Interview on the Role of Urban Commons in the New Urban Agenda

This is an interview of Martin Schwegmann (URG) with Bea Varnai and Cyril Royez from UrbaMonde (www.urbamonde.org), an international platform for initiatives working on the social production of habitat. The question, if urban commons or related thinking plays a role in the New Urban Agenda (NUA), was discussed.

Royez and Varnai point out that articles 107 and 31 include thoughts of collective and cooperative use of urban resources, which go beyond state and market mechanisms (see excerpts below). However ideas of anti-speculative, inclusive and collaborative production of habitat and cities are not prominently represented in the NUA.

Therefor UrbaMonde issued a commitment on the Habitat III website, "Supporting Community-Led Habitat" and the implementation of art. 31 and art. 107 of the New Urban Agenda. Please support this commitment actively by signing in to the Habitat III online platform: tiny.cc/quito-commit

Excerpt from New Urban Agenda:
"We will encourage ... cooperative solutions such as co-housing, community land trust, and other forms of collective tenure ... This will include support to incremental housing and self-build schemes, with special attention to slums and informal settlements upgrading programs." (art.107)

.".. while enabling participation and engagement of communities and relevant stakeholders, in the planning and implementation of these policies including supporting the social production of habitat... " (art.31)

Interviewees:
Cyril Royez, coordinator, UrbaMonde, is an architect and urbanist of the EPFL-SIA-FSU school in Lausanne. He has formerly worked as a project manager at the architecture studio Charles Pictet Architecte, as a real estate expert at the Office for Building Appraisal of Geneva, as a sociologist in the development of management instruments for real estate at Estia+Epiqr, as well as at the civil engineering company in wood construction "Guajard Technologie".

Bea Varnai, project manager, UrbaMonde-France, is passionate about community-driven processes shaping contemporary city-making: community-led housing models, cooperative financing strategies, innovative partnerships in area development and civic participation and cooperation. Her personal and professional background have provided her with valuable insights into innovative, sustainable and inclusive habitat solutions across Europe and Latin America. She holds an MA in International Development (Graduate Institute Geneva) and coordinate UrbaMonde's activities around the Social production of habitat platform.

New Urban Agenda - Do Urban Commons play a role in this?

Berlin Urban Commons Series II: Urban Commons and The New Urban Agenda - Inventory and Outlook

PODCAST available by 25/10/2016

organized by Dr. Martin Schwegmann

On the occasion of the UN Habitat III the URG investigates if and how the New Urban Agenda for future urban development incorporates the ideas of Urban Commons and collaborative urban development beyond state and market.

To explore this question Dr. Martin Schwegmann interviews critical observers of Habitat III as Bea Varnai and Cyril Royez (UrbaMonde), Anja Rok from ICLEI (TBC) and Alvaro Puertas, secretary general of HIC (TBC).

** the talk will be available as a podcast on this site after October 25**

find the facebook event here: