls it, “self-­making”. tive subject in contem­ one’s own making: “If we’re going This generation tells porary Slovenian to live in a world beyond the finan- stories about the gene­ society, or as Bojana cial crisis, we’d better start doing things for ourselves, making things rations of their ­pa­rents Kunst writes on this for ourselves, growing our food, and grand­parents intertwining of labour making our homes, creating our with a lot of empathy, and life: education and health systems. Putting pressure on the state or assumes the posi- “Labour must think is fine, but ultimately I believe we tion of co-creators of about its modes of pro- need to go beyond the centralised their own generation. duction; in the case state and centralised corporate control. We need to go into decen- Despite the relevance of contemporary art, tralised communities that reclaim of the above-mentioned these are the (open, the capacity to make. And that is swadeshi.” Vandana Shiva in an criticism of it, I used flexible, communica- interview for Yes Magazine, 2009. the concept of resilience tive, affective) post- as flexibility as the main Fordist modes that 8 The term ‘flexicurity’ denotes achieving maximum synergy of ef- metaphor for this trien- actually separate work fects and balance in the conditions nial survey of the pro- from the materiality ruling the labour market in the EU. duction of younger to of the work process in The purported goals of flexicurity include allowing greater individual middle generation artists­ advance… Today pro­ participation in the labour market, living under today’s duction modes are reducing unemployment, sup- conditions of crisis and ­literally fused with la- port in entering the labour market, and easier and faster transition with minor, even major bour ­itself, the flexibility from one contract to another. ­disasters following one and communicativeness another. This also ironi- of the work processes cally refers to the con- overlap with the open- cept of “flexicurity”,8 ness and processuality which in Slovenia of work, while the use at least remains just of creativity overlaps ­unrealised potential. with experimentation Blending work and and research; this leaves everyday life forms the artists virtually forced basis of new economic, to keep ­revolutionising ethical and produc- their production modes… tion principles­ that The principal techno­ the younger generation logy of producing work Not Sustainable Development, but Sustainable Co-living � Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez 234

becomes visibility, theory and political 9 Bojana Kunst, op. cit., pp. 120 – 123. which must be linked activism, underscor- 10 Initiatives such as Coworking to the same material ing on the other hand at the Kino Šiška and Creative and embodied processes the cyclical nature Cooperatives in Španski borci that enable this visibility of time by reviving tra- are two good examples of such collective approaches. of work. Oftentimes, this ditional knowledge and visibility is possible due techniques. Searching to the precariousness, for strategies to work flexibility and uncertain- and also survive, strat- ty of work, due to fetish- egies that become ising the immaterial and at the same time a way speculative ­experience of collaborating and co- as the principal social producing, coupled with and communicative the contents of their experience that ar- work have become one tistic work can make of the many inspirations ­possible… As the divid- in structuring the trien- ing line between life and nial. New approaches work in late-capitalist to securing financial re- working processes fades, sources for survival have also the possibilities for led to new ways of col- an emancipatory alli- laboration, in which ance between work and the isolation of being life dwindle, an alliance stationed in front born out of the inces- of one’s computer is no sant politicising of this longer enough; it must difference, which makes be upgraded with social- apparent the paradoxes ising and discussions, of contemporary auton- which also means shar- omy, the illusory option ing the responsibility for of choice, and of organis- (co-)financing the place ing one’s life…”9 hosting the socialising.10 Despite these inevi- The triennial gave table facts, young artists prominence to practices enter into dialogue with that can be seen as anal- biotechnology, critical ogous to the concept Not Sustainable Development, but Sustainable Co-living � Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez 235

of resilience, i.e., commu- the Bunker Institute, 11 Institutions and artistic practices nity-oriented, situated,11 which has been man- following the principle of situated- ness or embededness by activating participatory, performa- aging the Old Power their micro-locations, the local- tive, architectural, femi- Station for years now, ity of the subjects, change and nist, socio-ecological, animating the space adapt to their local conditions. The international network Cluster, civic and other discur- with projects exploring founded in 2011, brings together sive practices exploring various principles of co- seven European contemporary new (or revived) com- living and co-working. art institutions and one from Israel; the institutions are largely located munity principles, such Considering the rela- on metropolitan peripheries or in as the “do-it-together”, tions and collaborations residential areas and work inter- actively with their local contexts. urban gardening and set up at, by, and for co-working, as well the triennial, the com- as the ­fundamental plexity of, and ­contrasts ­social question of co­­- in the nature of, the existence. spaces and the initia- Coexistence or co- tives involved cannot be living is a major factor ignored, contributing in raising awareness to antagonisms and of mutual dependence in dis­agreements before,­ micro-localities. As an ­during, and after old African pro­verb says, the triennial. Bratko if you want to go fast Bibič dedicated a sub- go alone; if you want division of a chapter to go far go together. in his contribution The Metelkova neigh- “Improvizacije na temo bourhood in the Tabor 93/13” (“Improvisations district of Ljubljana has on Theme 93/13”) for evolved into an amazing the Metelkova anthology,­ cultural quarter, starting published in honour with the Autonomous of the 20 years of work Cultural Zone Metel­ of Autonomous Cultural kova, now celebrating its Zone Metelkova City, 20th anniversary of per- to these relations, sistent self-defining and ­writing about the com- unrelenting struggle for plexity of the problems survival this year, and of coexistence between Not Sustainable Development, but Sustainable Co-living � Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez 236

the ACZ Metelkova Indians play them- 12 Bratko Bibič, “Improviza- and the Museum selves’.12 cije na temo 93/13,” Metelkova (Ljubljana: ČKZ, 2013) p. 188. square and its institu- The triennial was tions: At the meeting processual by nature. of the Forum of the ACZ Most works exhibited Metelkova City, which at the MSUM+, the Škuc serves as the decision- Gallery, the SCCA Project making instance Room, and the per- a propos of the com- formative projects in mon issues of the ACZ the Museum square were Metelkova City, held in more than just art works, June 2013, the following they were also documen- conclusion was adopted tary pieces, fragments [regarding the invitation of narratives, witnesses issued by the Director of long-term or last- of the MSUM and the cu- ing processes in which rator of the 7th Triennial they activated or altered u3 to Metelkova City subsequent gestures and to present its activi- activities. The triennial ties and participate in gave prominence to time the Triennial: that there and space, unfolding is no consensus to par- at several locations ticipate in the exhibition, in the desire to give although the discussion the young generation an clearly left open the op- opportunity to express tion ‘for every individual their potential through to participate individual- addressing urgent local ly’. Among other things, and global socio-political the members of the ACZ problems and to contrib- Metelkova City wrote ute to the debate in and in their conclusion that over existing Slovenian ‘the invitation from cultural policy. There the +MSUM was gentri- was a programme of per- fication pure and simple, formative projects and they’re trying to cre- debates that highlighted ate a reserve in which the symptoms and Not Sustainable Development, but Sustainable Co-living � Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez 237

unease of, and the exist- abstract and concrete 13 Such examples were one of Maja ing or emerging relations spaces of capitalism, Delak’s actions in the Transmit­ tance performance, the debate between neighbours in, the role and influence organised by DPU, Leja Jurišić the urban space in which of new technologies and Teja Reba’s Sofa, and the Museum square with on the individual and the installation/barrier blocking the passage between the Mu- its four museums is lo- society and the bio- seum square and the ACZ Me- cated and which directly politics of the centres telkova City bearing the legend relates to the legendary of power. For the most “No pasarán” [they shall not pass].

Autonomous Cultural part they revolved 14 From Adela Železnik’s opening re- Zone Metelkova. around problems expe- marks at the debate with the Cluster Employing a ­variety rienced by particular network, 29 September 2013. of approaches, some institutions, structures, of the participating initiatives and individu- artists and neighbours als in the shared space also reacted critically of the Metelkova neigh- to the concept.13 bourhood and the Tabor Debates were or- district, and on the pos- ganised in collaboration sibilities of connect- with individual agents, ing and networking in group initiatives and the field of politics and structures. The main top- culture. The last debate ics of the debates related in particular, about to the concept of resil- the work of the interna- ience via the particular tional network Cluster, interests and activities stressed the impor- of the participating tance of solidarity in initiatives. The guests view of the fact that all and the public discussed agents in a particular hybrid spaces in art, country are dependent the economic position on the same cultural of artists in present- politics, which puts their day society (both from struggle for survival in the local and interna- a mutually dependent tional perspectives), con- relationship with their temporary production collaboration with one models and institutions, another.14 Not Sustainable Development, but Sustainable Co-living � Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez 238

One of the potentials of contempo- involved in the process of both its cre- rary art is that it can lead to sustain- ation and reception a chance to change able (co)living by enhancing social co- the way they think about themselves, hesiveness and providing possibilities others and the way things in everyday for agency, for addressing conflicts, life work. It was this curator’s secret and translating knowledge beyond wish that the resilient practices in the borders of individual communi- contemporary art could enable creati­ ties or disciplines. It gives everyone vity with, rather than just for, people. � “Migration is not the evacuation of a place and the ­occupation of a different one, it is the making and remaking of one’s own life on the scenery of the world.”

— Dimitris Papadopoulos and Vassilis Tsianos, ‘The Autonomy of Migration: The Animals of Undocumented Mobility’ Excerpt from a speech given by Madjiguène Cissé on the occasion of her receipt of the Wilhelmine von Bayreuth Prize 2011

It is a great honour for me the same opportunity to study Madjiguène Cissé to be the fourth recipient as the boys since, as he said, is the founder of the Network of the Wilhelmine of Bayreuth we are entering an era in of Women for Prize for tolerance and human- which education is going Sustainable ity in cultural diversity. To be to play a big role in society. Development in Africa (REFDAF), awarded a prize of such dis- Brought up with much which works to help tinction, following eminent rigour and respecting one’s women access personalities of worldwide neighbour, values such resources so that they can adopt renown, is not an easy matter. as jomm (courage), kersa more sustain- One is tempted to ask oneself (shame) and mugne (patience) able agricultural what one has done to merit were instilled into me from methods and enjoy more autonomy such a great honour. a young age, all this being and greater food As the second child of par- framed by a spirit of solidarity. security. ents of rural origin who were I often heard my mother say impelled to move to town “Nit nitaye garabam” or “man by recurrent drought, I first is the remedy of man”. As chil- saw the light of day in Dakar, dren of poor families relegated then the capital of French to the periphery of the urban West Africa (AOF). My fa- centres, we grew up in spaces ther did not himself have where only mutual solidar- the chance to go to school and ity allowed people to make was self-taught. However, he ends meet. Pleasures were was a true visionary and in- shared, as well as sorrows, and sisted that I, the only daughter the most urgent assistance of the family, should have was provided by a community Madjiguène Cissé on the occasion of her receipt of the Wilhelmine of Bayreuth Prize 2011 241

eager to maintain their balance in a sit- of rights reached quite another level for uation of extreme poverty, of almost me: the right to a decent life, to normal permanent crisis. Courage, ingenuity, conditions of education, to health. Thus, and initiative by women have always I made efforts to bring about changes impressed me. I began my ‘social’ com- that were modest but still useful for mitment in primary school when I read the people. and wrote letters for the adults who Much later, my participation in were almost all illiterate. the struggle of the Sans-Papiers (ille- Our own history — of my people gal immigrants) was the continuation and of our nation — has always been of my early commitment. Increasingly, hidden from us by the colonisers in I realised the absurdity of the situation: order to maintain their domination. that human beings should be deprived Only much later did I learn that, ac- of their basic right of movement. This cording to oral traditions, as early is simply unjust. as in 1222 the ‘Mande Charta’, a first Immigration laws have certainly declaration of human rights for people become more exacting and more co- in Africa, was declared by Soundiata ordinated on a European scale; this Keïta, Emperor of the Mali Empire. is also because of a paradigm shift. In this he called for respect for human Europe uses increasingly stringent life, respect for one’s neighbour and measures to limit, and even suppress, social justice, while condemning two the right to travel freely. Foreigners serious evils, notably hunger and slav- living on European territory are in- ery, thus making his people subject sidiously pushed into illegality by to the rule of law. the conditions and criteria required My commitment to human rights when seeking extension of residence dates back to that period in my child- permits. These are undignified and hood. I did not understand why frankly unbearable. For example, a for- the people were and remained deprived eign student or worker being required and I only thought about helping to queue up in front of foreign na- them in the best way I could. I began tional registration offices at 4 o’clock to think about solutions and I started in the morning in the hope of being let to make small contributions: teaching in at 9 o’clock; families end up being literacy courses, providing school as- separated, with estrangements en- sistance, organising cleaning actions. couraged and with children being con- When the strong wind of May 1968 trolled when leaving school. The hard- reached us also in Africa, the question ening of immigration policy becomes Madjiguène Cissé on the occasion of her receipt of the Wilhelmine of Bayreuth Prize 2011 242

evident before a foreigner even sets society have thus reunited and organ- foot on European soil. Be it a busi- ised themselves in order to take their nessman, professor, human rights destiny into their own hands. activist, student or trader, the appli- In Senegal, REFDAF (Réseau des cant for a visa has to undertake a real femmes pour le développement en ­combative encounter and undergoes Afrique) was born in 2000 by the will all sorts of vexations and humiliations of women who were victims of aus- to his dignity as a human being in or- terity policies and of the lack of po- der to get an entry visa for European litical will among our leaders to get territory. This creates frustrations that out of the diabolical circle of poverty. are not conducive to good relations By combining women’s networks and between Europe and the countries their grassroots associations, REFDAF of the South. wishes to promote a new vision This policy against human rights of economic and social development in is often justified by the need to pre- Africa and to reflect the role of women serve economic stability, notably in the creation of conditions for sus- employment, within a Europe that tainable development. has, for many years, pursued ultra- The majority of women live in un- liberal policies. And now Europe is acceptable conditions: without running about to undergo draconian austerity water or electricity, without rewarding measures very much like those struc- outlets for their produce, sometimes tural adjustment plans imposed in without a roof. Their most fundamental the 1980s on the countries of the South rights are plainly ignored: the right by the International Monetary Fund to health, to education, to training, (IMF) and the World Bank. The payment the right to entertainment… of interest on the debts of the Southern To redress this situation, REFDAF countries, together with bad govern- has created Local Product Exchange ance, has gradually suffocated our Platforms (Espace d’Échanges). This economies, jeopardising all economic, is a project whose first step has been social and cultural development. to buy market stalls and shops for In Africa, from the first, mutual so- women in the big markets of Dakar cial assistance and solidarity permitted in order to allow women to sell their the populations to resist the exacerba- local products at just prices. A chain tion of poverty. Then, gradually, social develops from the woman who culti- movements and organisations arose. vates land, raises birds or processes her The most vulnerable strata of African products, up to the marketing spaces Madjiguène Cissé on the occasion of her receipt of the Wilhelmine of Bayreuth Prize 2011 243

for primary or finished products, under Finally, in the same perspective the control of the women themselves of opening up possibilities, REFDAF is who, in this way, have a comprehensive involved in setting up a large move- vision of the process, from production ment to include other African women, to marketing. with the main objective of making Another equally important a female civil society emerge that initiative, the project of the ‘REFDAF is strong and capable of making an Women’s Housing Area’ (Cité des impact on the orientations, as well Femmes du REFDAF) came into being as the actions, that mark societal ad- in December 2002. The aim is to allow vance. REFDAF aims at ‘forming’ female women to be owners of their plots, citizens in a comprehensive sense, who something rare in Senegal where can then take responsibilities in their only 2% of women are landowners. societies. The REFDAF women opened a com- As you can see, REFDAF’s mission munal bank account in January 2003 is to make a sustainable contribution and have already saved, despite their to the development of Senegal and meagre incomes, more than 80 million of Africa, but also to link up with that Franc CFA (€120,000). Women them- new form of global thinking that em- selves have drawn up the plans for phasises, above all, the human being this housing estate, located where they and its harmonious development. want to live, a communal habitat that Today, in times of multiple crises, takes into account local requirements of lacking orientations, of conflicts, such as climate, independent access Africa interrogates itself, and is ques- to renewable energy, access to educa- tioned about, what contribution it can tion, health etc. make to the concert of nations. This All these projects are part of the as- question imposes itself on all of us pect of ‘training’ women: an area that inhabitants of the earth. In Europe, REFDAF is very insistent on in its pro- the currently raging crisis acutely grammes, in order to fill in the gaps raises the question of which mode within their education and to offer of development we want and which new perspectives to every one of them. would create a balance for all. In Africa, In this way, wherever possible, REFDAF the crisis has taught us to manage organises qualifying training in litera- day-to-day life differently, to initiate cy, IT, advocacy and lobbying financial a holistic development that takes into management, and training to obtain consideration a reasonable exploita- a driving license. tion of our resources, investing not Madjiguène Cissé on the occasion of her receipt of the Wilhelmine of Bayreuth Prize 2011 244

only in the present but also in the � How to promote solidarity with, future. The models we follow are still and acceptance of, the other, since of an empirical kind whose theoretical we all belong to one and the same frameworks remain to be formulated. humanity? We therefore invite the intellectu- � How to link up with nature to pre- als and researchers of the Institute serve our ecosystems? for African Studies of the University � What kind of humanity do we want of Bayreuth to engage with us in this for ourselves and for the coming reflection process: generations? � R-URBAN or How to Co-produce a Resilient City (2nd excerpt) by Constantin Petcou and Doina Petrescu

R-URBAN, an agency of co- and grassroots organisa- Doina Petrescu produced urban regeneration tions around a series of self- is Professor of Architecture and managed collective facilities Design Activism R-URBAN is one of the many hosting economic and cultural at the University small-scale initiatives to activities and everyday prac- of Sheffield. have emerged in response tices that contribute to boost- Constantin to the slow pace of govern­ ing resilience in an urban con- Petcou is a Paris-based mental procedures and the text. The network, which acts architect whose lack of consensus in further through locally closed circuits, work stresses addressing the challenges starts at a neighbourhood the intersections between architec- of global crisis and ­evaluating level and progressively scales ture, urbanism and their consequences for peo- up to the city and regional lev- semiotics. ple’s lives. New approaches el. In a Guattarian ecosophical to urban regeneration are vein,1 the strategy considers desperately needed in times social, ecological and economic of economic crisis, and could aspects as equally essential for benefit from the increased resilient processes. R-URBAN social capital attending the addresses communities from ­diminishment of financial ca­ urban and suburban contexts, pital. R-URBAN was conceived involving a diversity of actors as an open source ­strategy (i.e., residents, local authorities, enabling residents to play public organisations, profes- an active part in changing the sionals, civic stakeholders) city while also changing their to take various responsibilities ways of living in it. in the project’s governance. This strategy creates In contrast to other regene­ a network of citizen projects ration projects conceived by R-URBAN or How to Co-produce a Resilient City � Constantin Petcou and Doina Petrescu 246

specialist teams and facilitated of which constantly inform 1 Félix Guattari, by managerial structures, one another. The Three Ecolo­ gies (London: Con- the architects and planners As opposed to the Garden tinuum F., 2008). here take an active role as ini- City concept,R-URBAN does tiators, facilitators, mediators not propose an ideal model and consultants in various of transformation, but deals civic partnerships brought with the collapse of modern about by the project. This leads urban ideals and their many to a more effective, faster failures in addressing the and more sustainable imple- future. Also,R-URBAN picks mentation, and allows for up from the Regional City greater participation of non- concept the idea of regional specialists in co-producing dynamics, but in this case it. The projects are conceived on the basis of bottom-up ini- as processes that not only re- tiatives of local residents. sult in a physical transforma- It considers both large-scale tion of urban contexts, but also processes and small-scale contribute to the social and phenomena. Global concerns political emancipation of those are addressed locally, but living and acting in them. within the existing condi- Although anchored in tions. The R-URBAN transfor- everyday life and committed mation is realised in succes- to radical change, R-URBAN is sive stages by investing in also part of a specific tradition temporarily available spaces of modelling resilient develop- and creating short-term uses ment starting with Howard’s able to prefigure future urban Garden City (Howard, 1889) developments. and Geddes’s Regional City R-URBAN also incorporates (Geddes, 1915) and continu- many Transition Town prin- ing today with the Transition ciples, although it does not Town (Hopkins, 2008). But necessarily operate on a ‘town’ in contrast to these models, scale, but negotiates its own R-URBAN is no direct applica- (e.g. a block, neighbourhood or tion of theory, but tries to de- district), depending on actor velop an exploratory practice participation. No pre-existing and a theoretical analysis, both communities are targeted; R-URBAN or How to Co-produce a Resilient City � Constantin Petcou and Doina Petrescu 247

instead, new communities philosophers like Guattari, ↑ R-URBAN formed through the project Gorz, Lefebvre, Harvey, Negri in ­Colombes: Agrocité. must agree on their own rules and Holloway have been con- Photo credit: atelier and the principles to be fol- stantly challenged by the re- d’architecture lowed in its management. ality of our active research autogéré. With its civic hubs and collec- approach. tive facilities, R-URBAN tries to lend visibility to the net- works of solidarity and R-URBAN in Colombes ecological cycles it creates. Architecture plays an impor- After three years of research, tant role here: that of host- we proposed the project ing and showcasing resilient to various local authorities practices and processes, and and grassroots organisations of rendering tangible and con- in cities and towns of France. crete what would otherwise We conceived of it as a partici- only remain a discourse. Also, pative strategy based on local architecture is not only physi- circuits that activate material cal, but social and political (e.g., water, energy, waste and as well. The inspirations we food) and immaterial (e.g., local took from social theorists and know-how, socio-economic, R-URBAN or How to Co-produce a Resilient City � Constantin Petcou and Doina Petrescu 248

cultural and self-building) council housing estates. 2 For more in- flows between key fields Suburbia is a key territory formation, see http://r-urban.net of activity (e.g., the economy, for R-URBAN: although spe- housing and urban agriculture) cific to a ­modern conception already contained or imple- of city, it is one of the most mented in the existing fabric crucial territories to be rede- of the city. In 2011, R-URBAN veloped and regenerated in started in Colombes, a subur- the interest of resilience to- ban town with 84,000 resi- day. With its mix of private dents near Paris, in partner- and council housing estates, ship with the local authorities Colombes is confronted and a number of organisations, with all kinds of suburban as well as with the involve- problems, such as social ment of a range of local resi- or economic deprivation dents. In its initial four-year and youth crime, typical period, the project is intended of large-scale dormitory to gradually create a network ­suburbs and the consumer- around a number of ‘collec­ ist, car-­dependent lifestyle in tive hubs’, each of them more affluent suburbs with ­serving complementary urban generally middle-class po­ ­functions (i.e., housing, urban pulations. Colombes none- agriculture, recycling, eco- theless also has a number construction, local culture), of advantages and assets: that bring together ­emerging despite a high unemploy- citizens’ projects. Within ment rate (17% of the a context of welfare services working population, well being withdrawn, these col- above the national average lective facilities will host self- of 10.2% in 2012), Colombes provided services and citizen- boasts many local organisa- run production units that will tions (approximately 450) simultaneously play a strategic and a very active civic life. part in locally closed economic Drawing strength from and ecological cycles.2 this very active civic life and Colombes offers from the cultural and social a ­typical suburban context diversity of Colombes, we with a mix of private and started by launching several R-URBAN or How to Co-produce a Resilient City � Constantin Petcou and Doina Petrescu 249

collective facilities, including facilities — Agrocite, Recyclab ↑ R-URBAN in recycling and eco-construc- and Ecohab — are collectively Colombes: Inau- guration of the tion projects, cooperative run hubs that catalyse ­existing Agrocité, 2013. housing and urban agriculture activities with the aim of Photo credit: atelier units, which are ­cooperating introducing and propagating d’architecture autogéré. to set up the first spatial and resilient routines and lifestyles ecological agencies in the area. that residents can adopt and Their architecture show- practise on individual and cases the various issues they domestic levels, such as retro­ ­address, such as recycled local fitting properties to accom- materials, local skills, energy modate food cultivation and production and food cultiva- energy generation. tion, by means of specific Agrocite is an agricul- devices and building com- tural unit comprising an ponents. The first three pilot experimental micro-farm, R-URBAN or How to Co-produce a Resilient City � Constantin Petcou and Doina Petrescu 250

← R-URBAN in Colombes: Recyclab, 2015. Photo credit: atelier d’architecture autogéré.

community gardens, educatio­ and transforming them 3 ‘Fab lab’ is short for ‘fabrication nal and cultural spaces, plus into reco-construction ele- laboratory’, a small- a range of experimental ments for self-building and scale workshop ­devices for compost-powered retrofitting. An attendant equipped with various fabrica- heating, rainwater collection,­ ‘fab lab’3 has been set up for tion machines solar energy generation, the residents’ use. Recyclab and tools enabling aquaponic gardening and will function as a social users to produce ‘almost anything’. phyto-remediation. Agrocite is enterprise. a hybrid structure, with some Ecohab is a cooperative components run as social eco-housing project compris- enterprises (e.g., the micro- ing a number of partially farm, market and cafe) and self-built and collectively others by user organisations managed ecological proper- (e.g., the community garden, ties, ­including several shared cultural and educational facilities and schemes (e.g., ­spaces) and local associations. food cultivation, production Recyclab is a recycling spaces, energy and water and eco-construction unit harvesting, car sharing). comprising several facilities The seven proper­ties will fostering and reusing locally include two subsidised flats salvaged materials, recycling and a temporary residential R-URBAN or How to Co-produce a Resilient City � Constantin Petcou and Doina Petrescu 251

unit for students and resear­ Flows, networks and 4 For more informa- chers. Ecohab will be run cycles of production and tion about the R- URBAN coopera- as a cooperative. consumption will emerge tive land trust, go R-URBAN’s collective faci­ between the collective facili- to http://r- urban. lities will grow in number and ties and their neighbourhood, net/en/property/ be managed by a cooperative closing chains of demand 5 This collabora- land trust that will acquire and supply as locally as pos- tion is supported spaces, facilitate development sible. To overcome the current by the Life+ programme in and guarantee democratic crisis, we must try “to pro- a partnership be- governance.4 duce what we consume and tween aaa, the City In parallel, the strategy consume what we produce”, of Colombes and public works. will be propagated on larger as the French philosopher scales: regionally, nationally, Andre Gorz puts it.6 6 André Gorz, Ecologica (Paris: Europe-wide. The art and R-URBAN interprets this Éditions Galilée, architecture practice ‘public production and consump- 2008), p. 13. works’, R-URBAN’s partner tion chain broadly, well in London, is currently de- beyond the material aspects, veloping a connected project to include cultural, cognitive in Hackney Wick: R-URBAN and affective dimensions. Wick.5 The first R-URBAN The project sets a precedent facility in Hackney Wick is for a participative retrofit- a mobile production unit: ting of metropolitan suburbs Wick on Wheels (WOW). where the relationship be- This unit encourages collec- tween the urban and rural tive production in situ, using is reconsidered. It endeav- local materials, resources ours to demonstrate what and knowledge. It is a parti­ citizens can achieve if they cipatory project engaging change their work routines with residents and local ar- and lifestyles to ­collectively tisans to produce, reuse and address the challenges repurpose. of the future. � Kicking Off a Year of “P2P Plazas” Research and Cartography

by Carmen Lozano-Bright

2014 ended on a good note. many industrial buildings Carmen Last October, I had the oppor- and factories are left empty, Lozano-Bright is the recipient tunity to participate, together inactive; the public sector of an R&D grant with 49 other project initia- also has abandoned buildings from the European tors, in the Idea Camp event and lots. Basic services like Cultural Foundation for her research in Marseille. The European education, health and culture into Southern Cultural Foundation (ECF) are cut as the Welfare State European com- promoted this event, geared is contested. Paradoxically, moning practices. She moderates towards shaking up our this atmosphere has em- the p2pSquare! Lab views on public space. After powered citizens to reclaim on ECFLabs, ECF’s the three-day gathering, all their own environments and online commu- nity space (https:// 50 participants were invited heritage, shaping innovative ecflabs.org/lab/ to present a Research and roles in their production and p2p-square). She is a member Development project to be consumption of culture and of Platoniq in funded during 2015.ECF an- public space. Barcelona, Spain nounced a set of 25 R&D Considering what Henri (www.youcoop.org), one of the hubs in grants last December, and ‘P2P Lefebvre calls the “­rhythmic the European Cul- Plazas: a Southern European character of the city”, we tural Foundation’s network’ was in. should heed the noises Networked Pro- gramme — Con­ Today, Europe struggles and voices of public space nected Action for through a volatile reality. as unique expressions of the Commons. Severe economic blight and Southern European spirit, the industrial dissolution through disruptive movements suffered over several decades including Spain’s 15M, Greek have devastated the social and and Italian street protests in economic outlook of our cities 2011 and the Taksim Square and rural areas. Consequently, and Gezi Park occupations in Kicking Off a Year of “P2P Plazas” Research and Cartography � Carmen Lozano-Bright 253

Istanbul. Movements that emerged rap- (fablabs, makerspaces, worker coop- idly and seemed ephemeral from out- eratives), open lots may become com- side reveal themselves to be widespread munity commercial spaces (artisan over local contexts. What once was un- and local food markets). The neigh- derground has become commonplace, bourhood’s cultural associations with accepted: urban gardens, self-managed the original space guide its rebirth, not social centres, open schools, fablabs, only its original use or legal zoning. squats, active urban squares, hacklabs, These places host practices steeped medialabs, makerspaces, connected by in site-specific knowledge and learn- scores of networks. ing, giving a deeply expanded, personal We’re calling this Southern significance to commons-managed European phenomenon “P2P Plazas”: public space. places where bottom-up initiatives Although these practices surround connect actions among peers (citizens). us, there is no ‘big picture’ to explain Peers decide for themselves what to do the deep significance of these transfor- to invent and participate in new forms mations on our societies. of cultural production and consump- Each space finds its way through tion, far from the established so-called different legal (and illegal) formats, “Cultural Industries”. agreements and contracts with private Frontiers that were strictly demar- and public owners. If we could affect cated today merge and interact. Each a clearer view by mapping these expe- local area contains its own unique riences throughout Southern Europe, context for its open spaces; community including the management and legal relationships to that context determine aspects of how they’re (re)signify- the eventual re-use and re-invigoration ing their environments, we would of those places. Abandoned factories provide a catalogue of prototypes become new types of work spaces to be replicated. Kicking Off a Year of “P2P Plazas” Research and Cartography � Carmen Lozano-Bright 254

Mapping these p2p (peer-to-peer) This research requires the support practices also reveals their Achilles’ of foundations and institutions that be- heel: sustainability. It is crucial that local lieve in investigation for social change. governments understand these trans- The peer-to-peer experiences we learn formations, provide support and tools from are mostly based in commu- for citizens to promote their own initia- nity volunteer work. Archiving and tives. Future developments out of this researching are not prioritised as are research could prototype p2p practices other, more tangible and immediate to establish a Southern European net- tasks. Works that create a big picture work with the common ground of shar- do exist, but without time, effort and ing tools, knowledge and legal frames. communication devoted to research, Through this year-long investiga- creating the overall map isn’t possible. tion, we will listen to those noises and Isolating the tools adapted in local rhythms that sustain our cities, and contexts can provide a bellwether for shape a ‘least common legal frame’ paradigm changes, and help us identify serving institutions and citizens to es- innovations in social, political and eco- tablish dialogues and understandings. nomic opportunities. The communities reshaping their local This proposal emerges from a local environments are central to this re- perspective of engagement with the search. We must feel the active beating routine at El Campo de Cebada, a com- heart of our cities, and to join hands mons-oriented plaza in Madrid. It has across borders. This is a way to build expanded to other territories through Europe together. the digital sphere. The context of this Kicking Off a Year of “P2P Plazas” Research and Cartography � Carmen Lozano-Bright 255

research includes a central inspired by many — many! — ↑ Any given day cluster based in Madrid col- existing initiatives that have at El Campo de Cebada, Madrid. laborating with several feeder helped build a common car- Spring 2013, photo nodes (starting elsewhere in tography. For example (and credit: Carmen Spain, Greece and Italy, then these are all in Spain, for Lozano-Bright. throughout Southern Europe). the moment): La Aventura ↖ Open Univer- The network extension will de Aprender (The Learning sity at El Campo operate in the digital context Adventure); Arquitecturas de Cebada, Madrid. 3rd edition, sum- through an internal/external Colectivas (Collective mer 2015, photo communication toolkit. Architectures network); credit: Carmen Coincidentally, Spain held cartographies by Vivero de Lozano-Bright. local elections in May 2015, Iniciativas Ciudadanas (VIC), especially noteworthy for among others. the emergence of new political Throughout 2015, we have actors. The research includes been working hand in hand meetings with political parties with other closely related re- and citizen candidates to as- search groups, like Straddle3’s sess their position on these guide for activating public questions, and evaluate their space (Barcelona); Adelita willingness to implement Husni-Bey’s investigation a ‘least common frame’. on housing and squatting This research does not (The Netherlands and Italy); emerge out of the blue. It’s Radarq’s open source urban Kicking Off a Year of “P2P Plazas” Research and Cartography � Carmen Lozano-Bright 256

← Urban garden in an abandoned lot. Vallcarca, Barcelona. Winter 2015, photo credit: Carmen Lozano- Bright.

→↘ Navarinou Park, Athens, May 2015, photo credit: Car- men Lozano-Bright.

furniture (Barcelona); the in- communication will also be tense activity at Pollinaria supported by the Guerrilla (Abruzzo, Italy); and also Translation team. the research by Catherine We’ll be watching other Lenoble — a little detached necessary projects with great because of its field, but shar- impact potential, including ing a huge common ground ZEMOS98 (Seville, Spain), and perspective — on digital Sarantaporo.net (Athens) and toy libraries. The research and 1+1eleven (Puglia, Italy). � Kicking Off a Year of “P2P Plazas” Research and Cartography � Carmen Lozano-Bright 257 Between Random and Democratic Practices: The Commons Board Game

by Carmen Lozano-Bright

We arrived in Seville with Game and was patented in Carmen a mission and few rules: 1904 by Elizabeth ‘Lizzie’ Lozano-Bright is the recipient to sit down for three days Magie. The goal of this North of an R&D grant to produce the Commonspoly. American woman’s design from the European In other words, starting from was to explain the perverse Cultural Foundation for her research the common idea of Monopoly, effects of monopolising land into Southern Euro- the game we’ve all played, we and the usefulness of taxing pean commoning had to think about a deriva- property. She was convinced practices. tion of the board game whose that educating children in goal wasn’t winning through the belief that the accumu- accumulation but through lation of goods had unfair collaboration. And making it consequences would show its a prototype. And explaining it effect when they were adults. to inexperienced players. All On her own she produced of this in three days. It was ta- several editions with different ble number 5 of the Hackcamp distribution companies until #reclaimthecommons and she sold the patent to Parker luckily we got a place near Brothers in 1935 for $500. the coffee machine patio. From then on, the company There was a matter produced the famous Monopoly to clarify before getting down and its unending variations to work. The origin of the fa- in geography and subjects. mous board game on which Returning to the roots you play capitalism and real was a key step to under­ estate speculation has little standing the challenge known roots. Its predeces- of producing Commonspoly: sor was called The Landlord’s restoring the board game and Between Random and Democratic Practices: The Commons Board Game � Carmen Lozano-Bright 259

giving it back some of the features points’. And, as in real life, the initial Lizzie conceived more than a century well-being conditions are not the same ago. The key wasn’t to produce a new for each player. They differ according game with the resulting waste of hy- to gender, class, citizenship and skill. pothetical production and distribu- Furthermore, by investing welfare tion processes, but hacking the board to unblock the privatisation of goods, game every family has at home and players gain legitimacy points. ­playing it with different rules. ‘Repair’ Legitimacy and welfare are li- in Spanish is a word with more than able to disappear, at least to a great one meaning. This variety of meanings extent, if the player happens to fall contributed to defining our new board into the square called Tragedy of the game: it can mean repair in the sense Commons. Time is also lost — in the of fixing, in its Spanish term reparar; form of turns — while points are won it also means to realise; in addition if chance takes us to the Bureaucracy we were also inspired by the free or Assembly squares. interpretation in English of ‘re-pair’ But why play if there’s no compe- as ­re-couple or reunite. tition? Does a board game rewarding After three working days, we found ‘good’, where the commons is the best the key: in Commonspoly you’re playing and only possible world, make any against time. In a set number of turns, sense? Of course not. The challenge the goods at stake will be ­privatised. is in the ability to preserve the com- And the players are ­challenged to mons in general without losing one’s ­liberate them for the commons. individual well-being. From this point The dice determines the stage of the of view; no one is the ­winner — we game for each object at stake on a scale all ‘don’t win’. that ranges from‘ Pure Mad Max The scale of the game has many Horror’ (near Margaret Thatcher’s wet- things in common with the camps test dreams) to ‘Commonsfare Utopia’ that filled squares in 2011. We mean (a fantasy beyond Elinor Ostrom). that Commonspoly is not a particu- The scale ­comprises private, public lar city, nor does it refer to a global and com­munitarian goods. board. Instead it represents a link with The goods under threat belong the ephemeral villages built and dis- to four categories: urban, environ- mantled in so many cities and in so mental, related to the body and many formats: from 15M to Occupy, to knowledge. In order to prevent from the Arab Spring to Syntagma, privatisation, each player has ‘welfare from Brazil to Gezi Park. Between Random and Democratic Practices: The Commons Board Game � Carmen Lozano-Bright 260

Commonspoly is, finally, a little representation of the board game of life: it is de- cided somewhere between random and democratic prac- tices. But in order to achieve an open code game it was necessary to supply it with documentary evidence and define certain rules. For this task we had the help of Rubén Martínez from the ­epilogue of his Audiovisual Source Code We’re all ­contingent, but you are necessary. The sound of Thomas The Tank Engine & Friends singing Rules & Regulations inspired some of the rules and situa- tions of the game. This little corner of the hackcamp, where we pooled knowledge, opinions and fun, was composed very wisely of Virginia Benvenuti, Carla Boserman — irreplaceable drawer of cards and boards — Vassilis Chryssos, Francisco Jurado, José Laulhé, Carmen Lozano, Rubén Martínez, Peter Matjašič, María G. Perulero, Natxo Rodríguez, Igor Stokfiszewski, Menno Weijs, Mario Munera and Guillermo Zapata in the task of activating the scene. � Between Random and Democratic Practices: The Commons Board Game � Carmen Lozano-Bright 261

← Original drawing of Commons­ poly board by Carla Boserman. Board designed and developed by members of Table 5, ‘Reclaim the Commons’ hackcamp — 17th Edition of the ZEMOS98 festival. Photo: Julio ­Albarrán.

From Public Space to Common Good: Poland’s Urban Political Activism by Claudia Ciobanu

“We are the first generation from participatory budgets Claudia Ciobanu that is not associating pub- introduced over the last years is a Romanian journalist based lic space with oppression, in several cities. in Warsaw. Her but rather with freedom “Our generation had articles have been and the public sphere,” says to find some new focus be- published notably in The ­ Guardian, 30-year-old sociologist and cause topics like state democ- Al-Jazeera, urban activist Joanna Erbel, racy were already taken up by openDemocracy explaining why activism the older generation; so we and Inter Press Service. around public space issues turned to cities as the subject has become so ­fashionable of our political activity,” adds in Poland over the past Erbel. “Finally, people started couple of years. going abroad and getting ideas. To city inhabitants across Erasmus probably did more Poland, the results of this for biking in Poland than any activism are obvious. More public policy!” people rely on biking for get- ting to work. There is a rising interest in local and ecological Poland’s ‘urban movements’ food and a newly discovered passion for urban gardening. What are today called Attempts to build residential Poland’s ‘urban movements’ complexes in green areas are (ruchy miejskie) have their rejected by grassroots cam- roots in 2006 –2007 but paigns, and many citizens ­became more visible in 2011, submit projects for financing when a congress of all urban From Public Space to Common Good: Poland’s Urban Political Activism � Claudia Ciobanu 265

movements in Poland took place in According to Ewa Sufin-Jacquemart Poznan (urban activism is as devel- from the Polish Green Party,­activism oped in other cities of Poland as in around city issues was a response to the capital, Warsaw). In one of the ear- a mix of neoliberal policies ­promoted ly victories, inhabitants of the Rataje by all post-Socialist governments in neighbourhood in Poznan forced Poland and massive investments in the Mayor to give up the construction infrastructure funded with EU money of a commercial residential complex in ever since Poland joined the block in an area where people wanted to have 2004. Poland is a ­notoriously ‘good green space. In the most notorious student’ of the EU when it comes case, in 2014, inhabitants of Krakow to absorbing funds, having made use rejected in a referendum the organi- of around €80 billion from the EU sation of the 2022 Winter Olympic budget over the last 10 years. Games in their city following a grass- “There was construction going roots campaign. on everywhere in Polish cities, roads, It was last year too, in 2014, that gated residential areas, while all urban the strength of the urban movements planning dating from the Communist became clear during the campaigns period was eliminated,” says Sufin- for local elections taking place in Jacquemart. “Less and less public space November. Candidates of the urban was available for people and public movements were present in main- services were being privatised. Living stream media and their proposals in the city meant that you have to pay became topics of wide debate, some for everything.” of them (such as better biking infra- “The city movements happened structure) being gradually incorporated due to the generational change,” says in the platforms of big parties. sociologist Maciej Gdula from Warsaw Candidates representing University. “The young are not limited the Covenant of Urban Movements by the ideology of keeping up with (Porozumienie Ruchow Miejskich, the West and with indispensable, bitter the pre-electoral alliance grouping reforms.” movements from various cities) made “But the rise of the middle class is it to local and neighbourhood councils also an important reason behind city in seven cities, including Warsaw, and movements,” adds Gdula. “I would link even won a mayoral seat in Gorzow their popularity not only with the in- Wielkopolksi and a vice-mayor posi- crease in the number of people belong- tion in Poznan. ing to the middle class, but also with From Public Space to Common Good: Poland’s Urban Political Activism � Claudia Ciobanu 266

a specific articulation of the middle to affordable public services, which class culture — leaders of city move- makes them live precarious lives in ments speak about order in the public the city, should be a major issue for space and quality of public services.” ­urban movements,” says Kaszynska. “A lot of the urban activism is made by the middle class who do Beyond the middle class not have these problems with hous- ing or precarious contracts, or do not Despite their success, urban move- want to openly identify with this type ments have been criticised for not of precarious situation even if they are ­going far enough. For one, being driven in it,” agrees Jakub Zaczek, an activist by this class, they fail to tackle issues who is working both against eviction that are burning for the poor living of people from reprivatised homes and in cities. For another, they do not ad- against precarious working contracts. dress the structural causes of problems, “At the beginnings of urban ac- such as indiscriminate privatisation or tivism in Warsaw and other cities, austerity politics (importantly, before we made what I call an intellectual the local elections, the urban move- mistake or omission,” explains Joanna ments from Porozumienie declared Erbel. “Our main issue, especially themselves non-ideological, including in Warsaw, was public space because both left and right-wingers in their we thought it equals the public ranks). For the critics, these shortcom- sphere and that, if you take people out ings limit the support for and the im- of the public space, you exclude them. pact of urban movements. But that was just the beginning and it According to city gardener Iza is not enough. Many of us have since Kaszynska, some of the most impor- turned our attention from issues tant problems affecting Polish people of public space to issues of the com- today are precarious labour contracts mon good, we started ­looking (Poland has the largest proportion in at housing for example. the EU of working people on precari- Indeed, an impressive movement ous contracts without stability and against the reprivatisation of public benefits, at around 30%) and unafford- buildings and eviction of people ­living able housing. in them, which gripped many Polish “The fact that urban dwellers spend cities over the last years, does seem their entire salaries on rents or cred- to point to a way in which ­activism its, or that they do not have access could move beyond public space From Public Space to Common Good: Poland’s Urban Political Activism � Claudia Ciobanu 267

issues to root causes of city life prob- people, with social being cheaper lems while building broad alliances to rent and having worse conditions on the way. than communal) are very hard to access According to Jakub Zaczek, the in Poland because of the limited stock, reprivatisation of public buildings in high rents relative to incomes and Poland, which has been taking place tough criteria for accessing this kind since 1989, is a highly abusive process, of accommodation. not only because those claiming build- Until recently, a legislative gap ings often falsify their rights to the made it impossible for those know- property with authorities turning ing they would be evicted to apply a blind eye, but also because Polish au- for social housing until the moment thorities are not forced by law to offer they were effectively out of their old alternative housing to those kicked out. homes. In practice, this meant people­ Interestingly, reprivatisations in were pushed into homelessness Warsaw in particular offer an occa- by state policies. sion to question what is often a dogma In this context, tenants sup- in post-Socialist Central and Eastern ported by activists (often from Europe, that private property is small leftist and anarchist groups the core building block of a fair, free such as Syrena squat in Warsaw and democratic society. Notoriously, or Zaczek’s Committee for the Warsaw was virtually effaced Defence of Tenants — Komitet Obrony at the end of World War II, and the re- Lokatorow) started resisting evictions. construction of its building stock was In response, they were often harassed done with huge reliance on volunteer by the new owners of buildings, efforts by citizens. These same people including via making the building were then given the right to live as ten- ­uninhabitable. In an infamous case that ants of the city in the new buildings, became a symbol for the movement, which became property of the Socialist the body of a tenants’ rights activist, state. And they (or their heirs) are be- Jolanta Brzeska, was found in 2011 ing evicted today in the name of a pre- charred in a forest near Warsaw. war order. The tenants’ movement, driven The lack of any protection for by the vulnerable people evicted from the evicted tenants adds insult to in- their homes and supported by ­radical jury. Social and communal housing activists, enjoys the sympathy and (these are two categories of housing sometimes support of city movements. offered by the state for less privileged Reprivatisations affect not only people From Public Space to Common Good: Poland’s Urban Political Activism � Claudia Ciobanu 268

but also green areas or buildings hardly reaches 10% of voters’ prefer- of historical value, which the urban ences these days and is rejected by middle classes are concerned about. the new left activists for implementing Importantly, the movement makes neo-liberal measures in the past. the link between a destroyed green Potentially the best political area or an evicted family and the wild expression of Poland’s new left is reprivatisation strategies of city au- the Polish Green Party, which has thorities and the lack of social support been steadily growing over the past for the evicted and for poor families year, but still got below 3% of the vote who cannot afford rent in general. at the Warsaw mayoral elections via its candidate Joanna Erbel. According to Ewa Sufin-Jacquemart, it is a strug- The left is up for grabs gle to compromise between the needs of ecologists, feminists, socialists and In Poland, a new generation has grown other progressives, all of whom see lit- and started having an impact on poli- tle chance of party representation out- tics. To be sure, activism in the cities side of the Greens. goes way beyond the urban movements The Greens are now collecting sig- and some of the initiatives, among natures to put forward a candidate in them food or biking cooperatives or this year’s presidential elections. Their squats, are explicitly trying to propose proposal is Anna Grodzka, a transgen- alternatives to a capitalist system they der parliamentarian known for her consider abusive. work against evictions, for fairer taxa- Yet this fresh activist energy for tion and for the environment. the moment lacks a strong expression “The labels of green and left that in electoral politics (Porozumienie is the Green Party carries now are not ac- non-ideological and only interested in ceptable for those in Poland who would the local elections). As in most other benefit from leftist policies,” comments Central and Eastern European coun- activist Michal Augustyn, who cre- tries, in Poland too, the left is discred- ated a popular non-monetary exchange ited and the main political parties have system, Wymiennik. In coal-reliant a right-wing agenda, no matter what Poland, environmentalists are as mar- labels they carry. ginal as the left, in large part because Poland’s main centre-left of systematic pro-coal and anti-green party (the former Communists in propaganda of all parties in power the Democratic Left Alliance,SLD ) since 1989. From Public Space to Common Good: Poland’s Urban Political Activism � Claudia Ciobanu 269

“I think in Poland there is potential such as the ones which stand at the ba- for a party which addresses the ques- sis of Syriza’s or Podemos’ popularity, tions and demands of the working class but it is definitely the time to start such together with the problems of the mid- a movement,” says Michal Augustyn. dle class,” comments sociologist Maciej “The middle class in Poland will soon Gdula. “The potential is considerable start shrinking, like elsewhere in and there are real social forces that can Europe, so it is important not to build be organised. The obstacles are the lack political ghettos around those lifestyle of leadership and the rather stable eco- issues but go out and create coalitions nomic situation in Poland.” with those less fortunate, by listening “Maybe in Poland it is not yet to them, amplifying their voices and the time for a big social movement practicing solidarity.” � A Commons-Intergroup Takes Off in the EU Parliament (excerpt)

by Sophie Bloemen

Landed in real politics of Parliament, and civil society Sophie Bloemen or lobbyists, share the notion is a civil society activist and policy Among its 28 intergroups, that a certain topic is impor- advisor based in the European Parliament tant and can focus on how Berlin. She coordi- now also counts a Commons to get things done. nates The Com- mons Network, Intergroup. The Parliament’s The Commons Intergroup together with David main political factions decided had its launch meeting in Hammerstein on the list of intergroups late May 2015 and will start its (http://common- snetwork.eu/). last year. In order to form an activities after the summer. intergroup there need to be This particular group will al- three supporting political low for discussions on policy groups at least, which can be from a shared perspective: quite a challenge as each polit- the idea that ‘the commons’ ical group can only join a lim- is an important and helpful ited number of intergroups. way of framing the important Even though the inter- themes of present times. groups have no legislative As there can only be so power, it can be valuable many Intergroups, inevitably having such a representation the group is the result of a po- in the European Parliament. litical compromise. It has At the minimum, it is a mul- been formed by Members tiparty forum where one can of the European Parliament exchange views and propose (MEPs) from the Greens, ideas on particular subjects in the left group GUE, the large an informal way. Those who Social Democrat party choose to work with such (S&D) and the group EFDD, an intergroup, its Members which now includes Beppe A Commons-Intergroup Takes Off in the EU Parliament (excerpt) � Sophie Bloemen 271

Grillo with his Five Star Movement. co-existence from a perspective of the The movement on water as a commons commons is of great significance. It’s has been instrumental for the mobili- important because eventually this will sation of the intergroup. lead to a move towards the sustainable management and equitable sharing [ … ] of resources. Another aspect that makes this approach appealing is that the com- Fundamental change in sight mons movement takes a community and ecological systems perspective. We have to take a step back and ask: This philosophy moves away from What are commons? What are common a purely individual rights-, market- goods? There are distinct definitions: and private property-based world- On the one hand, an operational no- view. No need to elaborate that for tion would define commons as shared many this worldview is at the root resources, governed by a certain com- of the current economic and environ- munity. On the other hand, a moral mental crises. notion would say commons or com- Commons thinking expresses mon goods refer to goods that benefit a strong denial of the idea that society society as a whole, and are fundamental is and should be composed of atom- to people’s lives, regardless of how they ised individuals living as consumers. are governed. Instead the commons discourse points These could be many things. to the possibility that people can live Politically it will be more about claim- their lives as citizens, deeply embed- ing certain matters as commons or ded in social relationships. Moreover, common goods, for example, natural that citizens’ active participation is resources, health services or ­useful important in realising well-being and knowledge. Tackling core areas of our a well-functioning society. � Reclaiming the Commons through Culture and Arts by Julie Ward, MEP

These are turbulent times for In the meantime, margin- Julie Ward democracy. alised communities have been is a Member of the European We have seen years of simply left behind as inequali- Parliament (MEP) economic crisis and austerity ties grow. A lot of the aliena- and a member produce a sense of aliena- tion and distrust in politics of the Intergroup for Common tion and distrust. Only last comes from the neo-liberal Goods and Public month, in May 2015, we heard attempt to abolish society.­ Services. of the formation of a far- On the other hand, new right group in the European demo­cratic participation is Parliament, bringing together on the move. New technolo- fascist anti-democratic and gies, the web and social media xenophobic parties that want have allowed for new connec- to tear us apart. tions, new mobilisation and Margaret Thatcher famous- a new common digital sphere. ly said that “there is no such Faced with unemployment thing as society, only individu- and austerity, young people als and families” — and indeed, have taken to the streets, or after 30 years of neo-liberalism, ­developed new cooperative we have seen privatisation and online business models, and commercialisation of many an environmental and social of our public spaces and pub- political consciousness. lic goods, and a consumerist All this is why the idea culture, which prizes shallow, of the commons is so relevant short-term material gain over today, and why it is so impor- all else, and appropriates our tant to promote it, as we strive common public spaces for pri- towards a more open, more in- vate commercial gain. clusive, more participatory and Reclaiming the Commons through Culture and Arts � Julie Ward 273

more cooperative model of democracy more inclusive and promote innova- for the 21st century. tive economic models that are fairer, Reclaiming the commons requires more cooperative and put people the combination of two elements: and ­planet first. stories of political alienation, oppres- Drawing on inspiration from ex- sion, exclusion, on the one hand, and isting original and dynamic projects, a fight for engagement and change we can re-shape public discourse, and on the ­other — that is exactly the role mobilise progressives across ­societies, of the arts in generating and expand- from the alternative and critical left, ing our public sphere, and space for into the mainstream. Initiatives aim- public discourse. ing at reclaiming the public spaces, It is with this vibrant creativity, the commons and the cities, illus- using the arts and with determined trate what we all must assert loudly inspiration, that we must reclaim and proudly — that Thatcher was our common public spaces. With this wrong — society does exist, it is all drive and creativity, we can make our around us, and our fight for social ­cities more liveable, more sustainable, ­justice and democracy goes on. � Reclaiming the Commons through Culture and Arts � Julie Ward 274

Reclaimed spaces workshop, 2013 coordinated by: studioBASAR; drawing by: Cristi Stoian. “Since the urban process is a major channel of surplus use, establishing democratic manage­ ment over its urban ­deployment constitutes the right to the city.”

— David Harvey, The Right to the City Culture hunters

by Tinni Ernsjöö Rappe

Culture Hunters was created was to introduce the youth Tinni to meet young passionate in- to the bureaucracy of local Ernsjöö Rappe is a Swedish jour- dividuals striving to achieve government and how to navi- nalist and writer. change in their local ­areas. gate it. The project stems In the form of an intense from a municipal notion that cultural manager course, citizen engagement always 25 participants are allowed needs to be encouraged and to strengthen their individual was designed in collaboration capacity as cultural activists between local autonomous as well as learn from good change makers Fanzingo1 and cases in the company of like- the department of Culture minded youth. A main goal and Recreation in Botkyrka.

“We picked the ones that had organisation that works in arts shown a desire to achieve ­education) and is co-­manager something, who already had of the group. She points drive and then we pushed out the value of learning them on. We wanted to give the ­official procedures within them contacts, inspiration, the municipality to kids who points of entry, practical want to play active roles and tips and networks,” explains influence things. Ceylan Holago, project man- � “When you know how the ager for cultural development municipality works, you at Botkyrka municipality. know how to make things Emma Dominguez works happen, she says. When part-time at Fanzingo in I was younger I thought that the Subtopia space, as well the people who had power as at Konstfrämjandet (an were super-smart and knew Culture hunters � Tinni Ernsjöö Rappe 277

everything about everything. at Riksteatern for eight years, 1 Founded in 2006, Of course, when you find out where she had plenty of time Fanzingo is a non- profit independ- that that’s not the case, some- to think about how the re- ent professional thing happens to you.” sources are distributed in platform for young It was during the project the cultural sector. people who want to share their “Alby är inte till salu” [Alby � “It’s ridiculous that there are ideas and thoughts is not for sale] that Emma all these institutions getting through radio, film, ­realised that it was actually all this money, but that their television and writ- ing. It aims to cre- possible to influence things. work reaches so few people. ate opportunities “We went to a meeting where I want to change that. I want for young people in general and we received information about to distribute the money under-represented the sales, and we were all so better. Every- body should groups in parti­ angry. Why hadn’t anybody have access to everything,” cular, to learn to tell stories from spoken to us about this? We Ceylan says. The first group their perspective. felt completely powerless, of culture hunters consisted ­Fanzingo’s concept but before we left, some of us of 23 youths from north and has four pillars: social activity, ad- decided that we would at least south Botkyrka. Young, pas- vocacy, education try to do something about it. sionate and committed peo- and production. We began taking names for ple with the desire to run petitions,” Emma explains. cultural projects. “Of course, hearing about � “It’s a very diverse mix the strength and commitment of people. We brought them that your parents showed in together and reminded them their home countries has an that people want to see their effect on you, knowing that work and that they are role they are these amazing peo- models. All those things ple and then seeing that they are important to offset never get a chance in Sweden. the things people in the sub- But now I know that I have urbs keep getting told: that power, that words are power. they don’t stand a chance, That you can shake things that they’ll never get jobs, up and cause change. I want that no matter what they do to teach others how to do that.” it’ll never make a difference,” Before she started to work says Emma Dominguez. for Botkyrka municipal- In the fall of 2015, ity, Ceylan Holago worked Kulturjägarna will move Culture hunters � Tinni Ernsjöö Rappe 278

on to the next phase, and recruit a new pality and its projects. Now, we have group of participants. a folio of previous participants that “We consider the effects of empower­ the municipality can access when they ing individual citizens this way. What need people for various projects. I want are the costs, and what are the benefits? to offer influence and resources to peo- One thing we’re seeing is that it pro- ple who would never have them other- vides a recruiting base for the munici­- wise. That’s my job,” says Ceylan. � Participatory Art as a Vector of Innovative Governance: Reflexivity at the Heart of the Formalisation Process

by Philippe Eynaud and Sam Khebizi

This research aims to question paths and follow isomorphic Philippe Eynaud the formalisation process set logic, which can make them is Associate Professor, IAE up in a social innovation ap- fall under the company-based Paris, Panthéon- proach. Through a case study, model or the public service Sorbonne. Winner we will demonstrate how concession-based model.2 of the Robert Reix prize 2008, his developing a reflexive analysis In order to face this macro- research focuses with non-financial institu- social level of determination on information tional partners allowed for and maintain a specific in- technology sys- tems and how they significant progress in govern- novation process, associa- contribute to new ance building in an association tions’ collectives must agree governance models using artistic participatory locally on the nature of their in the non-profit sector. practices as a mobilisation project, their form of gov- tool for the populations on its ernance,3 and their shared Sam Khebizi territory. vision of ­solidarity.4 To do is the founder of Les Têtes de l’Art Many surveys have dem- so, they need new categories association in Mar- onstrated the capacity for and new concepts. According seille, France (www. associations to develop in- to Dandurand, social innova- lestetesdelart.fr), one of the hubs in stitutional logics promoting tion “often comes from citizen the European Cul- social innovation.1 Yet, social initiatives and, upstream or tural Foundation’s innovation is a complex thing downstream, from outcomes Networked Pro- gramme — Con­ to achieve for associations. resulting from research in so- nected Action for Indeed, to establish new proc- cial sciences and humanities, the Commons. esses, they must create new nay arts and literature”.5 Participatory Art as a Vector of Innovative Governance � Philippe Eynaud and Sam Khebizi 280

And so, like technological to highlight its major stages 1 Juan-Louis Klein innovation, social innovation and limits. A first draft was & Denis Harrison, L’Innovation so­ can benefit from and develop prepared by the researcher ciale: Émergence thanks to cross-pollination on data collected during et effets sur la between research, experimen- the qualitative analysis transformation des sociétés http:/ tation and in-field action. But ­approach. It was proofread and site.ebrary.com/ if this interaction between commented on by the Director id/10226263, researchers and practitioners of the association. Following 13 February 2012. in technological innovation a discussion between him 2 Jean-Louis Laville, is richly documented, it is not and the researcher, a second L’association: Soci­ so much the case with social version was produced, which ologie et économie (Paris: Pluriel, 2013). innovation. In this paper, we was read by two members will question the institu- of the Board of Directors. 3 Jean-Louis Laville & C. Hoarau, tional processes of innova- Their comments led to further La Gouvernance tion between an association discussion. The researcher des associations and outside partners who conducted interviews with (Paris diffusion: Cairn.info, 2010). have both the know-how members of the Board and the ­experimentation in of Directors, during which 4 Juan-Louis Klein, this field.6 We will seek to un- debates took place and a third Jean-Louis Laville & Frank Moulaert, derstand the conditions for version was written. This L’innovation so­ the emergence of innovation, ­version is the final one. ciale (Toulouse: as well as its feasibility and Ères editions, 2014). outcomes. 5 Louise Dandurand, There is a double level From participatory art “Réflexion aut- to this research. Firstly, it is to participatory governance our du concept d’innovation a classic, qualitative analysis sociale, approche based on important docu- Les Têtes de l’Art (TDA) as- historique et mentation (such as minutes, sociation can be thus defined: comparative,” Revue française surveys, emails, website) and “Les Têtes de l’Art, an artistic d’administration 20 semi-structured inter- mediation association cre- publique, 2005, views with all stakeholders. ated in 1996, is an interface p. 382.

Secondly, it is a dialogue be- giving technical guidance 6 Consequently, we tween the Director of the as- for artistic and collective will not restrict our- sociation and a researcher participatory project manage- selves only to aca- demic partners. around the institutional ment, with complementary process described hereafter activities of networking and Participatory Art as a Vector of Innovative Governance � Philippe Eynaud and Sam Khebizi 281

pooling/sharing of resources. dedicated to exchanges and 7 Excerpt from From the start, we have services — such as guidance, a working docu- ment entitled En­ always meant to make art networking, our technical re- jeux et pratiques accessible to all, standing source platform, our cultural de l’ESS, presented at the crossroads between cul- project management coopera- by TDA’s Director before the CRESS ture, informal education and tive — complete and contri­ Board of Directors social economy. Our vision bute to project management (17 February 2014). of culture is one of making and enable our members to be 8 Ibid. ‘with’ rather than ‘for’ people, part of a project which is com- and our action can be divided mon and shared beyond their 9 Ibid. into three types of transver- own, respective actions.”9 sal ones: a multidisciplinary As early as 1996, the mem- approach, a trans-sector bers of the association set out ­action and one from the local a project taking into account: to the international level.”7 � the difficult reconciliation be- We can see TDA’s project tween the logics of territorial at the crossroads between dif- attractiveness through culture ferent worlds: informal educa- and that of proximity cultural tion and culture, economy and action involving the residents; solidarity, project management � the necessary coordination and networking and the local of a myriad of micro-cultural and international dimensions. organisations throughout The association’s ambitions are the territory; thus transversal. It must “find � a hyper-density of cultural a balance between represent- organisations in the city cen- ing and mobilising the ­actors”.8 tre of Marseille, which leads Which leads to the difficult to poor visibility, legibility and, question of how it solves paradoxically enough… isola- the inherent contradictions tion. These organisations are of the project. How can col- both in cooperation and com- lective action be coherent: petition with each other. “Our originality lies in that our TDA sees in the social cultural mediation approach is economy sector an opportu- dependent neither on the dis- nity to bring together cultural cipline itself, nor on the venue actors despite their differen­ or type of audience. Times ces. This is one of the reasons Participatory Art as a Vector of Innovative Governance � Philippe Eynaud and Sam Khebizi 282

why they have seized the the cultural sector considered 10 Regional Cham- opportunity to work with the governance mechanisms ber of Social and Solidarity Economy 10 the CRESS on establishing as far too formal. From of the Provence- bridges to provide guidance the start, he considered his Alpes-Côte (and to valorise) collective Board of Directors as being too d’Azur Region. approaches, and to ensure complacent. There was a lack 11 Management the legitimacy and sustain- of balance of power, and it was of social and ability of cultural, citizen ac- a real hindrance. His training cultural organisa- tions — 1st level. tion. In so doing, TDA benefits at the CNAM seemed to be for from numerous individual him the place where he could 12 Lecturer at CNAM and collective ‘Dispositif get inspiration from conceptu- and Chief ­Editor of Recma. Local d’Accompagnement’ al and pragmatic tools to meet (DLA, a local support measure), the demands of TDA’s project. on various aspects (budgetary After this two-year period, he and accounting management, launched a process that aimed project structuring, communi- to transform the uses in his cation tools and data manage- association. ment, strategic and provisional Putting theory into prac- job and skill management tice, he laid the foundations analysis…). of his association on five At the same time, cross-sectoral approaches the Director followed a com- to foster real and active par- bined work/training scheme ticipation: Information — at the CNAM (National Share — Co-construction — Conservatory of Arts and Connect — Qualify. Crafts) in Paris.11 This two- Thus, a methodology took year training period gave him shape with: the opportunity to conduct an � comprehensive information action research project under � debates the direction of researcher � decision-making spaces Jean-François Draperi.12 TDA’s � training spaces. Director tried to model some This methodology was principles of his association, implemented both in a for- and include them in those mal way (Board of Directors, of the social economy sec- General Assembly) and in an tor. Indeed, he could see that informal one (festive events). Participatory Art as a Vector of Innovative Governance � Philippe Eynaud and Sam Khebizi 283

As a founding director, TDA’s for 17 years. He still is 13 SMart, Société Director was faced with the the founder.” Mutuelle pour artistes — mutual following question: “I have At the end of 2008, he society for artists, been a founder of this associa- started working on par- was set up in 1998 tion, I mean to say collective, ticipatory governance. He had in Belgium. It aims to give guidance but at the same time I would to overcome the cultural ac- to performers, like to keep ‘control’ of the ev- tors’ reluctance. TDA’s Director: technicians and olution of the association. “Our members and partners temporary work- ers who face How can I go on with such did not want to be part of it. the complex a contradiction?” They often said: Why did you administrative re- By giving greater ­powers ask for our opinion on figures alities of the artistic sector. Its French to the Board of Directors, he or planned activities? It was counterpart was found he could sometimes no easy ‘trick’ and they mis- created in 2008. disagree with them — e.g. understood our intentions. when he suggested including It took us three or four years the Marseille office of SMartfr13 to get there.” In order to con- in the association. The Board vince them, he put forward of Directors refused and a con- the following argument: sensus was only reached after the association has grown so several weeks’ negotiations. that its needs have changed. Another clash arose when According to TDA’s a loss-making financial year Director, it was high time required taking corrective ac- to move from “a complacent tion. The Board of Directors Board of Directors to a quali- wanted to reduce the wage fied one [ … ] the President, for bill. The Director was against example, was my wife. It could this and eventually succee­ not go on like this. What rules ded. According to a member could we find, which would of the Board of Directors, give more power to the Board “He definitely has a global vi- of Directors and, at the same sion of and analysis on the as- time, recognise my specific sociation’s great development role and my engagement?” and strategic axes which, To do so, he pushed forward I think, no one else has in the creation of an artists’ com- the association, because he mittee, in order to involve has managed this organisation the artists in the governance. Participatory Art as a Vector of Innovative Governance � Philippe Eynaud and Sam Khebizi 284

One must add that the associa- we awkwardly call participa- 14 Notes on a work- tion had about 10 member art- tory arts. If we agree on this shop by Jean- Michel Lucas, aka ists when it was first created, reference, it is, I think, logical Doc Kasimir Bisou, but there were 120 in 2008 to conclude that participatory lecturer at Rennes and some of them wanted arts wrongly call themselves 2 University. to move forward. ‘participatory arts’. They TDA’s Director com- should rather put forward mented: “Our social purpose the deliberation capacity was participatory art. How of the people (and not resi- could we move forward dents’ participation) and assert without participatory gov- the universality of the freedom ernance? Participatory art of artistic expression.”14 was our starting point. And This is how TDA’s artistic we have a collective artistic approach made sense: “A col- participatory practice, i.e., we lective work is when, in fact, seek debates and confronta- there is already a competence. tions between individuals. Everyone knows… Everyone Participatory governance is is an artist, so to speak. And a process that goes beyond so, in a collective, you know statutory, legal frameworks where you’re going, there is and intends to involve stake- a sort of charter. It is a collec- holders in a common project tive. While, in participatory in both vision and decision- works, you are really free. making processes. It leads Anyone can get involved, to a collective project where give something personal each and everyone finds their during a project they did not place and personal develop- even know anything about,” ment in the long run.” (Sébastien Zanello, artist). A researcher, participat- ing in a reflection workshop at TDA, said the same thing: Comparing one’s own “As far as I am concerned, participatory governance with I think the best possible that of other associations framework is human rights. Because it is rational enough In 2009, TDA set up an to legitimise these practices engineering platform for Participatory Art as a Vector of Innovative Governance � Philippe Eynaud and Sam Khebizi 285

small-sized cultural associa- we could put forward con- 15 La Claie (Coopéra- tions located in the same ter- crete initiatives that we have tion Locale et Ap- pui aux Initiatives ritory. By developing this new already tested. It is with this dans l’Economie pool of activity,TDA was look- balance between what we can sociale et solid- ing for diversification but also offer and what we expect from aire — local coop- eration and support for the development of new other experiences that we ap- to social economy competences (qualifications, ply, because it is well in line initiatives) is an debate, information, deci- with our current preoccupa- association (under the 1901 Law), sion making) to make its own tions and the spirit of your which was created artistic project stronger. Two project [ … ] Besides, we have in 1995. Its social years later, TDA heard of a pro- an engineering and mutualisa- object is to give guidance to or- 15 gramme launched by La Claie tion platform, which enables ganisations within on the PACA Region to work us to participate in a dissemi- the social economy sector through vari- with associations (of all sec- nation phase towards opera- ous plans/tools (lo- tors) on the issue of participa- tors on our territory so that all cal support meas- tory governance. “The project can benefit from this project.”16 ures, micro-project funding, training, consisted in organising three Basta acts as a trigger for etc.). The asso- working seminars with our the TDA team. “We realised ciation receives Swedish partner, Basta social that, most of the time, peo- support and fund- ing from the Euro- enterprise, which is a social ple’s opinions are solicited pean Social Fund, and professional rehabilita- along the process, but ­nothing the French State, tion organisation for ex-drug follows really after that. the Caisse des Dépôts (Deposits addicts, and who, among Bas­ta’s case is an exemplary and Consignments other things, gives them a job,” one in this respect, because Fund), the Regional (a project manager at La Claie). this cooperative works with Council and lo- cal authorities. In its application form, populations who are a priori

TDA insisted on both the work not rehabilitable. What I find 16 Excerpt from already done in this field, fascinating is that these peo- TDA’s application form to La Claie. and their will to dissemi- ple working there have full nate the results of the com- access to all sorts of positions mon work and collaboration within their governance. with La Claie and other Indeed, Basta’s leaders are ex- associations. drug addicts who have been “We still have experien­ employed,” (TDA’s Director). ces we want to build and As a result, Basta’s example share, nonetheless we think motivates TDA even more Participatory Art as a Vector of Innovative Governance � Philippe Eynaud and Sam Khebizi 286

to go further in their process of build- committee, a users’ committee who ing participatory governance. benefited from the material resource Meeting nine associations with platform and, on a wider scale, they the same concern of improving their wanted to involve all members. The participatory approaches, even though users’ committee was difficult to mobi- they were not cultural organisations, lise. These members tended to act more stimulated the team members at TDA like consumers of services and did even further. “With La Claie, we are not feel involved, even though there in an on-going formalisation process were many of them. Problems to reach of our governance,” (TDA’s Director). a quorum arose regularly. Moreover, It is what the partner, La Claie, hoped and in spite of a large number of artists for. “And what I find interesting is who were members of TDA (about 180), that we are drafting a practical guide the artists’ committee did not find its on participatory governance — a valor- place easily. isation tool for the project and the ten The collaboration with La Claie experimentations,” (a project manager helped to speed up the elaboration at La Claie). The whole approach was an of new statutes at TDA. This change was incentive within the TDA team. The sal- the result of a need to formalise and aried employees involved themselves clarify how members were involved more in operational decision making, in the statutory life of the association. as is usually the case in cooperatives. As for strategic decision making, ­everyone contributed — the Director, Proposing one’s participatory the Board of Directors and the em- governance as a model to follow ployees. All this process took place while, at the same time, the financial In 2013, TDA was contacted by situation of the association deterio- the European Cultural Foundation rated and endangered the consolida- (ECF)17 as part of its “Connecting tion policy for permanent staff.TDA Culture, Communities and Democracy” were aware of the necessity to restore Networked Programme. The idea be- a financial balance to achieve their hind this programme is to reflect upon strategic objectives. democratic communities inspired by This did not stop TDA from en­ artistic approaches on a European larging the basis of their participatory level. TDA is one of the six selected governance. They considered involv- European hub organisations. It is no ing stakeholders through an artists’ longer about participatory governance Participatory Art as a Vector of Innovative Governance � Philippe Eynaud and Sam Khebizi 287

‘guidance’ — as was the case TDA has strengthened its le- 17 The European Cul- with La Claie — but rather gitimacy at a local level. tural Foundation (ECF) inspires and ‘pushing for’ directions for TDA is mature enough too involves people others. “For us, the fact that to re-open debates on ideas in a shared vision ECF chose us is very impor- around its project. In April of citizenship throughout Europe. tant. They expect that WE car- 2013, they invited researchers It shares and con- ry out objectives. We said we (Jean Caune, Philippe Henri, nects knowledge wished that all stakeholders Jean-Michel Lucas19) for a two- between the Euro- pean cultural sec- of TDA, as well as all cultural day debate on participatory tors and engages organisations on the territory arts with their different in arts at every be part of it on this theme. stakeholders (employees, level in political decision‑making In so doing, the programme Board of Directors, artists, processes. will be a basis for reflection residents, partners). In 2014, 18 The Idea Camp is on our relationship with they organised a workshop part of Connected the territory,” (TDA’s Director). with two other researchers, Action for the Com- Then everything pro- Claude Paquin and Geneviève mons, a three-year initiative launched gressed quickly — financial Goutouly-Paquin, from by ECF that help to host and co-organise Agency Tertius, on the fol- aims to connect an international meeting in lowing theme: ‘Beyond a myriad of change- makers offering Marseille: the Idea Camp.18 Participation — Towards new perspectives In October 2014, TDA wel- a Relationship Policy’. The on culture’s role comed 50 project leaders from purpose of this workshop was in democratic practices all over 23 countries. It gave the asso- to further examine the issue Europe. ciation the opportunity at last of participation from the asso- to gather together a great ciations’ perspective. “We try 19 Jean Caune is Professor Emeritus number of partners around to multiply action-research at Stendhal Uni- its project. ECF’s programme approaches. We draw a great versity in Grenoble. is stretching over a three- benefit from this work with His work covers aesthetic practices year period, which gives TDA researchers…,” (TDA’s Director) such as cultural time to valorise the activi- The whole effort even- mediation proc- ties launched at a local level, tually bore fruit in terms esses. Philippe Henri is Lecturer after this meeting. Over 60 of participatory ­governance. and accredited local organisations attended In September 2014, meet- research director to collect information on this ing the member artists at the Theatre De- partment of Paris 8 programme. After being rec- for a rentrée session was University — Saint ognised as a mediator by ECF, an ­encouraging success. Denis. Jean-Michel Participatory Art as a Vector of Innovative Governance � Philippe Eynaud and Sam Khebizi 288

“There were many people for complement to a pre-existing Lucas is Lecturer this occasion: around 50 — artistic work.”20 at Rennes 2 Uni- versity — aka Doc many ‘old’ members and This major idea is at the Kasimir Bisou. many ‘new’ ones. We have heart of TDA’s innovation people who still find it approach. Indeed, social in- 20 Philippe Henri, Démarches artis­ ­meaningful to stay with us, novation comes from the con- tiques partagées and at the same time we do nection made between two # 1: des processus not ‘procrastinate’ since we issues — participatory art and culturels plus dé­ mocratiques? (un- still attract new members [ … ] its supportive cultural action. der Creative Com- I proposed that the artists’ Reflexivity on and around this mons), 2011 (http:// committee should have a real idea only strengthens this www.editions- attribut.fr/IMG/pdf/ budget and a role in our net- initial intuition. Interestingly No56_Demarches_ working activities. This will be enough, the three steps artistiques_ partagees_1_- proportional with the number of the formalisation proc- Philippe_ of members it has. I now ess we have described were Henry.pdf). ­expect them to be in charge,” not planned by TDA, but each (TDA’s Director). of these steps made it pos- In conclusion, this re- sible for the next. When TDA’s search shows how the asso- Director chose to be trained ciation’s strength was to build at the CNAM, he had no prior, its action on a specific artistic well-defined purpose in mind proposition — participatory except to develop his theoreti- art — AND on what Philippe cal and technical competences Henri calls the second pil- in the field of associations. lar. “It is still usually set Yet he felt a need to structure aside by the artistic realms his action through knowledge themselves and public cul- of something larger than tural ­policies [ … ] it is built his initial field of activity — on a more symmetrical rela- culture. This first collabora- tionship between arts profes- tion with academics opened sionals and non professionals the way for a reflexivity that and constantly tackles inter- he never ceased to develop and culturality issues. It positions expand. During the second cultural action at the heart phase, two TDA employees of the artistic project and met and shared with other as- does not consider it as a mere sociations on experimentation Participatory Art as a Vector of Innovative Governance � Philippe Eynaud and Sam Khebizi 289

approaches, thanks to a stakeholder (step 3). “I give praise for [TDA’s with specific knowledge who acted Director] Sam’s professionalism [ … ] as a kind of ‘match-maker’ (La Claie). The project is still evolving and is It was a crucial step because it ­allowed a mature one; the position is a mature for an open, permanent reflexivity­ one. In his relationship with institu- approach to take shape within TDA — tions, there are few mistakes made [ … ] and this will have deep impacts For us ­local authorities, technicians, on the practices in the association. elected officials [ … ], receiving a form The third step legitimises de facto from TDA is a pleasure.” “In this neigh- the progress made so far by TDA, which bourhood, TDA is well established can be seen as a promoter of ideas and and recognised…” an inspiring example for others. Inside Without relinquishing its innova- TDA, the actors have been validated in tion process, TDA has succeeded in the efforts already made. As to out- capitalising on its relationship with side actors, they find TDA’s position the actors from the local area. re­inforced as a cultural mediator We can conclude by giving a few at the local territory level. facts on how this article has been ‘co- We can see that the conditions constructed’ and the role it has played for the process to emerge are essen- in TDA’s reflexivity process. tially due to the project’s nature and Following a mid-term version, the convergence of two ‘problematics’: feedback from members of the Board of culture and cultural policy. Its fea- Directors were three-fold. First, ­details sibility depends on the Director’s were given that contributed to impro­ reflection and engagement on the one ving the facts of the text’s chronology hand, and on his concern to develop and background. Then comments and TDA’s transversal mission through changes were made to qualify both dialogue and exchange on the other TDA’s presentation and ‘success story’. hand. This results in TDA’s stronger “From the inside, you can better judge legitimacy on two levels. Inside TDA, what really works and what does not the choices made in governance meth- work…,” (an employee at TDA). Second, ods have been formalised, tested and analyses allowed for a richer reflection perpetuated (steps 1 and 2). Outside space. “This text did not bring anything of TDA, there is a stronger relationship new to me, yet reading it enabled me based on trust with the local actors — to connect things together [ … ] Before beneficiaries, partners or funders — that, there was no global narrative,” and a greater influence network (an employee at TDA)… Participatory Art as a Vector of Innovative Governance � Philippe Eynaud and Sam Khebizi 290

The interviews brought a ‘detail’ to me then,” (an employee at TDA). to light: equipment made for the Idea We thus see a stronger coherence Camp was used to improve the de- between the first and second pil- sign of the venue for the last internal lars, as described by Philippe Henri. meeting. “It had never been done “This will lead us to a fourth step, before. We always did so for outside I think — and we will get there with events, but never inside [ … ] Reading researchers: we need to cross-fertilise the article helped me to connect skills and vision in order to move on,” things together. It seemed obvious (an employee at TDA). � Les Têtes de l’art — ‘Place à l’art’

‘Place à l’art’ is a project that desiring public space in 2012 involves participatory artis- a ­alternative way through tic interventions in urban temporary participatory ‘Place à l’Art 2012’ (Belsunce district, space. It is an alternative ­artistic projects ­Marseille): Hall analytical process that aims � to support on-going artistic Puget square. to inspire new ways endeavors in public space Photo credit: Les Têtes de l’art. of perceiving and relating � to engage a long-term col- to the surrounding area. laboration with the sur- Objectives: rounding area 2014

to question, involve, share: � to initiate cross-sectoral ‘Place à l’Art presenting, imagining, partnerships 2014’ (Noailles district, ­Marseille): the public listening to the town crier. Photo credit: Les Têtes de l’art.

2015

‘Place à l’Art 2015’ (Belsunce district, ­Marseille): construction: example of a of urban furniture with the inhabitant and kids of the district, construction by local inhabitants. Photo credit: Les Têtes de together with the collective ETC. Les Têtes de l’art — ‘Place à l’art’ 292 Les Têtes de l’art — ‘Place à l’art’ 293 Les Têtes de l’art — ‘Place à l’art’ 294 New Models of Governance of Culture

by Katarina Pavić

The opinions expressed in this Art and culture are not, Katarina Pavić work are the responsibility and cannot be, excluded is a member of Cul- ture 2 Commons of the author and do not neces- from the overall context (Alliance Operation sarily reflect the official policy of the aforementioned issues, City: operacijagrad. of the Council of Europe. not only because the results net; Clubture Net- work: clubture.org; of the crisis (often represent- Right to the city: ed solely as red figures) are pravonagrad.org), The democratic deficit having negative effects on dif- one of the hubs in the European Cul- is a matter of culture ferent aspects of cultural and tural Foundation’s artistic production, but also Networked Pro- The crisis has had ­numerous because ultimately, the cul- gramme — Con­ nected Action for negative effects in many vital ture crisis directly deprives the Commons. sectors of European ­societies, the most vulnerable groups but it has simultaneously of their fundamental cultural revealed the existence of a se- rights. These groups embrace rious democratic deficit in a range of artists and cultural today’s European societies. operators, as well as many This deficit is not a completely other citizens affected by new discovery, but the recent policies that restrict their developments in the ­political participation in cultural and arena and their ­repercussions social life. The threatened clo- on the streets of various sure of 20% of public ­libraries Euro­pean cities point to real in the United Kingdom is reasons to fear that the gap be- only one highly publicised tween the decision-makers and example of the current state the citizens is liable to grow of art in this respect,1 and even wider in the near future. throughout the continent and New Models of Governance of Culture � Katarina Pavić 296

← Croatian high- ways Referendum campaign (October 2014). Official Cam- paign Leaflet.

the world there are probably crisis, at the same time 1 Sources: http:// www.publiclibrar- even more dramatic cases providing an encouraging iesnews.com/, of cultural deprivation of citi- ­example of practice in organ- http://www. zens of which we may not be ising citizens for the purposes cilip.org.uk/ aware, as well as examples of ­democratising the public 2 For further read- 2 of improvements in terms cultural sphere and closing ing on the cultural of new governance models the gap between institutions public sphere and the challenges de- deriving from civil engage- and non-institutional cultural termining relation- ment. A look at the ­approach players. ships in this field, adopted in Croatia and other see Jim Mc­Guigan, Rethinking countries of the region can Cultural Policy serve as a paradigm for the The regional view (Open University development of cultural poli- Press, 2004). cy-making under the pressure Where cultural policy-­ of a permanent, structural making in the former New Models of Governance of Culture � Katarina Pavić 297

Yugoslav countries is con- Most of the organisations 3 The situation varies cerned, the current crisis has forming today’s independ- significantly among the different coun- exacerbated the ongoing de- ent cultural scene emerged tries of the region, ficiencies in cultural systems, at the end of the 1990s with instruments which had been changing on the back of the democrati- of cultural policies being most highly very slowly over the past sation movements that were developed in Slov- 20 years, since the dissolu- sweeping across the region, enia and Croatia. tion of the common State and perpetuating the tradition All the countries of former Yugosla- the violent conflicts that have of the alternative cultural via still have many marked the region’s recent and artistic movements in similarities in their history. Apart from ­financing the previous decades. Very main character- istics, including independent ­organisations’ broadly, this scene includes the overall organi- programmes with a modest a number of different organi- sation of cultural policy systems. shares of the State ­budgets,3 sations and initiatives operat- the main instruments ing across all contemporary of cultural policies in all artistic and cultural forms the countries of the region of expression. Their work is are still predominantly based on the interdisciplinary based on servicing the many approach and experimentation traditional public cultural at the intersection of contem- institutions, most of which porary art and popular culture, are deemed remote from and on active engagement the citizens and closed to spe- in the local communities. cific groups of artists, as well At the turn of the millen- as lacking in public partici- nium, independent cultural pation and transparency in organisations began to spring governance. New ideas and up all over the region. They demands for reforms and new multiplied not only in quantity cultural policy measures have but also as regards the di- begun to emerge in some versity of their activities and countries in the region, and geographical dispersion, espe- the main protagonists for cially after most of the region’s change are usually the orga­ countries adopted new laws nisations and individuals or significantly liberalised working in the independent existing legislation on citi- cultural scene. zens’ associations. This was New Models of Governance of Culture � Katarina Pavić 298

when these organisations cultural production in Croatia. 4 Further reading: took their first steps towards Over the ten years in which it Emina Višnić, A bottom-up ap­ building strategic partner- has continuously run its key proach to cultural ships in order to become programme ‘Clubture-HR: pro- policy-making, In­ relevant actors in the cultural gramme exchange and cooper- dependent culture and new collabora­ policy field, endeavouring ation’, which is based on joint tion practices in to redefine the cultural sys- decision-making and peer- Croatia (Ecumest/ tems by promoting the par- to-peer cooperation between ECF/The Clubture Network, 2008). ticipatory approach to cultural organisations, over 1,300 policy-making.4 different cultural and artistic 5 www.clubture.org events have been organised in 6 Further reading: almost all the cities, towns and Dea Vidović at al., Independents united villages nationwide, directly Clubture —Culture as the process involving over 100 organisa- of exchange In addition to demanding tions and actively engaging 2002 – 2007 new cultural policy reforms, thousands of citizens.6 (The Clubture Network, 2008). the independent cultural scene The living, active and initiated a number of meas- heterogeneous structure ures geared towards bridging of the organisations in the gap between independ- the platform have made ent and institutional cultural Clubture a catalyst for co- production, as well as that operation and a focal point between the perceptions for bringing in independent of producers and consumers cultural organisations from of arts and culture. The foun- beyond the Croatian borders. dation of the Clubture net- Over the years, Clubture has work5 in Croatia was one developed other programmes of the major steps in this aimed at strengthening direction. Established in 2002 ­capacities, public visibility as a platform for direct coop- and the influence of the in- eration between organisations dependent cultural scene in and the formulation of joint Croatia, including a range programmes, Clubture has of meticulously designed achieved significant results educational programmes that in terms of democratising aim to improve the organisa- culture and decentralising tions’ capacities­ for strategic New Models of Governance of Culture � Katarina Pavić 299

management and public pro- skills and joint programme 7 Further reading: motion of cultural policies. production by independent Katarina Pavić and Milica Pekić, Exit At the same time, cultural organisations was Europe — New Ge­ the Clubture network has followed by a drive to create ographies of Cul­ pioneered the promotion partnerships with strategic ture (The Clubture Network, 2011) of regional cooperation by civil society organisations and www.exit­ involving independent organi- active in other important europe.net sations from across the region spheres of social life (youth in an informal cooperation rights, environmental con- platform. Clubture has also servation and good govern- gained international recogni- ance) and with experts in tion with the first ever coordi- cultural and other relevant nated action by regional actors public policies. These major and the European cultural efforts to organise a tacti- policy-making institutions, cal model for change were involving a public consulta- also accompanied by a whole tion procedure for over 70 range of awareness-raising organisations from different­ activities involving active countries in the region. engagement with the pub- The action led to the adoption lic, in terms of both par- of a series of mutual policy ticipants and audiences and recommendations calling for of decision-makers and public the implementation of con- cultural administration. crete measures to help develop Using tactical networking — regional cooperation and build bringing together independ- partnerships between cultural ent cultural organisations, organisations from the region artists and experts, and later and the rest of Europe.7 on developing partnerships with other important societal ­actors — the independent Towards new models ­cultural scene developed of cultural institutions a holistic approach to the pub- lic cultural sphere, which, far A gradual process of net- from being isolated from its working, mutual sharing social context, constitutes of values, knowledge and its most dynamic part, with New Models of Governance of Culture � Katarina Pavić 300

↘↓ POGON — Zagreb Center for Independent Cul- ture and Youth www.upogoni.org Exhibition: Sybille Neumeyer: past presence, present absence — urban aspects.

Pogon — Jedinstvo factory, February 1–6, 2013. Photos by: Damir Žižić & ­Barbara Šarić. New Models of Governance of Culture � Katarina Pavić 301

the potential to effect a tangi- Time for transformation 8 In 2006, independ- ble societal transformation. ent cultural organi- sations in Croatia Thanks to these methods, The most useful changes initiated the Right the independent cultural or- in this field took place in to the City initiative, ganisations have demonstrat- Croatia with the introduc- one of the most publicly visible civil ed that the effort to democra- tion of the first ­hybrid cul- initiatives in Croatia tise the public cultural sphere tural institution POGON — and the region, is part of a broader ­struggle the Zagreb Centre for which is active combating against for the common weal, pri- Independent Culture and corrupt practices marily fighting corrupt prac- Youth9 — which is the first and promoting tices in public governance.8 ever cultural institution preservation and good governance In this connection, they have based on a new model of of public spaces launched a long-term cam- public-civil partnership in Croatia. For further infoma- paign in Zagreb opposing established and managed tion, see www. the alliance between the city jointly by the local associa- pravonagrad.org authorities and investors, tion of cultural and youth 9 For more about which has devastated the city organisations POGON — Za- centre pedestrian zone. After Alliance Operation greb Centre for almost six years of constant City10 and the City of Zagreb. Independent Culture and Youth, endeavours to bring about POGON was established see http://www. genuine changes in the sys- at the end of 2009, and has upogoni.org/en/ tem — during which time gained a great deal of influ- 10 See http://savezza- the independent cultural ence in the local Zagreb centar.wordpress. organisations have been pe- context, where a great many com/english/ nalised or otherwise put un- organisations have regular 11 Further reading: der pressure because of their recourse to its material re- Celakoski et al., engagement, mainly through sources for various activities Open Institu­ budgetary cuts in financing involving the local ­citizens. tions — Institu­ tional imagination their programmes, but also The arrival of POGON in and Cultural by means of intimidation Zagreb has also raised Public Sphere and negative media cam- the question of the requisite (Alliance Opera- tion City, 2011) and paigns — reforms and major role of the public cultural in- http://openin- steps towards developing stitutions in the community, stitutions.net/ new models of governance as well as that of their open- and cultural policies have ness to changes in govern- now begun. ance and programming.11 New Models of Governance of Culture � Katarina Pavić 302

Another cultural between institutions and 12 The Croatian policy reform measure non-institutional actors and Parliament adopted the law initiated by the indepen­ directly influencing people’s on the ‘Foundation dent cultural actors has sense of ownership of cultur- Kultura Nova’ in been the newly established al and other common goods. July 2011; the Foun- dation is currently 12 ‘Foundation Kultura Nova’, At the same time, these joint making the final a novel institutional format actions help develop dialogue arrangements geared towards promoting and partnerships between all to begin operations. the development of cul- the stakeholders in culture, tural civil society in Croatia. thus reducing the demo- The Foundation will sup- cratic deficit by emphasising port cooperation projects the active role played by between organisations in citizens in decision making. Croatia, at the national level Even though the above- and on the regional front, mentioned experiences are it will help develop coopera- peculiar to the independent tion between different sec- cultural scene and its specific tors and provide operational practices, their repercussions support to foster organisa- are felt in other vital spheres tional development. of cultural and political life, as the potential for reform are transposable beyond both Conclusions and the field of cultural and artis- recommendations: tic production and the bor- the deficit is not just ders of any specific region. a problem for others We would accordingly encourage decision-makers The cooperation and mutual and all other relevant stake- advocacy practices developed holders, especially those by the independent cultural from countries in the region scene in the former Yugoslav of former Yugoslavia, to strive countries have shown that to increase cultural participa- reforming policy measures tion by citizens, primarily by via bottom-up processes can supporting critical art and achieve positive results in culture produced by indepen­ terms of narrowing the gap dent groups of artists and New Models of Governance of Culture � Katarina Pavić 303

cultural workers, targeting � Bridging measures and struc- ↑ POGON — active engagement with citi- tural solutions to facilitate Zagreb Center for Independent Cul- zens as participants, experts, the decentralisation of cul- ture and Youth decision-makers and others. tural production and democ- www.upogoni.org In order to bridge the gap ratisation of culture by means Jedinstveno Jedin- stvo/Unique Jedin- between isolated cultural in- of cooperation among cultural stvo: Celebration stitutions, artist and citizens organisations affecting citizens on the occasion of it is also important to secure in different communities; painting the facade of Jedinstvo fac- the genuine, meaningful in- � New types of cultural in- tory, September 21, volvement of cultural civil stitutions based on public- 2013. Photo by ­society in cultural policy- civil partnership, applying POGON Zagreb. making, especially by suppor­ the principles of co-manage- ting bottom-up initiatives ment open to different groups with transformative poten- of artists and citizens; tial for cultural systems, for � New types of cultural the benefit of all. policy instruments condu- Furthermore, it is neces- cive to further development sary to support, jointly de- of the independent cultural velop and implement policy scene and of cooperation measures conducive to the among cultural organisa- realisation of the aforemen- tions, but also between cul- tioned aims, as initiated by tural organisations and other civil society­ actors: important stakeholders in New Models of Governance of Culture � Katarina Pavić 304

the social, political and cul- knowledge and practices, ↑ POGON — tural sphere. and the involvement of more Zagreb Center for Independent In this light, it is espe- citizens and other relevant Culture and Youth cially important to empha- stakeholders in the various www.upogoni.org sise the need to support countries of the region can Corners of Europe Project. cultural cooperation within ensure a knock-on effect http://www.corner- the region’s independent and the multiplication of the sofeurope.org cultural scene and between beneficial effects on cultural Performance: Chassis by: Ivana the region and the rest policy development that are Ivković and Rita of Europe. Joint work, already emerging in some Marcalo, in collabo- transfers of experience, of the region’s countries. � ration with Stewart Gibb-Lodge, Andy Plant, and Lucy Barker. Zagreb, Savica Market. The Transition Will Not Be Smooth Sailing

Michel Bauwens in conversation with Arthur de Grave

Arthur Michel, Save the World,1 your last book, is Arthur de Grave de Grave the translation of a series of talks with Jean is Editor-in-Chief at OuiShare Lievens published 2013. What happened be- magazine. tween then? Do you have the impression that the transition you talk about has accelerated? Michel Bauwens is a theorist, author and researcher. Michel In this regard, one should make haste slowly. He is the creator Bauwens It is clear that the transition to a post-capi- of the Foundation talist, sustainable economy will not happen for Peer-to-Peer Alternatives, and overnight, or even in a few years. It is a long one of the key- process. Some projects that seemed to work note speakers well according to a peer-to-peer logic one at the European Cultural Founda- or two years ago have since become purely tion’s Idea Camp capitalistic. This enables them to grow faster. 2015 — ‘Build It contrasts with other more open and truly the City’. collaborative projects that have chosen to grow more slowly. When one has no money, one takes on ‘soli- darity dynamics’. So yes, it can give an impres- sion of relative stagnation, but I do not worry too much. For this is a major crisis, ecological, social and economic, looming on the horizon. The challenge is to be ready when it breaks out, probably around 2030. FairCoop, WikiSpeed… These kinds of projects are still small and yes, too few. In the coming years, those who are still only the seeds of this transition will have The Transition Will Not Be Smooth Sailing � Michel Bauwens and Arthur de Grave 306

to develop a stable ecosystem, in order to initi- 1 Michel Bauwens, ate a real movement. Sauver le monde: Vers une société post-capitaliste Arthur In an interview with us in 2013, you stated that avec le peer- de Grave capitalism and peer-to-peer were still inter- to-peer [Saving the World: Towards dependent. Isn’t that the real problem? Is this a post-capitalist a stable relationship? society with a peer- to-peer approach] (Paris: Éditions Michel No, of course not, how could it be? The value Les Liens Qui Bauwens generated by the commons is still largely Libèrent, 2015). captured by capital: by adopting extractive 2 Marjorie Kelly, Own­ models, large platforms of the sharing econ- ing Our Future: omy are engaged in a form of parasitic com- The Emerging Ownership Revolu­ mercial activity. In the old days, capitalism tion (Oakland, CA: was a way of allocating resources in a situ- Berrett-Koehler ation of scarcity, but now it is an engineered Publishers, 2012). scarcity system. Our system is completely mad: we pretend that natural resources are endless, and we set artificial barriers around what is abundant in nature, i.e., creativity and human intelligence. This is a profound moral issue. In her book Owning Our Future: The Emerging Ownership Revolution,2 Marjorie Kelly aptly defines the challenge that awaits us: moving from extractive capital to genera- tive capital. The good news is that this process has already started. First of all, because it is impossible to hide the fact that civil society has now become a value creator. This is an important point, as civil society was mostly absent from the ‘classic’ capitalist equation. In addition, we are beginning to witness a change in market structures: commercial spheres of a new kind are developing around the Commons. Enspiral [a collaborative The Transition Will Not Be Smooth Sailing � Michel Bauwens and Arthur de Grave 307

network of social entrepreneurs], in New Zealand, is the perfect example of this type of entrepreneurial coalition.

Arthur In your opinion, how could the peer-to-peer model free itself de Grave from capitalism in practical terms?

Michel For a start, we should choose the right strategy. I think that Bauwens despite all the good intentions, projects that aspire to compete head-to-head with Google or Facebook are doomed to fail. I be- lieve much more in targeted approaches like Loomio [an online tool for collaborative decision-making]. The transition will be a sum of such small victories that will connect with each other. This also requires the creation of new legal tools. We have com- pletely forgotten the tradition of commons and this is really obvious in our legal tradition. We must make room for legal in- novation. In this regard, a principle like the copyleft, or the op- posite, the copysol [a license that prohibits any interaction with the traditional commercial market] are interesting but imperfect as they are too radical (in their implications). I want to find a third way, one that would provide a balance between the commercial sphere and the commons. This is the goal of the work we began around the notion of Peer Production License, which balances out contribution to the commons and use of these.

Arthur Will that be enough? Those in whose hands capital is concen- de Grave trated today have no interest in the emergence of a distributed and fair model…

Michel No revolution ever happened without a fraction of the ruling Bauwens elite taking the side of progress! This means that a cultural shift is needed. Today, Joe Justice [founder of the Wikispeed com- munity] struggles to raise funds, including from ethical finance funds, as Wikispeed does not file patents. The world of respon- sible finance cannot continue to support models that create artificial scarcity. The Transition Will Not Be Smooth Sailing � Michel Bauwens and Arthur de Grave 308

As I was saying earlier, when one lacks resources, one works with other people. For initiatives of the commons economy, build- ing a network is an absolute necessity. To get an idea of what this kind of ecosystem might look like, go to Madison, Wisconsin: there, food cooperatives, cooperative credit systems between companies, time banks, etc., gathered to create the Mutual Aid Network. In Madison, the alternative economy can be seen and felt in the streets and took less than two years to happen! The same kind of ambition drove an initiative like Faircoop in Spain. For now, the main transformative ideas that are penetrating the economy — open economy, solidarity economy and ecol- ogy — are applied independently from each other. But when these ideas converge, we will witness the birth of an open source and circular economy. This concept of Open Source Circular Economy is at the heart of the debate we are conducting within the P2P Foundation.

Arthur I have the feeling that, by focusing on economy and leaving aside de Grave the political processes, we have given in to the calls of techno- logical solutionism criticised by Evgeny Morozov. What do you think? Should we relearn how to do politics?

Michel Yes, in some ways, but what matters is that politics ended up Bauwens re-imposing itself through collective learning. The Commons Transition Platform, in which I am very involved, gathers and details the political transformation plans necessary for the im- plementation of a post-capitalist society. This is also the idea of the approach we applied with the FLOK project in Ecuador. The devised political transition plan, which included civil society at the centre of public- value creation, a market sphere inte- grating external factors and a State that serves as a facilitator. FLOK was a partial failure, due to a lack of political will and lack of social base on which to lean for support. However, the politi- cal vision we have outlined is making its way to Europe (some proposals have been included within the economic programme of Syriza in Greece). The Transition Will Not Be Smooth Sailing � Michel Bauwens and Arthur de Grave 309

Arthur Occupy Wall Street and the Indignados eventually lost momen- de Grave tum. The Arab Spring was, for the most part, led astray. In Spain, the Podemos movement attempts to maintain a balance between bottom-up and vertical power, but at the expense of permanent tensions. How can one overcome the contradiction between the institutional logic intertwined with political practices and horizontality, a concept cherished by social movements?

Michel To transfer a concept in real-life conditions over the long Bauwens term following a pure horizontal logic is very complicated, if not downright impossible. At one time or another, a collec- tive entity has to intervene to transcend individual interests. This also forms part of the collective learning of politics that we had to do. This is also the goal of Podemos’ experience in Spain. A fully horizontal organisation system causes too much energy loss; conversely, the vertical system should be confined to areas where it guarantees a greater degree of autonomy for everyone. A bit like the Domain Name System when the inter- net appeared.

Arthur Are the commons a left-wing idea? de Grave Michel Politically, the P2P Foundation is a pluralistic organisation, sim- Bauwens ply because the logic underlying the Commons spans the entire political spectrum. Solidarity also exists within right-wing par- ties, some ideas in the ideology of the Front National [French extreme right-wing party] could even be considered as more socialist than what the Parti Socialiste [French Socialist Party] offers today. But the real question is: who benefits from this soli- darity? Right-wing parties only show real solidarity with their supporters! So it’s on the issue of inclusion that the real fault line between right and left comes to light. Personally, I have left-wing ideas, and I think that the transi- tion to a commons economy has to benefit everyone. The real challenge is to go beyond the progressivism inherited from the world of work of the last century. In this context, it is not The Transition Will Not Be Smooth Sailing � Michel Bauwens and Arthur de Grave 310

surprising that European socialism is going through a profound identity crisis.

Arthur It is true that none of the partisan parties really seized this idea de Grave of commons. Was it a mistake? Can we really make this a political topic? The concept of commons remains somewhat abstruse.

Michel The jargon of the commons may at first seem technical and hard Bauwens to digest, which is true. But in the mid-2000s, when I created the P2P Foundation, I decided to completely give up the old po- litical lexicon of the left. At that time, the public did not really know what was hidden behind the concept of peer-to-peer. But as social and cultural practices started evolving, as networks started being used on a daily basis, more and more people adopt- ed this new language. The same will most likely happen with the terminology of the commons. All will depend on the social movements that will defend this original conceptual arsenal. However, I find you rather pes- simistic: the Pirate Party, the European Greens, Podemos or Syriza have largely embraced this concept of commons. It is indeed at the core of a new progressive thinking. Politicising the commons is researching their roots and genealogy. If the law leaves so little room for the commons today, it is because we forgot where they came from. Yet, this type of organisation and management of resources existed long before modern industrial capitalism practices. We must recon- nect with this tradition and rewrite this forgotten chapter in our economic history. Politicising the commons is also researching their roots and genealogy. It’s the condition to lay the foundation of a new narrative on progress. Changing the world for the bet- ter will require considerable efforts on the part of everyone, but I think that peer-to-peer is a vision of society that is worth the sacrifice. � “Lefebvre was right to insist that the revolution has to be ­urban, in the ­broadest sense of that term, or nothing at all.”

— David Harvey, The Right to the City Contributors and Sources

Agnieszka Wiśniewska, ‘Culture with people, Michel Bauwens, ‘Understanding not just for people’ Peer to Peer as a Relational Dynamics’ Originally published in Gazeta Wyborcza. Translated Orignally published in the International Review from Polish by Mikołaj Denderski. of Information Ethics, Vol.15 (Ethics of Sharing) See http://politicalcritique.org/culture/2014/culture-with- http://www.i-r-i-e.net/inhalt/015/015_full.pdf people-not-for-people/ Reprinted with the kind permission of the author. Christian Siefkes, ‘The Boom of Commons- based Peer Production’ (excerpts) Charlie Tims, ‘A Rough Guide to the Commons: Originally published in The Wealth of the Commons, Who Likes It and Who Doesn’t’ David Bollier and Silke Helfrich eds. (Levellers This text is based on a research briefing originally Press, 2012). This interview is published under prepared by the author for the Doc Next Network as an a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license — introduction to the Commons and an outline of some http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/. of the threats it faces and the movements that support it. See http://wealthofthecommons.org/essay/boom- commons-based-peer-production Dougald Hine, ‘Friendship is a Commons’ This essay is based on a talk given at the ‘Commoning Nicos Trimikliniotis, Dimitris Parsanoglou, the City’ conference in Stockholm in 2014. Vassilis Tsianos, ‘Mobile Commons, It is republished with the kind permission of the author. Migrant Digitalities and the Right to the City Republished with the permission of Palgrave Macmillan’. ‘El Buen Vivir and the Commons: See a sample of the book on http://www.palgrave.com/ a conversation between Gustavo Soto resources/sample-chapters/9781137412317_sample.pdf Santiesteban and Silke Helfrich’ Originally published in The Wealth of the Commons, James Bridle, ‘All Cameras are Polica Cameras’ David Bollier and Silke Helfrich eds. (Levellers ‘All Cameras Are Police Cameras’ is the first in a series Press, 2012). This interview is published under of essays by James Bridle entitled The Nor, and a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license (http:// commissioned by the Hayward Gallery in 2014–2015. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/). These essays are accompanied by photographs See http://wealthofthecommons.org/essay/el-buen-vivir- and a map, and additional content can be found and-commons-conversation-between-gustavo-soto- throughout this site: http://shorttermmemoryloss.com/ santiesteban-and-silke-helfrich nor/2014/11/07/all-cameras-are-police-cameras

Ugo Mattei, ‘The State, the Market and Some Carlos Delclós, ‘Class Discourse in the Metropolis’ Preliminary Questions About the Commons’ Originally published in Polish translation in MOCAK Ugo Mattei’s talk was originally given at the ‘Du Public au Forum magazine, issue 1 2015, Museum of Contemporary Commun’ conference on 6 April 2011 Art in Krakow — https://en.mocak.pl/mocak-forum http://www.printfriendly.com/print/?source=cs&u rl=http%3A%2F%2Fdupublicaucommun.blogspot. nl%2F2011%2F03%2Fcontribution-dugo-mattei-pour- le-seance.html Contributors and Sources 313

Dan Hancox, ‘How to Stop Gentrification ‘Laboratory for the Governance in London: What We Can Learn from of the Commons: A Discussion between Spain’s New Rebel Mayors’ Michel Bauwens and Christian Iaione’ This article was first published on Vice.com, May 27, Posted on shareable.net blog on 17 February 2015: 2015 - http://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/dan-hancox- http://www.shareable.net/blog/interviewed-professor- barcelona-en-com-take-back-the-city-284 christian-iaione-on-the-city-as-commons (c)2015 Vice Media LLC – republished by permission. http://dan-hancox.blogspot.nl/ @danhancox Neal Gorenflo, ‘Bologna Celebrates One Year of a Bold Experiment in Urban Commoning’ Charlie Tims, ‘Watching Radical Democracy’ This article was originally posted on sharable.net For more information about videos in the Radical on 8 June 2015 under a Creative Commons 3.0 Democracy Video Challenge, see ShareAlike license — http://www.shareable.net/blog/ http://challenge.docnextnetwork.org/ and https://vimeo. bologna-celebrates-one-year-of-a-bold-experiment-in- com/docnextnetwork/videos urban-commoning

Dougald Hine, ‘Commoning in the City’ This article was originally published in STIR magazine, Doina Petrescu and Constantin Petcou, Summer issue 2013: ‘R-URBAN or How to Co-Produce http://stirtoaction.com/commoning-in-the-city/ a Resilient City’ Republished with the kind permission of the author. This essay was originally published in the Ephemera Journal, 15 (1), 2015, pp. 249–262 — Adrien Krauz, ‘Transition towns, http://www.ephemerajournal.org/sites/default/files/ or the desire for an urban alternative’ pdfs/contribution/15–1petcoupetrescu.pdf Published on Metropolitics, 15 May 2015. It is republished with the kind permission See http://www.metropolitiques.eu/ of the authors. Transition-towns-or-the-desire- for.html Noel Hatch, ‘From Lamp Posts Nikos A. Salingaros and Federico Mena-Quintero, to Phone Booths’ ‘A History of P2P Urbanism’ (excerpts) This article was posted in the ‘Build the City’ This article was originally published under Lab on ECF Labs, the online community space a Creative Commons 3.0 ShareAlike license at: of the European Cultural Foundation: https://ecflabs.org/ http://p2pfoundation.net/Brief_History_of_P2P- lab/build-city/image/lampposts-phone-booths-using- Urbanism technology-create-civic-spaces

Richard Sennett, ‘Stimulating Dissonances’ Pelin Tan, ‘The Civic as a Constellation’ Originally published in Europe: Closed This article was commissioned and published first by Doors or Open Arms? (EUNIC, Institut fur architect/writer/curator Jose Esparza for the book Auslandsbeiziehungen e.V. and the European of Civic Publics for the 3rd Lisbon Architectural Cultural Foundation: Amsterdam, 2015). Triennale, September 2013.

Tessy Britton, ‘Creative and Collaborative’ Vitalie Sprinceana, ‘The City Belongs to Everybody: Originally published at appropedia.org under Claiming Public Spaces in Chisinau’ a Creative Commons 3.0 ShareAlike license — A version of this text was published in Nataša http://www.appropedia.org/Creative_and_ Bodrozic and Nici Palavandishvili (eds.), SPACES: collaborative_-_Tessy_Britton Cultural Public Sphere in Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, (Vienna: Verlag Bibliothek der Provinz, 2014), pp.154–169. Published with the kind permission of the author. Contributors and Sources 314

Vladimir Us, ‘Chisinau Civic Center’ Carmen Lozano-Bright, ‘Between Random The full version of this text was published in Nataša and Democratic Practices: The Commons Bodrozic and Nici Palavandishvili (eds.), SPACES: Board Game’ Cultural Public Sphere in Armenia, Georgia, Moldova This article was originally published on the and Ukraine, (Vienna: Verlag Bibliothek der Provinz, 17ZEMOS98 Reclaiming the Commons blog — 2014), pp.154–169. Published with the kind permission http://17festival.zemos98.org/Between-random-and- of the author. democratic

Igor Stokfiszewski, ‘Culture for Democracy: Various — Commonspoly board and cards: A Central European Perspective’ Commonspoly was devised and created by a group Originally published in Another Europe — 15 Years of artists and change-makers at the 17ZEMOS98 of Capacity Building with Cultural Initiatives in the EU hack camp — Reclaim the Commons — in Seville Neighbourhood (Amsterdam: European Cultural between 15 and 18 April 2015. The group’s members Foundation, 2015). are: Guillermo Zapata (facilitator), Virginia Benvenuti, Carla Boserman, Vassilis Chryssos, Francisco Jurado, Rob Hopkins, ‘Isabelle Frémeaux, John Jordan José Laulhé, Carmen Lozano-Bright, Rubén Martínez, and the rise of the Insurrectionary Imagination’ Peter Matjašič, Mario Munera, Maria G Perulero, Natxo Published on 2 April 2015 by Rob Hopkins Rodriguez, Igor Stokfiszewski and Menno Weijs. on the Transition Network blog: Since then, members of the group have continued https://www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/rob- to work on the rules and dynamics of the game — hopkins/2015–04/isabelle-fr-meaux-john-jordan-and- with sessions at Commons Fest in Athens between rise-insurrectionary-imagination 15 to 17 May. They have designed boards and cards with The interview is an edited version of a longer con which to play the game, and a provisional set of rules versation posted online on: https://soundcloud.com/ that are being refined through an ongoing process transition-culture/isabelle-fremeaux-john-jordan of playtesting. The Commonspoly board and cards are published under Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez, ‘Not Sustainable a Peer Production License: http://p2pfoundation.net/ Development but Sustainable Co-living’ Peer_Production_License Originally published in ‘U3, The 7th Triennial of Contemporary Art in Slovenia — Resilience’, Claudia Ciobanu, ‘From Public exhibition catalogue (Museum of Contemporary Art Space to Common Good: Poland’s Metelkova (MSUM), Ljubljana: 2013) Urban Political Activism’ This article was orginally published on the website Excerpt from a speech given by Madjiguène ‘Precarious Europe’ with the title Poland: The left is Cissé on the occasion of her receipt up for grabs — http://www.precariouseurope.com/ of the Wilhelmine von Bayreuth Prize 2011 power/poland-left-up-for-grabs http://www.ias.uni-bayreuth.de/resources/alte_dateien/ nab/nab11_xi_0323-screen.pdf Sophie Bloemen, ‘A Commons Intergroup Takes Off in the EU Parliament’ (excerpt) Carmen Lozano-Bright, ‘Kicking Off a Year This excerpt is taken from a longer article originally of ‘P2P Plazas’ Research and Cartography’ published on the European Alternatives website — This article was originally posted on P2PFoundation.net http://www.euroalter.com/2015/what-we-share-a- blog on 17 February 2015 under a Creative Commons commons-intergroup-takes-off-in-the-eu-parliament Attribution — ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License — http://blog.p2pfoundation.net/p2p-plazas/2015/02/17 Contributors and Sources 315

Julie Ward, MEP, ‘Reclaiming the Commons ‘The Transition will not be through Culture and Arts’ Smooth Sailing’ — Michel Bauwens This text is based on a speech given at the Radical in conversation with Arthur de Grave Democracy Media Showcase event at the European This version was originally posted on the Commons Parliament on June 16 2015. It has not been Transition blog under a Peer Production License — published previously. http://commonstransition.org/michel-bauwens-the- transition-will-not-be-smooth-sailing/ Tinni Ernsjöö Rappe, ‘Culture Hunters’ English translation of the original interview Originally published in Subtopia magazine, in French between Michel Bauwens and n°8, May 2015. Arthur de Grave. Cross-posted from OuiShare. Translation by Clement Defontaine. Philippe Eynaud and Sam Khebizi, http://magazine.ouishare.net/fr/2015/04/ ‘Participatory Art as a Vector of Innovative la-transition-nest-pas-un-long-fleuve-tranquille/ Governance: Reflexivity at the Heart of the Formalisation Process’ This report is a working paper originally written in French and translated by Sam Khebizi. It has not been published previously.

Katarina Pavić, ‘New models of governance of culture’ The article was written within the framework of Council of Europe’s Culture Watch Europe Programme. Originally published on COE’s website: https://www.coe.int/t/dg4/ cultureheritage/CWE/CWE-TP-Pavic_en.pdf © Council of Europe Republished with the kind permission of the author and the Council of Europe.

→ Think Like a Forest workshop in art activism and permaculture. Laboratory of Insurrectionary Imagination, la r.O.n.c.e, Brittany, Autumn 2011. Photo: John Jorda Contributors and Sources � David Harvey 316 Contributors and Sources � David Harvey 317 Further Reading and other interesting links

The Digital Library of the Commons — including Volume journal/Archis: a number of essays on the city and towns: http://volumeproject.org/ http://dlc.dlib.indiana.edu/dlc/ browse?value=cities+and+ Ephemera Journal — Vol 15, issue 1 — +towns&type=subject ‘“Saving” the city: collective low budget organizing and urban practice’ Library of the Centre de Cultura http://www.ephemerajournal.org/issue/saving-city- Contemporània de Barcelona collective-low-budget-organizing-and-urban-practice http://www.publicspace.org/en/library Paisaje Transversal (Spanish): ‘The Creation of the Urban reflexión urbana para la imaginación colectiva Commons’ by David Harvey: http://www.paisajetransversal.org/2015/05/ https://mappingthecommons.wordpress. DebatesUrbanos-Institucionalizar-practicas- com/2012/11/13/the-creation-of-the-urban- emergentes-urbanismo-tactico-bottom-up-estrategia- commons-by-david-harvey/ ciudad-nuevo-urbanismo.html

Project for Public Spaces — Commons Bibliography — proposed by David Bollier Barcelona, Market Cities http://bollier.org/commons-resources/commons- http://www.pps.org/reference/market-cities- bibliography barcelona-offers-a-hopeful-glimpse-of-the-future/

Introduction: Open Source Public Space Devices — Paco Gonzalez (recipient of an ECF R&D grant, 2014) http://ecflabs.org/lab/public-space-makers/image/ introduction-open-source-public-space-devices

The City Belongs to All of Us — Phillip Cryan http://www.onthecommons.org/city-belongs-all-us

Quiet Innovation — interview with Christian Iaione http://www.sharitories.net/quiet-innovation-interview- with-christian-iaione/#more-382

Center for Research Architecture http://roundtable.kein.org/ Editorial Charles Beckett, Lore Gablier, With thanks to all the authors committee Vivian Paulissen, Igor Stokfiszewski, Joanna Tokarz-Haertig Michel Bauwens, Sophie Bloemen, James Bridle, Tessy Britton, Claudia Coordination Jakub Bożek Ciobanu, Madjiguène Cissé, Carlos Delclós, Philippe Eynaud, Isabelle Frémeaux, Translation from French to English (Adrien Krauz): Neal Gorenflo, Dan Hancox, Noel Hatch, Oliver Waine; from Polish to English Silke Helfrich, Dougald Hine, Rob Hopkins, (Agnieszka Wiśniewska): Mikołaj Denderski; Christian Iaione, John Jordan, Sam Khebizi, from Polish to English (Igor Stokfiszewski): Adrien Krauz, Carmen Lozano-Bright, Anna Zaranko; from Spanish to English Ugo Mattei, Federico Mena-Quintero, (Carmen Lozano-Bright): Camilo Bosso Cox; Dimitris Parsanoglou, Vivian Paulissen, from German to English (Madjiguène Cissé): Katarina Pavić, Constantin Petcou, Doina Achim von Oppen Petrescu, Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez, Tinni Ernsjöö Rappe, Nikos A. Salingaros, Gustavo Copy editing Vicky Anning, Angela Burton Soto Santiesteban, Richard Sennett, Christian Siefkes, Vitalie Sprinceana, Design & DTP Marcin Hernas | tessera.org.pl Igor Stokfiszewski, Pelin Tan, Charlie Tims, Joanna Tokarz-Haertig, Nicos Trimikliniotis, Typefaces GT Sectra, Founders Grotesk & Geomanist Vassilis Tsianos, Vladimir Us, Julie Ward MEP, Agnieszka Wiśniewska Image processing Paweł Wójcik | tessera.org.pl With special thanks to Printed by Read Me, ul. Olechowska 83, 90-403 Łódź Carlos Delclós, Charlie Tims, Edited by The European Cultural Foundation the hubs of ECF’s Networked (Amsterdam) and Krytyka Polityczna Programme — Connected Action (Warsaw), August 2015 for the Commons: Subtopia (Sweden), Les Têtes de l’Art (France), Oberliht ISBN 978-83-64682-76-6 (Moldova), Culture 2 Commons (Croatia), Platoniq (Spain), Krytyka Polityczna (Poland) Copyrights Unless otherwise stated, all contents are the copyright of the authors and may not be re-published or reproduced without their permission or that of the original publisher. Several of the articles and essays are published under Creative Commons Connected Action Licenses or Peer Production Licenses for the Commons and may be re-published or adapted with the correct attribution(s) and links to the original source and license. For more information, please see the relevant licenses: https://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/3.0/ http://p2pfoundation.net/ Peer_Production_License