Barcelona’s experiment in radical democracy
After the success of the Fearless Cities North America summit held in New York, author Masha Gessen reflects on the origins and values of Barcelona en Comú, as well as the challenges that Ada Colau faces half way through her term in office. Photo: Umberto…
‘Dark municipalism’ – the dangers of local politics
Even as anti-authoritarian, anti-racist movements all over the world are working to take power where they live, self-described localist movements have also won elections with racist, and frankly fascist, platforms. New right movements like the Lega Nord have even adopted the more typically leftist, anti-authoritarian…
How radical municipalism can go beyond the local
The rise of loneliness worldwide, the centrality of real estate speculation for global economic growth, and the breakdown of many large-scale factories that helped to bring workers together mean that we have to rethink the ways we demand change. We can build community and force…
Corbyn’s “municipal socialism” offers a welcome new approach on housing—but will it be enough?
As part of what he calls new “municipal socialism”, Jeremy Corbyn recently advocated giving local authorities the power to immediately seize empty properties in order to redress the increasingly shocking levels of homelessness. The outlines of these can be seen in cities like Preston or…
Project Eject, the people’s assemblies, and the question of autonomy
Many people throughout the United States have been inspired by the gains of the social movements in Jackson over the past decade. And many have been extremely confused and disappointed by the apparent “internal” strife that has erupted within and between factions of the progressive…
Regulating in the urban commons – what we can learn from Italian experiences
The international debate on the commons has a long history but only in recent years has it started gearing towards the definition of Urban Commons and what their role is in shaping our society, especially at the wake of the economic crisis. This debate developed…
Municipalism: From citizen emancipation to shared political power
After the first Fearless Cities summit that took place in Barcelona in 2017, we look back at the relevance, the challenges and achievements that the municipalist movement is facing. As the author writes in this document, ‘behind these practices of muncipalism, a genuine refounding of…
Dissemination report: Governing in and against austerity
This dissemination report titled Governing in and Against Austerity provides an overview and reports initial findings from eight case studies on austerity governance in Athens, Baltimore, Barcelona, Dublin, Leicester, Melbourne, Montreal and Nantes. Find the report here: Governing in and against austerity Photo: Philippe Oursel
Cities against the wall
The article analyses whether and how, two years into the first mandate, Spain’s Cities of Change jump from the streets to the institutions has helped advance the demands of the social movements from which these candidacies derived their legitimacy. Photo: Ann H