This is the first episode of the series Charging the Commons and it will center 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?
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About the programme
This event is part of the project Charging the Commons, a 2-year research project developed by AUAS – Lectorate Civic Interaction Design, in collaboration with Avans Centre of Applied Research for Art, Design and Technology (Caradt). Charging the Commons explores how a situated-design approach can be employed to articulate the (social) values of resource communities. The project also examines how these values can be translated into a design for the management of an urban commons, using digital technologies. To learn more about Charging the Commons and its research outputs, visit chargingthecommons.nl
Project Partners: Space & Matter, Crowd-Building, Metabolic, Dark Matter Labs, De Warren, Stipo, Digital Design Agencies, Dutch Blockchain Coalition, Commons Network, Pakhuis de Zwijger, ThingsCon, Waag, Het Nieuwe Instituut, PBL.