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Explainer: new municipalism
25th October 2019Investment might be flowing into local areas but poverty and inequality persist. ‘New municipalism’ is a term that has emerged as an answer to improving local economic development. It is an approach that aims to build wealth in the community using local government procurement to...
Libertarian municipalism & Murray Bookchin’s legacy
6th November 2018An interview with Debbie Bookchin to discuss how municipalist movements are implementing her father’s ideas and what the potential challenges are for libertarian municipalism. Photo: Pixabay
How to prevent city climate action from becoming “green gentrification”
13th December 2019Cities account for nearly 70% of greenhouse gas emissions and many of them are experiencing more instances of extreme weather, heat, droughts and flooding due to climate change. Climate change negatively affects poor communities, women, people with disabilities, indigenous groups and other marginalized populations the most....
Flatpack Democracy
1st January 2014Britain today has a dysfunctional political system. Many politicians are making decisions to meet their own needs or those of their Party, not the needs of the people they serve. This guide is based on what is happening in Frome, Somerset where after years of...
Municipalism in Spain
1st December 2017The first wave of municipalist governments in Spain was the result of the formation of confluences. The article analyzes their origin, their particularities and their common ground. It also addresses their potential for further transformation, both in Spain and beyond. Photo: Josh Sorenson
What happens if you treat healthy school meals as a public service?
12th March 2020Nearly four billion meals are dished out every year in France’s school cafeterias and childcare kitchens. Catering companies such as Sodexo currently dominate this market, but, more often than not, the meals have little nutritional value and the companies fail to factor in environmental concerns....
The rise of Poland’s urban movement
12th December 2014In 2011, an informal coalition was formed (the Urban Movements Congress) comprising urban activist groups from all over Poland. In the local elections of 2014 some of these platforms got seats in many city councils. The author explains where this movement comes from and the...
Good news from the Brink. The story of Horní Jiřetín, a small North Bohemian town that defied the coal industry
25th June 2020Horní Jiřetín, a small town in the Czech Republic, was set to be wiped off the map and replaced by a brown coal mine. The end of Communist rule and the privatisation of the coal company was not going to change the town’s fate. But...
Beyond the local trap: New municipalism and the rise of the Fearless Cities
25th February 2019Rather than essentialising cities as inherently progressive or democratic, the municipal is instead becoming framed as a “strategic front” for developing a transformative politics of scale. Given this critical awareness, this nascent movement demonstrates how local loyalties can be mobilised as part of a progressive...
Rebel cities, 1: “Marielle Franco presente!”
4th December 2018First of a series of articles on new municipalism, this piece focuses on the trajectory and work of Marielle Franco, a Brazilian feminist activist known for her defence of human rights and her struggle against the many threats posed to them in Rio de Janeiro....
Coronavirus has exposed a desperate need for localism
20th April 2020There is no war today, just politicians who love comparing their roles to those of their blitz counterparts. But every crisis is an opportunity. What might emerge from coronavirus that is on a par with Beveridge? We need local testing centres, local food supplies, local...
The city as the new political centre
25th November 2017A radical change is taking place. Cities around Europe – through platforms, movements and international networks – are creating paths for citizens to participate in and influence politics directly. Joan Subirats, one of the founders of Barcelona’s municipalist platform Barcelona en Comú, discusses how cities...