This seminar explores the increasing significance of URBAN COMMONS as both a concept and a practice amid growing social and economic inequalities and increasing privatization. It will examine how, in many contexts, the neoliberal state and market have failed to guarantee the fulfillment of both the “right to the city” and the “right to housing” for all, prompting a search for alternative models for producing inclusive spaces and social infrastructure.
Historically, the term “commons” referred to shared natural resources—such as fields, forests, and water—managed collectively by communities before widespread privatization through enclosure. Today, the concept of commons extends beyond natural resources to include urban spaces, housing, knowledge, and the digital realm. These new commons represent a response to excessive commodification, privatization, and unresponsive governance.
This seminar will look into theories and related socio-economic transformation processes that led to the phenomenon of urban commons and investigate how commons can serve as a pathway to greater social justice by fostering resilience, equity, and collective action. Drawing from the Serbian city of Belgrade as an example for the phenomena of social fragmentation, polarization and the need to provide “common ground”, the seminar will analyze citizen-led projects and Right-to-the-City movements that advocate for affordable and inclusive development to promote the common good and support local identity.
The seminar is offered in conjunction with the design studio “Common Ground – Building Equitable and Sustainable Spaces along Belgrade’s Riverfront” and aims to support the design work through in-depth theoretical exploration.
