While policy and legal frameworks are often seen as the primary means of legitimising the commons, many forms of commoning persist beyond, alongside, or in spite of formal institutional support. This session focuses on how legitimacy is produced through political struggle, cultural narratives, care practices, and long-term municipal engagement. It reflects on how commons-based practices endure in contexts shaped by contemporary forms of migration, inequality, and political polarisation.

Markus Miessen and César Reyes Nájera will give the frame the event, talking about the legitimacy of non normative spatial practices of the commons as a contested and ongoing process that exceeds legal recognition.

You can also look forward to:

Richard Sennett: is one of the world's most highly distinguished urban thinkers and planners. His books include, among others: The Fall of Public Man Flesh and Stone and Respect. For decades he has advised urban programmes for the United Nations. He has been awarded the Hegel and Spinoza prizes, as well as an honorary doctorate by Cambridge University.

Janet Sanz: Drawing from her experience in municipal governance in Barcelona, Sanz reflects on how commons-based practices gain legitimacy through political negotiation, coalition-building, and urban transformation. Sanz is Vice President of Climate Action and Strategic Planning of the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona.

Finn Williams: As Malmö City Architect, Williams discusses how planning and public-sector design can support commons-based infrastructures beyond conventional policy tools, particularly in complex urban contexts.