CommoningHousing
The Commoning Housing project brings together an interdisciplinary research team comprising political scientists, sociologists, economists and geographers within the URGOCIS research cluster (Urban Governance, Commons, Internet and Social Innovation) at the Institute for Government and Public Policy (IGOP), at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB). See our Team.
Why ‘commoning housing’?
Since the subprime mortgage lending crisis that began in 2007, housing has become a key component in the analysis of new urban injustices and social exclusion, as well as a practical focus for social movements, public policy and housing professionals. In this context, initiatives to ‘common’ housing – understood as community-led models that are alternative to traditional state and market housing provision – are becoming increasingly more visible; starting anew or building on past histories. Researching practices of commoning housing means to understand both the limits and exclusivity of past and existing housing systems, and the difficulties and potential for creating long-term affordable housing that rely on greater participation and involvement of residents or perspective residents.
Our approach
The Commoning Housing project aims to advance critical scholarship on housing commons and their emergence, through theoretical as well as substantive research, with a strong interdisciplinary and transnational focus. It is articulated through a range projects undertaken in dialogue with community organisations, public institutions and other housing organisations, both in Spain and in the United Kingdom. For more information, see Projects.
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