In the current context of crisis created by the COVID-19 the importance of people-focused local politics has never been more vital. Across the world, social solidarity in the shape of mutual aid networks, food banks, online support groups, and even acts. Photo: Jeswin Thomas

Naples was the first Italian city to establish a “Department of the Commons” and the first to change the municipal statute by inserting the “commons” as one of the interests to be protected and recognised as a fundamental right. This italian city is just one...

Cities 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....

The deaths of black Americans that proceeded George Floyd’s death all have a troubling common theme: the officers involved faced little to no legal repercussions for their actions. State and local governments are long overdue to publicly acknowledge, apologize and end their complicit role in...

On January 18–19, 2020 the first gathering of free municipalities and municipal initiatives took place in the city of madeleines, situated in eastern France and organised by the Citizens’ Assembly of Commercy.  This first-person piece exposes what’s at stake behind the democratic citizen movements active...

This CIDOB Report examines how 12 cities around the world have managed the COVID-19 crisis and provides lessons to help guide future urban action. These include learning to govern complex, uncertain scenarios by placing decentralisation, cooperation and resilience at the heart of public policies; rethinking...

All over the globe, corporations and politicians are hyping up the concept of “smart cities”, but what exactly lies behind the catchy slogan? And whose interests does it serve? There is growing resistance to the idea due to fears of privatisation, increasing surveillance as well...

While city and state government could do more to keep hospitals stable, by combining the latest practice and theory, we have the potential to develop a functional health system that serves the community and values healthcare workers. Yet this requires a reconstructive and radically democratic...

Acts of solidarity are trying to prevent migrants – especially those without or with only precarious legal status – from falling through the cracks of government responses to the COVID-19 crisis. These acts are necessary because national governments throughout Latin America have turned a blind...

For the first time in decades, the Left is on the rise in the United States. This resurgence has primarily been driven forward by local and national struggles. In towns across the country, Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) chapters have helped win important victories, such...

  Name Area Description i) Tools for collaborative documents Minutes Information Management/ Documentation Minutes is an excellent open tool for those who just need a simple and professional interface to create quick memos of the results of a meeting. The template can be as simple...

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