The Co-City: Sharing, Collaborating, Cooperating, Commoning in the City

American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Vol. 75, No. 2 (March, 2016), p. 415.

44 Pages Posted: 26 Dec 2015 Last revised: 17 Aug 2017

See all articles by Christian Iaione

Christian Iaione

Luiss Guido Carli University - Department of Law; LUISS LabGov - LABoratory for the GOVernance of the City as a Commons; Università degli Studi Guglielmo Marconi

Date Written: December 22, 2015

Abstract

The main purpose of this paper is to investigate if urban assets and resources or the city as a whole can be transformed into collaborative, cooperative, commoning institutional ecosystems that enable collective action for the commons. The new goal of public administrations, cooperatives, and even private ventures is and will increasingly be to create value with, not for, the entire community. A shift from closed, centralized public or private institutions or organizations towards co-owned, co-managed and co-producing institutions to govern, use, manage a certain urban resource as a commons, so that the community as a whole can catch the value. After a brief introduction of the theoretical framework, I propose five design principles of a “commons-based urban governance matrix,” and a methodological process to design such urban governance schemes. In the conclusion, I draw up a research agenda for future studies on commons-based urban governance.

The analytical framework in this paper relies on some crucial elements that are often lacking in the implementation of an urban governance scheme: organizational innovations inside the City administrative structures, a communication plan with a democratic digital platform as the central tool, and a bridging institution that works in order to spread commoning culture and practice. Finally, the need to rethink the role of cognitive institutions like schools and universities and policy makers is evident. Instead of acting like authorities or suppliers of expert knowledge, they should behave as facilitators, a role that is more in line with the urban governance scheme designed here.

Suggested Citation

Iaione, Christian, The Co-City: Sharing, Collaborating, Cooperating, Commoning in the City (December 22, 2015). American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Vol. 75, No. 2 (March, 2016), p. 415., Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2708296

Christian Iaione (Contact Author)

Luiss Guido Carli University - Department of Law ( email )

Rome
Italy

LUISS LabGov - LABoratory for the GOVernance of the City as a Commons ( email )

Viale Gorizia 17
Rome, Roma 00198
Italy

Università degli Studi Guglielmo Marconi ( email )

via Parigi 44
Rome
Italy

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