Urban commons and the local state: co-production between enhancement and co-optation

Urban commons have emerged within the latest mobilization cycle, and have developed forms of everyday politics. Marxist and social movement scholars tend to see the urban commons/local state interactions that assemble commons' material infrastructure as the prelude to commons being co-opted. Go...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Territory, politics, governance politics, governance, 2024-10, Vol.12 (9), p.1333-1352
Main Authors: Bianchi, Iolanda, Pera, Marina, Calvet-Mir, Laura, Villamayor, Sergio, Ferreri, Mara, Reguero, Núria, Maestre Andrés, Sara
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
co-production
collective action
Common lands
Governance
Infrastructure
local government
Long term
Mobilization
Neighborhoods
Political action
Politics
Production
protest cycle
Social movements
Urban areas
urban movements
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Summary:Urban commons have emerged within the latest mobilization cycle, and have developed forms of everyday politics. Marxist and social movement scholars tend to see the urban commons/local state interactions that assemble commons' material infrastructure as the prelude to commons being co-opted. Governance scholars uphold that these interactions can bring political benefits to the commons. By bridging these two perspectives, this article analyses urban commons/local state interactions that develop in the context of material-assembling practices in the light of what we call 'commons-led co-production': processes where commons gain political advantages from this co-production. By studying commons initiatives in two neighbourhoods in two different municipalities in the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona, we analyse and discuss a spectrum of five positions. We contend that material-assembling practices act as a condition of possibility for developing the everyday politics of the commons, where commons-led co-production can be laid out, in context-specific and variegated ways. However, the arrangement of commons-led co-production does not necessarily guarantee the long-term enhancement of commons' political action. We conclude by calling for a more nuanced understanding of urban commons/local state interactions within material-assembling practices, one that considers both co-optation and enhancement as possible long-term outcomes of these interactions.
ISSN:2162-2671
2162-268X
DOI:10.1080/21622671.2022.2108491