English Information

urbanize! 2023 »Reality Check: Urban Commons«

From 3-8 OCT 2023 the 14th urbanize! festival invites to explore the world of urban commons and its internationally existing practice and theory with lectures, discussions, workshops, walks, artistic interventions, film and music. All events free of admission.

Forms and potentials of Urban Commons, as active production of space and common property beyond the logic of market or state, have been discussed for a long time and are put into practice internationally. The world of urban commons includes material goods such as land, buildings or urban infrastructure like water, energy or the internet; at the same time, the idea of the urban commons is inseparable linked to the practice of commoning, which describes the active creation of commons through processes of collective negotiation, care and the use of resources for the common good. To make them blossom, urban commons require their own framework: Just as our current capitalist system is based on laws that regulate the distribution and governance of society's wealth between private and state, commons also constitute rules and laws that allow and foster a collective, common good oriented, democratic and climate-friendly use and governance of urban common properties.

urbanize! 2023 aims to build a bridge between the discourse and everyday reality in cities, which, in the face of the drastic climate crisis and the increasing commodification of space and society, need new, collectively managed open spaces for thought and social innovation. As a »reality check«, the festival presents practical approaches for the establishment of commons structures and models for common good-oriented Public-Common Partnerships (PCP), which secure and manage urban wealth for the common good instead of the profit-driven logic of Private-Public Partnerships (PPP). The expansion and multiplication of commons structures is a lively, democratic process that requires and generates new alliances between citizens, civil society, policy-makers and administrations: »No commons without commoners« reads the seemingly simple formula. With a focus on potentials and pitfalls, urbanize! aims to provide food for thought for the local development of urban commons. In our time of multiple social, political and ecological crises theory and practice of urban commons offer promising approaches for a more just distribution and sustainable development of urban resources and are an essential contribution to the transformation of cites and empowerment of urban society. With lectures, workshops, walks, artistic interventions and lots of commoning, urbanize! invites to an active examination of a possible common urban future. Join us!

Click here for the programme (mostly in german)

Overview of events and activities in English

3 OCT 2023

Comm vorbei – in die Commons-Bücherei: Aufbau: libraries are places of urban commons: together we build the commons library and create space for reading, resting, playing and borrowing

4-8 OCT 2023

Nadine Weixler: Ehemalige Wirtschaftsuniversität - Fotografische Dokumentation einer Zwischennutzung: Nadine Weixler's photo series focuses on the former university of economics Althangrund and its current interim use

4 OCT 2023

Comm vorbei - in die Commons-Bücherei: Smalltalk zu »Zentralisierung vs Büchereien in der Stadt der kurzen Wege«: students of the the project Right to the City - Right to the Library? collecting user stories about about the importance of district libraries and central libraries for everyday life

Büchereien und Archive: Akteure in den Wissens-Commons?: practitioners and researchers from state, municipal and self-organised institutions discuss Commoning as an urban practice between state and self-organised institution

5 OCT 2023

Comm vorbei – in die Commons-Bücherei: Suchen und Finden: students of the the project Right to the City - Right to the Library? collecting stories about common searching and accidental finding, shared knowledge and competences that make libraries places of commoning

6 OCT 2023

Comm vorbei – in die Commons Bücherei: We are open!: Commons library is open for free use.

Comm vorbei – in die Commons Bücherei: Smalltalk: Library Small Talk: Follow the actors - follow the commons? Collected stories about the wanderings of borrowed things, about unplanned paths and unusual forms of return

Let's Talk About Money - The Forefronts of the New Cooperative Housing Initiatives in Europe: a round table discussion around issues of unlocking affordable finances

How to ... Urban Commons: an international good-practice evening with approaches and models for financing, legal protection, cooperation between civil society and the city, organisation and communication of common goods

6+7 OCT 2023

Common Ground.Severingasse: Straßenfest: Severingasse will be temporarily closed off and become Common Ground, a communal space for the neighbourhood and a meeting place for all

7 OCT 2023

Night Market – Nachtbazar der städtischen Ressourcen: Night Bazaar of Urban Resources for All with films, commons projects, music and conversations at the bar

8 OCT 2023

COME ON! Wir nehmen uns den Westbahnpark.Jetzt!: Festival Farewell with poster workshops, parade and mega surprise!

ABOUT urbanize! Int. Festival for Urban Explorations« has been organised by »dérive - Society for Critical Urban Research« in Vienna, Berlin (2018) and Hamburg (2016) since 2010. The independent association is also editor of the quarterly journal dérive, which has been published since the year 2000 as an independent platform of discussion for critical urban research and urban activism. Furthermore dérive also regularly produces the podcast »Radio dérive«, which is dealing with questions of urbanity on different scales and is licenced as creative commons.
derive.at