New urban commoning through community co-design

This poster presents insights and reflections into an emergent
co-design process on urban commoning in a novel experimental
neighbourhood in Eindhoven that integrates social housing,
mid-rent housing, and self-build housing to foster a diverse and
cohesive community. In our research we consider commoning as
a verb—an active process of sharing and caring—rather than a
commons as a collective resource.
The co-design process started in 2023 and involves a close
collaboration between academic design researchers and two
designers-in-residence, who work together with residents,
housing cooperatives, architects and the municipality to
collectively give shape to the commoning process. Based on
design ethnography and a series of interactive sessions, insights
reveal that commoning is a polyvalent concept and that sharing
and collectivity are already taking shape in various shapes and
forms. Hence, in the design process we continue to build on
existing networks and initiatives and facilitate the creation and
strengthening of sharing and community building through a
multi-modal ecosystem.
We critically examine the emergent methodology employed in
this research and reflect how our research contributes to the
broader debate on how participatory design can drive urban
transformation, enabling resilient and inclusive communities
through active engagement in the commoning process.