A Looming Deadline for the Right to Ramble

By David Bollier, David Bollier blog

For centuries, ordinary Brits have enjoyed a legal “right to ramble” throughout the countryside even when they might cross someone’s private property. In England and Wales alone, there are an estimated 140,000 miles of footpaths and bridlepaths that are considered public rights of way. Now, as reported by the website Boing Boing, the full scope of this right -- and access to a vast network of paths -- is in question.

A Response to Max Roser: How Not to Measure Global Poverty

By Jason Hickel, Jason Hickel blog

We don’t need to be afraid of this critique just because it threatens a long-familiar story.  What we need is to tell better, more accurate stories.  That’s how science progresses.

New Generations Meet New Alternatives: the Commons and the Youth Initiative Program

By Stacco Troncoso, P2P Foundation

One of the worst effects of capitalist realism is the endless bad-mouthing of alternatives to its toxicity. With this in mind, I’d like to share with you some extraordinary examples of imaginative prototyping exercises towards commons-oriented futures  — presented by the very people who will bring them about in the face of darker possibilities.

HowlRound — Enacting Theater as a Commons

By David Bollier, David Bollier blog

The beauty of the commons paradigm is that it can emerge and flourish in areas of life that no one suspects could possibly host it…..such as live theater.

The Commons, the State and the Public: A Latin American Perspective

By Daniel Chavez, Transnational Institute

In recent years, many researchers and social activists from very different countries, like myself, have rediscovered the notion of the commons as a key idea to deepen social and environmental justice and democratise both politics and the economy.

From Neighbourhood To Bioregion: The City as a Living System

By John Thackara, John Thackara blog

The notion of the city as a living system generates cultural energy, too: A narrative based on caring – for each other, and for our places – creates the meaning and shared purpose we’ve been so badly lacking.

Speed and Localism

By Patrick Noble, Feasta

If we are to mitigate catastrophic climate change and also reverse the catastrophically increasing chasm between rich and poor, first, we must reclaim the common.

Legacies Crucial for the Commons

By Ashish Kothari, The Hindu

And so we must turn for hope to the many movements of sangharsh (resistance) and nirman (construction) throughout the world. These movements realise that the injustices they are facing, and the choices they must make, are not bound by the divides that ideologues play games with.

‘Fearless’ Amsterdam Government: Digital City goes Social

By Socrates Schouten, WAAG

Firstly, the city’s digital plans begin with instating a Digital City Agenda, setting out Amsterdam’s vision on cyber security, data sovereignty, digital participation and digital services, complex topics that cannot be solved overnight.

A Rebellious Hope

By Neal Gorenflo, Shareable

While this new rural economy is coming to life, its success is uncertain. It will likely be an uneven, difficult, and slow transition if there's a transition at all. It will take people of uncommon vision, commitment and patience to make it happen.