Urban Commons

Urban Studies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheila R. Foster ◽  
Christian Iaione

With global urbanization rapidly increasing and with over half of the world’s population already living in cities, the framework of the “urban commons” has emerged as a way to address contemporary urban challenges ranging from urban housing to urban inequality. The concept of urban commons is based on the idea that public spaces, urban land, and infrastructure ought to be accessible to, and able to be utilized by, urban communities to produce and support a range of goods and services important for the sustainability of those populations, particularly the most vulnerable populations. The founding principles of this movement include sharing, collaboration, civic engagement, inclusion, equity, and social justice. Urban commons are created and managed by civic collaborations including participants from local communities, government, business, academic, and local nonprofit organizations. In this way, the city is a platform utilized and optimized by citizens from all backgrounds and social statuses.

2021 ◽  
pp. 95-122
Author(s):  
Karim Wagih Fawzi Youssef

Contemporary shopping malls in Egypt have created new public spaces for lifestyle and leisure, which complement the commercial logic of consumer behavior. Mega malls in Egypt are simultaneously merging shopping, leisure, and entertainment, creating an ambivalence. They are representations of the globalized economy, but also manifest a certain uniqueness through their typology, their mode of insertion in the urban fabric and the type of public spaces created in them. This paper traces four new typologies in the design of six mega shopping malls in Egypt, constructed since 2010, as they integrate new public gathering spaces for leisure, recreation, and entertainment. Data on the new malls in Egypt was collected from corporate websites and promotional brochures, Google Maps and Street View, TripAdvisor, social media websites, visitor comments and news articles. A key finding is the trend of integration of large outdoor recreational spaces such as courtyards and plazas in mall design, the inclusion of a water element for attraction as well as the transition in function from simply offering goods and services to one that offers experiences and events to encourage recurring visits to the mall. The transformation of the mall parallels changes in conceptualizing the city of the 20th century as a large marketplace, an emporium of consumption, to conceptualizing the city of the 21st century as a large theatre and a festive place.


Author(s):  
V. A. Dianova

Rational planning of urban space is an important task, the level of resolution of which largely determines the quality of life of citizens. In addition, the rating of the city as the most convenient for life, or having a developed infrastructure has an impact on its investment attractiveness and, as a consequence, on the employment of the population in the production of goods and services. Therefore, the standard of living of people living in this municipality depends on how well and strategically planned the urban space is. The principles of the organization of life support systems of economic structures, basic management methods, urban planning of public works, the distribution of funds for their implementation and monitoring of implementation are fundamental to effective management. The article deals with the modern management of the city through the prism of the concept of spatial development, the use of which is necessary for regions with heterogeneous spatial structure. Since in the system of management of complex socio-economic development of the city is a fragment of the current state machine, the objectives of the management of the city - is the implementation of the tasks that can be carried out only within the framework of comprehensive planning of the state territorial development. The essence of strategic planning of the city should be considered as a social Corporation, reflecting and defending the interests of its citizens, urban communities, organizations and enterprises.


Author(s):  
Sergiy Ilchenko

Biały Bór is located in the former German territories that came to Poland after the Second World War. The almost complete replacement of the indigenous German and Jewish populations, initially by Polish and soon Ukrainian communities, was the result of the displacement of state borders by the eviction and relocation of millions of people. To do this, the authorities used certain strategies, which brought different approaches and constraints to local communities and urban spaces. The article considers the differences between the declared principles and the actual actions of the authorities in the context of “small stories” of all actors (national communities), as well as the tactics of indirect resistance of the local community to government pressure. Due to the remoteness of the place from the state center and due to its unanimity, the local community becomes the driving force of the spatial development of the city. And since the city is multicultural, the development of public spaces is influenced by the competitiveness (not confrontation) of two local communities. Therefore, the creation of public spaces is considered in the context of the rights of different groups to the city. This paper argues the conditions under which it is the collective actions of local communities that determine the change in the configuration of urban space.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (11) ◽  
pp. 44-53
Author(s):  
Tatiana Polukeeva ◽  
◽  
Aleksandra Teryagova

The aspects of the mutual influence of the environment and local communities at various levels of spatial development are considered. Using the example of the city of Samara, it is studied how the social and demographic composition of the inhabitants has a direct impact on territorial relations within the district. The main trends and prospects of self-development for characteristic socio-spatial units of the city, as well as planning and administrative methods of preventing territorial conflicts are presented. The necessary conditions for spatial self-organization and the formation of viable urban communities are described.


1995 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grant Kelly ◽  
◽  
L. Scott Lambert ◽  

This project developed out of the intention to explore new ways of combining private and public spaces in an urban environment. It was felt that, in order for housing to truly become part of the city, it must engage itself with other functions on the ground plane. Thus, in developing this scheme of a mixture of residential, commercial, and recreational uses, it was decided to break from the typical urban pattern of public spaces on the lower levels and private spaces above. Instead, half of the ground plane was devoted to residential spaces grouped around semiprivate courtyards. The other half was assigned to large functions – a recreation center and a grocery store – which would be used not only by the residents of the development but also by members of the public who spend time downtown.


2019 ◽  
pp. 1-4

In the increasing cosmopolitan condition of our cities inclusionary urban commons are becoming more and more relevant as civic institutions for encounter, dialogue and collaboration. Their non-commodifiable asset experiences increasing issues of social inclusion, participation, privatisation and universal access. The papers included in this issue of The Journal of Public Space are focused on the development of the commons’ capacity firstly to contingently relate and articulate heterogeneous values and paradigms, personalities, spheres of thought and material and intangible elements; secondly to sustain equity, diversity, belonging by transforming conflicts in productive associations that counter conditions of antagonism to set up critically engaged agonistic ones (Connolly, 1995; Mouffe, 1999, 2008). They include analytical studies, critical appraisals and creative propositions—part of which documenting the City Space Architecture’s event at Freespace, the 16th Venice Architecture Biennale—which address the power of the inclusionary urban commons to support the constitution of free, open and participatory networks that enhance social, cultural and material production of urban communities by reclaiming, defending, maintaining, and taking care of the “coming together of strangers who work collaboratively […] despite their differences” (Williams, 2018: 17).


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 903 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Stupar ◽  
Predrag Jovanović ◽  
Jelena Ivanović Vojvodić

Focusing on the social aspect of sustainability, this article provides insight into the process of spatial and functional reconsideration of open public spaces in two selected super-blocks in Belgrade, Serbia. Although their spatial typology is similar, one of them was created during the 1960s in New Belgrade, a new administrative center of the city based on the principles of functionalism, while the other one was built during the 1970s, as a part of urban reconstruction conducted in the central areas of Belgrade (Vračar municipality). The beginning of the 21st century has brought new challenges to open public spaces, reflecting the post-transitional changes of the Serbian socio-economic context, as well as the contemporary urban needs of inhabitants. Consequently, both blocks have developed new gathering places for their local communities, although applying two different approaches, spontaneous/informal (New Belgrade) and formal (Vračar). Considering the specificities of both initiatives and the relationship between local communities and the open public spaces of super-blocks, the comparative analysis is conducted in order to identify the occurring social, spatial, and functional modifications, and the achieved level of social sustainability.


This article analyzes the main problems of urban public spaces, because today public spaces can determine the future of cities. It is noted that parks are multifunctional public spaces in the urban environment, as they are an important element of the citywide system of landscaping and recreation, perform health, cultural, educational, aesthetic and environmental functions. The article notes that the need for easily accessible and well-maintained urban parks remains, however, the state of parks in many cities of Russia remains unsatisfactory, requiring reconstruction. A brief historical background of the Park of Culture and Rest of the Soviet period in Omsk is expounded, the analysis of the existing territory of the Park is presented. It is revealed that the Park, being the largest public space in Omsk, does not meet the requirements of modern urbanism, although it represents a great potential for designing the space for the purpose of recreation of citizens. Performed functional zoning scheme of the territory of the Park in question, where its division into functional areas destined for active recreational users of the Park is presented, considered the interests of senior citizens, people with limited mobility, etc. Reconstruction of Parks of the Soviet period can provide the city with additional recreational opportunities, as well as increase its tourist attractiveness.


DeKaVe ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Akbar Annasher

Broadly speaking, this paper discusses the phenomenon of murals that are now spread in Yogyakarta Special Region, especially the city of Yogyakarta. Mural painting is an art with a media wall that has the elements of communication, so the mural is also referred to as the art of visual communication. Media is a media wall closest to the community, because the distance between the media with the audience is not limited by anything, direct and open, so the mural is often used as media to convey ideas, the idea of ??community, also called the media the voice of the people. Location of mural art in situations of public spatial proved inviting the owners of capital to use such means, in this case is the mural. Manufacturers of various products began racing the race to put on this wall media, as time goes by without realizing the essence of the actual mural art was forced to turn to the commercial essence, the only benefit some parties only, the power of public spaces gradually occupied by the owners of capital, they hopes that the community can view the contents of messages and can obtain information for the products offered. it brings motivation and cognitive and affective simultaneously in the community.Keywords: Mural, Public Space, and Society.


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 54
Author(s):  
А. И. Кольба ◽  
Н. В. Кольба

The article describes the structural characteristics of the urban communities of the city of Krasnodar and the related features that impact their participation in urban conflicts. This issue is considered in a number of scientific publications, but there is a need to expand the empirical base of such studies. On the base of expert interviews conducted with both city activists, their counterparty (representatives of the municipal government) and external observers (journalists), the parameters of urban communities functioning in the process of their interaction with other conflict actors are revealed. The communities characteristics such as the predominantly territorial principle of formation, the overlap of online and offline communications in their activities, the presence of a “core” with a relatively low number of permanent participants and others are determined. Their activities are dominated by neighborly and civilian models of participation in conflicts. The possibilities of realizing one’s own interests through political interactions (participation in elections, the activities of representative bodies of power, political parties) are not yet sufficiently understood. Urban communities, as a rule, operate within the framework of conventional forms of participation in solving urgent problems, although in some cases it is possible to use confrontational methods, in particular, protest ones. In this regard, the most often used compromise, with the desire for cooperation, a strategy of behavior in interaction with opponents. The limited activating role of conflicts in the activities of communities has been established. The weak manifestation of the civil and especially political component in their activities determines the preservation of a low level of political subjectivity. This factor restrains the growth of urban communities resources and the possibility of applying competitive strategies in interaction with city government and business.


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