25 - The city as a commons: the concept of common goods

Abstract

City space has become the core of many urban movements and policy debates: from the United States where citizens claim for vacant or abandoned urban land and structures for affordable housing, community gardening, or urban farming to Italy where public and private institutions reclaim formally public spaces as common goods, to the rise of informal settlements on the periphery of many cities in the world. The basis of the contestation is the critique to contemporary urban development and the need to support more efficiently the population in creating revitalized and inclusive cities. In times of economic and financial constraints, the “commons” has come to the attention of national, and local government as a concrete tool in proposing appropriate solutions and enhance citizens participation. This chapter aims to analyze the concept of common goods and, more specifically, of the city as a commons. Starting from the main assumptions derived from the literature the analysis will continue with a focus on Italian experiments developed during the last decade, paying particular attention to the model adopted by the city of Bologna which has gained international recognition as pioneer in the field, and to other three Italian cities as study cases: Turin, Verona, and Milan. Another current and powerful instrument for enhancing public–private collaborations is represented by the possibility to match public funding with private ones through new technologies. It is the case of civic crowdfunding.