We should aim for “Co-Cities”, says Prof. Sheila Foster - meaning we reimagine the city as a commons

[note; Shiela Foster’s lecture begins at 5.41]

In our exploration into commons thinking and commoning as a practice - presuming active communities, and seeking to get beyond both state and market - we’re delighted that Shiela Foster has come to our attention.

The lecture above, “Co-Cities: Reimagining the City as a Commons”, was given just a few days ago at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. It couldn’t be more relevant for those seeking to make the Covid moment into a shift towards a new kind of resilient, sustainable economy.

Here’s the lecture summary:

In the U.S., and around the world, vacant and abandoned urban land and structures are more ubiquitous than most people realize. In this lecture, Professor Foster will argue why we should think about this urban infrastructure as a “commons” capable of meeting the social and economic needs of the most vulnerable urban populations.

Thinking of the city as a commons recognizes as legitimate, even innovative, the collective action of urban actors who utilize land and other infrastructure to construct informal settlements, community gardens and urban farms, mesh wireless networks, and new limited equity housing and commercial spaces that are then collaboratively stewarded by an identified community or group of people.

Thinking of the city as a commons requires us to move beyond the public/private and market/state binaries when thinking about urban development and revitalization.

It is in the space between public and private, market and state, where we can find a set of rich conceptual and practical solutions to enduring racial and economic inequities that continue to plague many communities around the world, particularly those on the margins—social, economic, and geographic—of so many cities.

Professor Foster first articulated this view in her 2016 paper (written with Christian Iaione), but has developed it further with this recent article referencing the great Nobellist of the commons, “Ostrom in the City: Design Principles and Practices for the Urban Commons”.