Roundtable | Charging the Commons: From (Be)Commoning to Commoning

The first episode of the Charging the Commons roundtable series, took place on October 4th at Pakhuis de Zwijger, Amsterdam. This session was centered around the process of becoming a commons — communities that share their resources such as energy, a garden, cars, a laundry room, etc. What does establishing such a community entail? What steps does a group of people need to go through in order to become a commons?

This early setup stage can profoundly shape the development process of such communities, for instance: its (economic) viability, the management of the shared resources, everyday practices, members’ relationship with each other or the community affiliation with the broader environment. Exploring the process of becoming a commons (becommoning) can reveal useful insights: Which multiple factors hinder or stimulate commons initiatives? How are challenges (not) addressed? Which external actors can support sharing communities?

Speakers:

– Zsuzsanna Tomor, Researcher at AUAS – Civic Interaction Design Research Group
– Darinka Czischke, PhD, Associate Professor, Housing and Social Sustainability | TU Delft
– Joachim Meerkerk, PhD Candidate Urban Management at Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences
– Lukas Held, Project Coordinator CollectieveKracht | Erasmus University

Watch roundtable discussion