The Public Sector
TU Wien Bibliothek
The Public Sector
TU Wien Bibliothek

Journal Article

Title Commoning in times of finance capitalism
or: how to think housing
Author Gruber, Sabine
Published on 07 Jun 2017
Published by Technische Universität Wien
Published in Volume 43 • Issue 1 • 2017 , pages 67-74
AC AC11362594
DOI 10.34749/oes.2017.2405
URN urn:nbn:at:at-ubtuw:4-2405

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Abstract (English)

This paper discusses the commons in the context of contemporary society and its capitalist mainstream. In order to explore the potential of the commons as an alternative to existing structures, I look at housing to compare the governing principles of the commons (co-housing projects) with that of market solutions (investment-based projects). While co-housing projects build enduring structures within certain boundaries, investment-based projects push growth without limits and thus do not foster stable structures. The decision-making processes used in co-housing projects would need to be adapted in order to work at the urban level. Therefore, the paper concludes that commoning is a partial alternative only - while it provides a sustainable lifestyle on a small scale and has potential for transforming the dominant financ-ing system, further integrative steering strategies are required on a medium or large scale.

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