The Urban Commons: A Field Lab on Cooperation in NYC

(3 Credits)

Cities bring large numbers of people into close proximity, where they both produce and consume a wide array of resources. Some, like the subway, roads, and bridges, are provided by the government. Others, like most retail and commercial real estate, are supplied by private firms. A surprising share of urban resources, however, are governed and maintained by communities, often for their own benefit. In New York City, examples include community gardens, worker and housing cooperatives, community land trusts, credit unions, rotating savings groups, business improvement districts, park conservancies, and tenant, labor, neighborhood, and industry associations. This course is organized as a field lab where students examine why some of these communal arrangements thrive while others struggle. It is composed of three modules. During the first module, students learn key concepts related to collective action and common-pool resources, including the main types of resources, how each of these types can be affected by free-riding problems, and how these problems have been solved. During the second module, students acquire basic skills in field research, including research ethics and informed consent, gaining access, conducting a good interview, and analyzing field notes. During the third module, students go into the field to collect primary data on a communal arrangement of their choice in New York City, analyze the data, workshop their interim findings with their classmates, and prepare a final report. Over time, the best of these studies might grow into a public report or even an edited volume on how New York City governs its commons.