Legitimising the Commons Beyond Policy and Law: With Janet Sanz and Finn Williams

OBS:

We’re saddened to share the news that Richard Sennett has had to withdraw his participation in the event on the 27th of May due to unforeseen circumstances.

But the event is going to go ahead with the rest of the amazing cast!

We’re thrilled to have Janet Sanz and Finn Williams, two important figures in the field of architecture and planning, with concrete experience in implementing common-good policies.

With their experience from their work in Barcelona and Malmö, Sanz and Williams are doing work essential to the democratic future of cities.

At the event you can also buy Richard Sennett and Markus Miessen's new book 'REFLECTIONS ON DEMOCRACY AND URBAN FORM', which was developed in collaboration with Richard Sennett, Diane E. Davis, Claire Zimmermann, and Miguel Robles-Duran as a result of a public panel at Harvard Graduate School of Design in late 2024.

ㅤ

Join us on Wednesday 27 May for a public discussion on how shared spaces and collective practices—the commons—gain recognition beyond formal rules and policies. Our guests include major international capacities Richard Sennett, Janet Sanz, and Finn Williams. The session is organized and will be moderated by the curators of the exhibition IMPERFECT ASSEMBLIES and research project THE ESCH CLINICS, Markus Miessen & César Reyes Nájera.

How do shared spaces and community goods and initiatives—the commons—gain recognition in today’s cities? While laws and policies often define what counts, many meaningful initiatives grow informally—through local efforts, mutual support, and long-term commitment. This series of public talks and discussions brings together leading voices in urban studies and practice to explore how people actively shape their neighbourhoods through everyday actions, care, and collaborative practices.

At a time when political polarisation narrows public debate, this session asks how diverse grassroots practices can be recognised and supported rather than ignored or dismissed. Framed by Markus Miessen and César Reyes Nájera, and featuring Richard Sennett, Janet Sanz, and Finn Williams, the conversation highlights how cities can open up space for different ways of living together and legitimise a wider range of voices and experiences.

On the evening you will meet:

Janet Sanz is a municipal governance expert, reflecting on how commons-based practices gain legitimacy through political negotiation, coalition-building, and urban transformation. As part of her role as Deputy Mayor for Ecology, Urban Planning, Infrastructure and Mobility of Barcelona City Council during the term of Ada Colau as Mayor or Barcelona, Sanz has helped to create a network between cities around the world to share experiences in sustainable mobility, right to housing and feminist urbanism. She was councillor in Barcelona for the Barcelona en Comú municipal group and Vice President of Climate Action and Strategic Planning for the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona until December 2025. Since January 2026, Sanz works as external consultant to the Metropolis network of cities. 

Finn Williams is the City Architect of Malmö. As part of this role, Williams discusses how planning and public-sector design can support commons-based infrastructures beyond conventional policy tools, particularly in complex urban contexts. He was co-founder and former CEO of Public Practice and previously worked for the Office of Metropolitan Architecture, Croydon Council, and the Greater London Authority. He is a Visiting Professor at the Institute of Innovation & Public Purpose at UCL and was co-curator of the British Pavilion at the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale.

Moderators:

Markus Miessen is an architect and writer, and in 2021 was appointed Professor of Urban Regeneration at the University of Luxembourg, where he holds the Chair of the City of Esch. Since 2004, his research has primarily been gravitating around matters of participation, institution & democracy building, assembly practices, and questions of spatial politics. Amongst many other books and writings, Miessen is the author of The Nightmare of Participation and Crossbenching. Since 2024, he is also a Dean’s Visiting Professor at Columbia GSAPP, NY, and together with Diane E. Davis started an institutional collaboration between PUBLICS at Harvard GSD and CULTURES OF ASSEMBLY (COA) at the University of Luxembourg.

César Reyes Nájera is an architect, editor, and postdoctoral researcher in Urban Regeneration at the University of Luxembourg. He holds a PhD from UPC BarcelonaTech and researches on urban social dynamics and degrowth critiques to sustainability. He is co-founder of dpr-barcelona, a publishing and research practice promoting critical architectural discourse. He has curated international projects and contributes as an active member of the LINA platform. At the University of Luxembourg, he teaches architecture and, with Markus Miessen, co-curates The Esch Clinics, exploring civic assemblies and socially-just urban regeneration processes.

ㅤ

The event is presented in collaboration with The Royal Danish Academy