ANNUAL CONGRESS 2025

Common Good as an Enduring Value in the Contemporary City Space

Not scheduled

20m

Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul

Oral Track 14 | ETHICS, VALUES AND PLANNING

Speaker

Dr Joanna Maria Koszewska (Sorbonne University Paris, WULS Warsaw)

Description

Background
In the contemporary context of the discipline of urban planning in research and design, as well as in professional engineering practice of shaping urban spaces there is an unspoken questioning of paradigm. What is a good space, how to evaluate its quality and functioning? Various methods are being elaborated to describe and quantify spatial qualities or poor features. The globalised world in the XX and XXI century provides “travelling” concepts. Amongst many others: 15 minutes city (chrono urbanism), creative class priority as motor of economic growth, revitalisation of post-industrial zones (up to the degree of styling new constructions as “lofts”), walkable and cycling priority, sustainable and eco-friendly concepts, social occupations and temporary management (governance), augmented - hyper connected smart city. As for measuring the urban phenomena: Space Syntax, quantitative GIS mapping methods, etc. are applied, and new are elaborated with the help of programming and Artificial Intelligence technologies.

Scope
All of the above listed ideas and approaches encounter limitations in meeting and addressing the complexity of urban and suburban spaces. Apart from cognitive theoretical frameworks and hard data there are fluid social aspects. Common Good concept (Moroni, 2024) travels in time and space across cultures and geographical regions, remaining actual and being constantly updated by representatives of diverse disciplines. The aim of the study is linked to the presentation of the concept of the Common Good as the lecture grid of contemporary cities.

Research Question
The author reminds the potential of the reflection on Common Good, allowing to organize observations and perceptions around communal sharing. This framework (Ostrom, 1990). allows us to describe, research and analyse given spaces in the light of its users, legal regulations, cultural habits and customary uses as well as physical features and bases for use (Bollier, 2016). Proposed approach operationalizes public and professional debates, led in the search of new adaptive solutions for changing social and climate circumstances.

Study Method
The literature review, scientific discussion survey and participation was backed with the studies on chosen cases of the interventions in urban space in European geographical context, with the special emphasis on central Europe (with its’ post-socialist organisational and spatial background).

Results
The value-oriented approach to studying cities through the lens on Common Good (Koszewska, 2024). emphasizing the role of the wider society might be adapted to post-growth, anti-systemics as well as institutional, traditional or conservatory politico-economical or philosophical orientations. Its adaptability and flexibility proves the rich and culturally rooted value, despite changing societal convictions and circumstances.

Discussion
The theoretical interdisciplinary research on urban spaces is a complex study material, requiring in-depth physical data collection and cultural knowledge. Though all results might remain controversial, which is an added value to the research work (aiming for social utility), i.e. awakening its audience to self-reflection, asking questions about possible future models of adaptive urban development. The remaining of it might contribute to the upholding of spatial and social justice in an age of cultural, economic, war migration and climate crisis.

References

Sources:
1. Bollier, D. (2016). Commoning as a Transformative Social Paradigm. Retrieved from: https://thenextsystem.org/ node/187 [accessed: 23.02.2022].

1. Koszewska, J. M. (2024). Common good in the urban context – insights from theoretical frameworks. Acta Sci. Pol. Architectura, 23, pp. 210–222, DOI:10.22630/ASPA.2024.23.15

2. Moroni, S. (2024). Untangling the commons: three different forms of commonality. Springer Science and Business Media. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11138-024-00639-1

3. Ostrom, E. (1990). Governing the Commons: The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action. Oxford–New York: Cambridge University Press.