The urban commons are the locus of convergence between the digital commons of knowledge and culture, and the material reorganization of post-capitalist modes of production and exchange. It is thus not coincidental that such con- figurations have surfaced on a city-level. Within a globalized economy and with the transnational system of nation-states unable to address contemporary challenges, cities provide an alternative transnational governance structure that complements and transcends the current institutions.
The recent emergence of commons-oriented municipal coalitions evinces such a dynamic. In the following sections, we offer a brief description of two paradigmatic cases13 of city councils that pose interesting alternatives to the traditional municipal form of government. In contrast to the short cases pre- sented in Chapter 2, the aim here is not to present a generalized set of patterns. Instead, they serve to explore different approaches of cities facilitating types of citizen participation aligned with the commons.
The City of Barcelona
Barcelona is a momentous case that signifies a new form of radical municipal- ism directly confronting the current limitations of the nation-state. The city has a great diversity of grassroots initiatives, from the commons-oriented crowd- funding platform of Goteo and the Cooperativa Integral Catalana, to Guifi.net, a free/open telecommunications community network. This rich civic ecosys- tem has marked Barcelona as a reference point for CBPP.
Barcelona is not a city in reform from the top down; it is a city in a transfor- mation from the bottom up. This is how the Barcelona en Comú (BeC) citizen platform emerged, took power and now governs in the minority in the City of Barcelona. Activist-level praxis matured into a political force attempting to share its hard-won knowledge and experience internationally. The BeC plat- form has been built step by step, acknowledging every little victory that adds up to something (previously) unimaginable. Moreover, finding the appreciation for the small steps is part of the change.
BeC is an illustrative case of a citizen platform created by social movements along with political parties to reimagine citizen participation in governance. It was launched in 2014 with an electoral programme collectively drafted by over 5000 people contributing in open assemblies and online procedures. The primary objectives addressed timely political issues, such as austerity, evictions and mass tourism, while particular importance was placed on the improve- ment of living standards and the urban commons. Moreover, the programme championed openness and democratization of local government institutions and direct citizen participation in local governance, while it explicitly refers to the commons as a central aspect of its political vision.
The BeC political coalition holds 11 seats out of 41. Within the small space between simple legislation and doing nothing at all, BeC attempts to embrace cooperatives and citizen activism despite the many limits and problems at government level. Central to this approach has been the support of the So- cial and Solidarity Economy (SSE). This effort has been materialized in the Impetus Plan, a set of policies directed towards the development of new SSE
organizations and the transformation of traditional commercial entities, as well as the improvement of coordination across the sector.
The Impetus Plan includes a dedicated section on the commons, with a pol- icy framework for the Commons Collaborative Economy (CCE), comprising the following layers:
A cross-cutting body inside the city council to coordinate policies around transport, housing, tourism, and labour.
BarCola, a working group involving representatives from the city council and the CCE sector for policy recommendations, assessment and cross- sectoral dialogue between the SSE and the commons.
Decidim Barcelona, a hybrid participatory process combining in-person and digital input that has been developed for city residents to collaborate in municipal debate and decision making
Alongside this, in mid-March 2016 Barcelona hosted the Commons Collabora- tive Economies event (called ‘Procomuns’), centred on producing public policy proposals for the commons economy. The event, which drew a vast, diverse crowd from 30 countries, produced a joint statement and a series of policy recommendations targeted toward the Barcelona City Council, the European Commission, and other local governments.
The CCE policy framework for Barcelona has led to a Collaborative Econ- omy Action Plan, with measures spanning from training and outreach to the promotion of circular economy programmes. Simultaneously, BeC is funding the Ateneus de Fabricació, a network of public FabLabs that strives to provide access to high-tech infrastructures and machinery and assist learning and the development of digital fabrication in every neighbourhood. Other types of in- terventions include policies for mobility and traffic control targeted at the re- duction of pollution and the creation of citizen spaces.
BeC aspires to overcome national boundaries where possible, through the establishment of translocal coalitions, such as an international committee for cooperation and knowledge exchange with other cities, including Naples and Messina. Ιt is also very active in international forums like the Global Network of Cities, Local and Regional Governments. Furthermore, decidim.barcelona has been used by other cities in Spain, while it is also promoted to cities inter- nationally, exemplifying the potential of shared digital infrastructures in inter- city alliances.
The City of Bologna
Moving about 1000 km from Barcelona to the east, Bologna is a paradig- matic case for developing new institutional processes for public-commons
partnerships. It showcases new types of adaptive tools that allow citizens and other actors to get involved in collaborative design processes for the city.