Cities of Sharing

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Me and Karin Bradley handed in our application for research funds to Riksbankens Jubileumsfond (The Bank of Sweden Tercentenary Foundation) yesterday - with one whole day to spare (the deadline is today 16.00).

The application is called "Cities of sharing and the growth of postconsumerist cultures" ("Att dela på resurser - framväxten av urbana postkonsumeristiska kulturer").

The application is very "tight" - there is not one single sentence that hasn't passed our eyes upwards to a dozen times. We will get to know if our application will pass on to the second (and final) stage two months from now. If so we will have another month to extend and "beef up" the extended application. Here is the 1500-character summary of our application (with 13 character to spare) as well as the "background" part of the application (further below):

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Recent studies have shown that technological change is not enough to meet the targets of emission reductions and resource use - behavioral changes are also needed in terms of less energy intensive consuption. Agains a backdrop of fatigue of consumerist culture and privatized public spaces, couples with the recent economical crises, different forms of citizen-initiated sharing schemes have appeared. Rather than just mass-consuming goods, citizens here create common-pool resources and systems of sharing tools, vehicles, gardens, working space, clothing, books etc.

The aim of this project is to understand how, where and why sharing and co-creation schemes appear and function, as well as their wider implications for social, economic and spatial (re)organization. Case studies will be conducted in three cities where sharing schemes have spread during the last few years - Athens, Totnes and Stockholm - including analysis of a) sharing of goods and vehicles, tools and clothing and b) sharing and co-creation of spaces such as gardens, workspaces, home and open space. The method comprises analysis of documents, on-site observations and interviews with initiators, users and local government officials. The theoretical perspectives that will be used are drawn from 1) governing the commons, 2) peer economies and 3) political econoly. The intention is to make empirical and theoretical contributions to the research on governing and place-making in contemporary urban commons.

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BACKGROUND

This project is situated at the intersection of urban studies, information technology and sustainability studies. Recent studies have shown that technological change is not enough to meet the international targets of emission reductions and resource use – behavioral changes are also needed in terms of less energy intensive consumption (Worldwatch institute 2010). There is a vivid public debate and research on consumerist culture, its socioecological impacts and on how more sustainable consumption patterns can be promoted (Mont & Plepys 2005, Naish 2009). In contrast to this, within other fields such as urban development, practices are orientated towards increasing consumption levels (Cha et al, 2001) by expanding commercial spaces etc. It is however possible to discern a growing fatigue among urbanites of the commercialization and privatization of public spaces (Zukin 2010, Hou, 2010).

Against this backdrop and coupled with the recent economic crisis, different forms of citizen-initiated sharing schemes and Do-It-Yourself cultures have emerged (Carlsson 2008, Botsman & Rogers 2011). Rather than just mass-consuming goods, citizens create common-pool resources and systems of sharing tools, vehicles, gardens, work spaces, clothing, books etc. These schemes can be organized in a variety of ways, sometimes appropriating and changing the use of private/public space. Reasons for engaging in such schemes may vary and can be ideologically, ecologically, socially and/or economically motivated.

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