Towards a New Critique for the Architecture of the Commons
The commons are social systems in which a community shares resources through self-organised governance. The relationship between the commons and architecture is an intricate one. The architecture at the same time becomes the scene and the tool of the commoning process. The commons is supported by the architecture while it supports back architecture for the space to adapt to the changing needs and desires of the community. As a political project, the architecture of the commons supports prefiguration, experimenting spatially with the imagined future in the here and now, it also plays a performative role via sharing knowledge.
Current knowledge production, dissemination and transfer mechanisms about architecture and the commons require a critical inquiry. Post-truth, conflict-ridden online communities and limitations of architectural education play a role in shaping the knowledge field of architecture of the commons. For tackling these challenges, critique is essential in altering the relationship between knowledge and power. Since architecture reflects the existing power relations in our society, any alterations in the knowledge-power have the potential of change in the wider society. The critique of the architecture of the commons should open up the knowledge field of architecture by introducing a complete understanding of the(re)production of architecture and by including various voices in the reflection process.
This research explores the conceptual and real-life meanings of the architecture of the commons and its knowledge-production mechanisms. It critically reflects on existing practices and proposes a new approach for developing a new critique for the architecture of the commons.
phd research by hülya ertas
Towards a New Critique for the Architecture of the Commons