Team

All Ann Arbor residents are welcome and encouraged to Activate your Commons Membership to engage in the Commons and the Conversation.

To begin the formation of the Commons, a group of volunteers have come together to form an Initiating Committee to facilitate the People of Ann Arbor coming together to start the Community Commons.

Preliminary Actions of the Initiating Committee:

1. Organize and facilitate the Commons Assembly.

2. Establish a democratic decision making process.

3. Craft drafts of a charter, and enabling legislation.

4. Establish liaison with the City Council, and the City Administrator.

5. Establish a budget, fund raising, timelines, and an economic plan.

6. Select and Launch Projects and Programs and a cyber as well as physical presence.

Organizing the Commons Assembly of Ann Arbor, MI

By the recommendation of the City Center Task Force, the Initiation Committee has begun convening an Ann Arbor Community Assembly.

The Commons Community will have representatives from several areas of our local community.

Community Special Interest Working Groups

  • Interest Working Groups will emerge from participation in the Commons Assembly Process and become part of the Commons Community Interest Working Group.
  • When 5 or more people express an interest, the Initiating Committee will try to facilitate a meeting among the individuals to begin a Commoning Project for the benefit of all.

Community Neighbors, Partners and Other Organizations World Wide

  • There are many organizations in the Ann Arbor area – including immediate neighbors – that have an interest in the Ann Arbor Center of the City Commons and will have input to it. 
  • Connections will be established with Libraries and Local Universities as well.
  • Community Partners will also include appropriate Commons connections worldwide.
  • Partners worldwide who have experience Commoning and give advice and assistance with the Commons Construction.
  • Send an invitation to local and world-wide community members to join Ann Arbor Community Commons.
  • Connections will be established with Libraries and Local Universities as well.
  • Community Partners will also include appropriate Commons connections worldwide.
  • Partners worldwide who have experience Commoning and give advice and assistance with the Commons Construction.
  • Send an invitation to local and world-wide community members to join Ann Arbor Community Commons.

Government Agency Liaison Group

  • An intergovernmental agency group is organized to collaborate with and support the Ann Arbor Center of the City Commons. 
  • Ann Arbor City Government acts as a facilitator and co-midwife of the Ann Arbor Center of the City Commons and positive supporter of its work without trying to control or influence its direction. It delegates certain mutually agreed powers and responsibilities over resources. 
  • It provides resources and expertise to the Ann Arbor Center of the City Commons under agreements reached, in a spirit of recognizing the contribution that the Ann Arbor Center of the City Commons can make to the city and its citizens.

Advisors

  • An advisory group will be invited to provide technical assistance to the Ann Arbor Center of the City Commons on such matters as design, site development, maintenance, landscape architecture, and issues subject to expertise (Community Commons Public Banking, Alternative Energy, Permaculture, Green Space, Construction, Site Development, Legal, Accounting, Government Legislation, FundRaising etc.) 
  • Center of the City Community Commons would like to thank the Ann Arbor Center of the City Commons Advisors.

Council of the Commons

  • The Initiating Committee will help facilitate the emergence of a Council composed of representatives from the other groups.
  • A democratic, deliberative and decision making process will be used to both create this Council, as well as be their decision making process to hopefully be a model for the free world and exemplary of the ideals of participatory democracy which has an honored history in Ann Arbor.

Commons Assembly of All Ann Arbor Residents

It all comes down to YOU, members of the Ann Arbor Commons—the people are the bottom line.

The Assembly convenes to first initiate the Commoning Process and subsequently to periodically initiate and evaluate Commoning actions and experiences, as well as to discuss direction. It is a significant source of projects, programs and initiatives to be developed and forwarded to the Council of the Commons for decision, technical assistance, and funding by a community based decision making process.