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Utopia, not futurism: Why doing the impossible is the most rational thing we can do
2nd October 2019On August 24, 1978, Murray Bookchin gave a lecture in Amherst, Massachusetts. In his speech, Bookchin argued against the ideology of futurism and for ecological utopianism. In the Q&A session, he pointed out that he was not against technology itself, he was against technocracy, and...

Commons network joins the Amsterdam Fearless Cities team
23rd October 2019Since the summer of 2019, Commons Network has been working with a team of civil servants and activists, supported by the municipality. The Fearless team uses the name ‘The 99 of Amsterdam’ for this new movement, referring to the 99 neighbourhoods of Amsterdam while also...

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....

How does a single issue civic movement transform into a political entity?
31st July 2019An interview with Dobrica Veselnovic, co-founder of Ne Da(vi)mo Beograd during the Our Common City conference held in Budapest (February 22 & 23, 2019). Part one: Part two:

Poetry from the future
22nd December 2019As a fresh wave of popular revolt washes over the globe, the fundamental questions of how revolutions happen, and how emancipatory outcomes result, are suddenly concrete concerns for organizers and movement builders. Photo: Anthony

What went wrong for the municipalists in Spain?
2nd July 2019Four years after the first wave of municipalist governments in Spain, many of the so-called cities of change have failed to renew the results obtained in the elections that placed them in power. While the Catalan independence movement has radically changed the political landscape, thus...

Municipalism and feminism then and now
3rd April 2020Hilary Wainwright talks to Jo Littler. Hilary Wainwright discusses municipalism and its relationship to feminism, past and present. She discusses how the women’s liberation movement and in particular its creation of collective childcare produced a form of prefigurative politics which also opened up the possibilities...

Letter from Catalonia: Barcelona’s occupy mayor wins a second term
1st June 2017Four years after the first wave of municipalist governments in Spain, many of the so-called cities of change have failed to renew the results obtained in the elections that placed them in power. While the Catalan independence movement has radically changed the political landscape, thus...

What is social ecology?
1st January 1993What defines social ecology as “social” is its recognition of the often overlooked fact that nearly all our present ecological problems arise from deep-seated social problems. Conversely, present ecological problems cannot be clearly understood, much less resolved, without resolutely dealing with problems within society. Photo:...

Austerity urbanism or pragmatic municipalism? Local government responses to fiscal stress in New York State
18th April 2019As local governments respond to fiscal stress after the global financial crisis, some scholars warn about an austerity urbanism response wherein local governments cut and privatize services, while others see a pragmatic municipalism response that seeks to protect public services by sharing services, applying for...

Barcelona plans major increase in ‘green’ zones
12th November 2020Barcelona is planning a major expansion of low-traffic zones, giving priority to pedestrians and cyclists to reduce pollution and provide green spaces. The work is part of a 10-year plan focusing on the central Eixample district of the Catalan capital, Mayor Ada Colau has announced....

As climate risk grows, cities test a tough strategy: Saying ‘No’ to developers
2nd February 2020Last year Virginia Beach became one of a small but growing number of communities willing to say no to developers when it rejected a proposal to build a few dozen homes on this soggy parcel of 50 acres. A judge recently ruled that the city...