Envisioning Urban Commons

Looking at the current debates and struggles over
space, including the role of public and private
resources and investment and notions of "the
commons" within them (commonly held land,
resources, goods, shared and not privatized),
this seminar proposes the study of seminal texts
that argue for the means of creating commons and
subsequent practices of "commoning." While the
majority of this literature makes its arguments
by interpreting air, water, flora and fauna, as
well as cultural achievements or digital
technologies as common goods, the texts focus
largely on the built environment and how to deal
with it commonly, which we will extend to
thinking as artists. Authors to be read aloud and
discussed will include David Harvey, Silvia
Frederici and Stavros Stavrides.

The format of this class is mainly one of a
reading group. The aim of the class is not to
study as many texts as possible but to
concentrate on a few while understanding them
thoroughly. The group's findings will be
documented in the form of annotations and
comments, compiled into a "protocol-PDF," which
will be made accessible for further approaches to
the concept, individually as well as
collectively. The PDF publication include
students' photographic contributions as well,
relating to how urban commons and subsequent
commoning are understood or mediated.