COMMONS RESOURCES
Ann Arbor Resources
Information about the growing Community Commons in Ann Arbor, and how our Commons started to grow!
Educational Resources
Learn about the essentials of Commoning to better understand how we can build our own commons!
Global Resources
Observe Commons success around the globe, and see how their success can mean success in Ann Arbor!
Our Commons Resources
Ann Arbor’s Community Commons is a growing social enterprise and we are happy to share our resources. When you’re done reading, head on over to the discussion boards to engage in the conversation with fellow commoners.
Center of the City Task Force
This report provides Ann Arbor ‘s City Council with recommendations on the next steps for the public space on the Library Block and the development of a Civic Center Commons.
Learn about the Center of the City Task Force
Read about the resolution and the progress of the task force which conducted the community research to help establish and launch the Center of the City Commons.
The Commons and Ann Arbor
As Ann Arbor sets out to cultivate its own local Commons, understanding the basics and how we can help each other will help all Citizens to come together as equals for their mutual benefit.
Co-Cities and Commons Around the Globe
‘Co-Cities’ who practice Commoning is a growing endeavor in major cities around the world. Many cities have developed their own unique systems that use their local resources for the good of the local citizens.
Commons Currency Resources
One of the key components of successful Commons is to establish a local value exchange system which is often known as a ‘commons currency’ where Commons members come together and negotiate a value exchange of time, credit, and services, which uses resources they have on hand to enrich and support their local communities and local economy.
Educational Resources
Understanding and educating ourselves and others on what the Commons is and how it can serve the community is important to growth of the Ann Arbor Commons. To begin this process, a ‘reading room’ of books donated by local Commoners has been assembled and is available to the public.
Reading Room Resources
As part of the commons creation, continuing education in commoning is essential- so the Community Commons has started developing a Reading Room. The Center of the City Commons place itself can become a “teaching place” in demonstrating sustainability technology, best practices, and green ways of living.
The Commons According to David Bollier
David Bollier is an advocate for the Commons, and has spent years discussing it’s value and methods with the public. He has taken his discussions of the Commons and what it can achieve in Cities and Communities around the globe and still works to bring the Commons.
The Next System Project
How can we use “commoning” as a process to transform the social paradigm of our current system?
American Academy in Berlin
There is increasing international interest in the current discourse of “the Commons” as a paradigm of governance shared by an entire community.
Thom Hartmann Program
Thom speaks with Davi Bollier, author of “Think Like A Commoner”, about how our country should value the land and resources that we all share together.
Smart City Expo World Congress
A new type of citizen economy is emerging – the City as a Commons. This is not a tech platform or economic strategy as such, but a bold re-imagining of the city as a living social organism that invites everyone to co-create, open-source style.