Tactical Chartering Manifesto

Article

Tactical Chartering Manifesto

 

• Note for presentation

This document is a overencompassing guide that explains how to properly create the foundation of a charter written with the objective to assist in the self-governance of an urban green commons. The document provides a series of chapters explaining general and specific objectives of a charter, relevant players in the charter development, and key tasts for following the tactical chartering guidelines for urban commons.  People interested in being involved in the commons can determine their role in the development of the charter by carefully going over each chapter of this document. With that said, this document can be viewed and used in different perspectives. While this document is supposed to provide general guidelines, there are specific tasks or components of the document that pertain to specific goals of each commons. The format is supposed to allow linkages between each component and each commons. Such components come from key concepts found in the Remix of the Commons website and from other sources of scientific and academic literature. In addition, documented experiences of tactical chartering are highlighted here to review lessons learned on charters that were created in the past. The document is intended to be open, so interested peoples can review, modify, and provide feedback and support for this document. 

 

• Objectives of the tactical chartering

1. To obtain Cognitive Resilience Building - a mental process of human perception, memory, and reasoning that people acquire from interacting frequently with local ecosystems, shaping peoples’ experience, world views, values towards local ecosystems (Colding et al. 2013)

 

1. To achieve Permanency - The process designed to protect an urban space that is only temporary set up until the vacant lot it sits on is under construction. This process is based on collective action and strong local governance in developing a strong appearance or aesthetic that adds to the character of the neighborhood (Colding et al. 2013)

 

1. To avoid Free Riding - A process by which members of a group deliberately provide less or participate less than is required to achieve a common goal (Olsen 1965)

• This objective must be discussed. In some case, free riding (uses) can enrich. 

•  Lets talk about this tomorrow

• yes, it is just a place to save my idea :-) 

•  

2. To utilize Open Source Urbanism - a cooperative model allowing active users to freely adapt and modify theories, research, and practices following the proven experiences and based upon specific needs and intuitions (Bradley 2015)

 

1. To pursue participative democracy - a process emphasizing the broad participation of constituents in the direction and operation of political systems through advocating more involved forms of citizen participation and greater political representation

• should be clarified. Seems to me too vague

• I wanted to emphasize that tactical chartering should be a fair process that allows people (from whatever situation they come from) to participate, vote, and be involved 

• yep. I agree. I think we need to find some words more clear for that because democracy should be "always" participative or should always involved the people, no ? 

• Maybe something like "equitable participation"? This will require some thought... But yes you are right about this

• perhaps, it will be better to separate the 2 ideas : participation (involvment) and democracy (justice and equity) ? 

• => 1) To be based on participation processes .... bla bla bla 

• => 2) To be developped with pluralism and solidarity approach (or principle) 

• ???

• What do you think of participatory action research? 

• This is a good idea, I will look for some literature that explains this clearly and thoroughly. "Solidarity Approach" is a perfect way to explain what I was trying to say here, I like it very much... 

 

1. To use collaboration - A process in which an individual works with others to do a task and to achieve shared goals. It is a recursive process where two or more people or organizations work together to realize shared goals, (this is more than the intersection of common goals seen in co-operative ventures, but a deep, collective determination to reach an identical objective between each and every stakeholder of an urban commons

 

 

• Actors and stakeholders

1. Friends Groups

2. Park Conservancies

3. Non-Governmental/Non-Profit Organizations

4. Municipalities and Governing Bodies

5. Small Local Businesses and Enterprises

6. Citizens (Seperated by Age and Purpose: Young People, Families, Elderlies) (Could also be split from Primary users to Secondary users Groups)

7. Platform Co-operatives

8. Academic Researchers

• I will put the definition of each actor here, but should I explain what their involvement/responsibilities could look like in the tactical chartering process here?

• why not to use directly the wiki ?  we can look for the definitions

• Absolutely, I will literally copy and paste from remix the commons and provide a link to each concepte. Will do...

• yes and include the links. I think, we could underlign (?) the concepts that must be linked in the wiki. It could help to clarify them, because when it's too complicate, the process (by the wiki) doen't work well. 

• Understood... the same should be done for the "objectives"

 

• Key Characteristics of Tactical Chartering

1. A clear definition - Of or relating to small-scale actions serving a larger purpose, Or a process of planning and or maneuvering between unrelated groups to accomplish a common purpose

2. A deliberate phased approach to instigating change - Whatever the objective might be, tactical chartering is an organized way of making a plan, setting rules and norms, and providing responsibilities that make the writing of the charter more conducive to the people and physical space of the neighborhood

3. An offering of local ideas for planning local challenges - Inhabitants know best what the neighborhood needs to retain its character or provide unobtainable needs to residents of a neighbhorhood, so inhabitants will share ideas, norms, and decisions to tackle whatever challenge an urban commons might face

4. Short term commitment and realistic expectations - Projects should remain relatively local and conducive to the conditions of the neighborhood instead big-scale planned projects that run the risk of changing the character of the neighborhood. If projects are at a smaller scale, it is more likely that its residents will actively participate to reach the objective. That said, tactical chartering can lead to a low risk change to the neighborhood with a potentially high reward. Experimental projects can be done inexpensively, with flexibility, and with the possibility for adjustments to be made.

5. Development of Social Capital between different involved groups - Social capital can be shared and distributed between residents, community leaders, private institutions, NGOs, and other constituents, which helps foster clearer communication in the planning of a charter. This will also help develop trust between the different groups involved in the same project, which makes it easier for people to work with one another

6. Participatory Planning - Urban projects are more successful when the public is involved with the testing of ideas and design features, this will also help raise public awareness to the project.

7. Online Sharing Tactics - Participants can use sophisticated web-based tools to allow the sharing of ideas to certain urban issues. Such ideas can be distributed across several cities that are faced with similar problems within minutes. 

• This part is completely new.. what do you think? And does it fit with the rest of the content here?

 

• Key Tasks to Tactical Chartering (For Organizations and People)

 

Getting the community involved

 

Cities around the world are faced with various social and economic issues, and many of them choose a development platform around urban commons to address these issues. Each urban commons in a given area may have a different objective, whether it is to preserve a space, empower a community, or change a space so that it fits the needs and personalities of the community. In fact, Urban Commons projects become successful when the involved stakeholders are able to voice their concerns to each other with a given area. In a space where such concerns can be heard, people can also agree on what is the right tactic for governance and decision-making within that urban commons. That said, there is a profound necessity to involve the people and to make sure that the involved organizations are represented by the inhabitants around these urban commons. Each organization has its role to play in the process of communication and in the development for a charter. Some organizations will hold the responsibility of hosting panels or discussion meetings to get ideas heard for the development of the charter, some may be involved in communicating to the municipality, and others will provide expert feedback and suggestions to ensure that the charter is clear, usable, and enforceable. This manifesto will include other specific roles that organizations can play in this process. 

• pour moi, les organisations dont tu parles devraient émaner des gens. On dirait que tu considères qu'elles sont des "services extérieurs". Est-ce que tu penses cela ? 

• Oui, parce que une organization (meme si c'est emanée par des gens du quartier) va repondre et participer au l'ecriture de chartre differament qu'un resident individuel du quartier. 

• pas sur de comprendre. Une charte peut-elle être élaborée en dehors des habitants ? je ne le crois pas. 

• Oui c'est vrai ca. Il faut que je reflecte un peut plus concretement cette partie

• je dirai à la place de " certain organizations can have the responsibility to communicate with these people" : there is a necessity to involved the people and each organization has its role to play in the process of communication.. What could it be ? .... 

•  

• I have to let you now. See you next time in this pad or somewhere else :-)  

• thanks for the feedback

• By 

• J'ai fait quelque changements ici, on discutera la difference entre cette version et la version precedent pour voir...

• I changed some parts of here to make sure it was a bit more clear

•  

• Key concepts (of actions) : 

1. Getting the community involved 

 

In order to start a constructive dialogue for creation, recognition, or preservation of a commons space, you need to have an active participating body with certain roles as a basis for the process. A project that deals with changing, modifying, and updating the urban fabric must include the input of the people that live in and around that project in order for it to be successful. Projects become successful people are able to voice their concerns with a given area. But it is not just concerns that various involved organizations and municipalities should hear, it is also what people think is the best tactic to change. People will disagree on this, but hearing their side will help assess which is the best tactic to change or place an urban commons in a given area. In fact, certain organizations can have the responsibility to communicate with these people to see how they understand the area and what they want changed. Certain ways to approach this are: 

 

• Questionnaire Development and Interview Participation - questions should be organized based on finding the identity of a neighborhood, highlighting what general qualities and problems exist, and explaining what a path forward would look like in neighborhood improvement. 

 

• Townhall meetings - (perhaps in the urban commons itself) where organizations communicate with residents to set up a townhall gathering as a place to explain the problem for each stakeholder, and various solutions proposed by each stakeholder. And then a panel where people can say things about whats right and whats wrong (both organizations and participants can facilitate this, and make it organized through social media or some sign up sheet platform. 

 

• Leadership Facilitation - Everyone should give opinions on what a leader should look like in facilitating these meetings. That will make it easier to decide on the leaders. The persons facilitating this should be the people that are most interested and adamant about being involved in the chartering process of an urban commons

 

• Social Media facilitation - people see highlighted plans and they can add comments of approval/disapproval that would help mediators further understand what would be best for the neighborhood

 

 

 

2. Assessing the physical aspect of the space

 

Assessing the physical aspect of a space means that inhabitants are able to clearly define what the space is and how they use it within its realm. One has to understand why a place has degraded, why it needs to preserved, why it is threatened, or threatening to a neighborhood, or why it provides advantages in the neighborhood. Such concerns must be voiced on a given area. This will help better understand what solution is appropriate. One also needs to learn the boundaries of the place, and exactly what the diameters are to determine whether the space is based on enclosure, or whether the space is shared. The physical aspects of the space determine how ‘communitarian it is’. Also is the space separated into specific individual parcels? or is the space entirely open within its boundaries? Opening and access to this commons from different angles is also very important in the assessment of a tactical chartering. The commons needs to be accessible from all angles so that it is a place for every surrounding community. Determining access points is important. This will also help see if this commons supports the development of enclosure or the development of shared communal spaces.

• First sentence pertains ONLY to degradation, but there a conditions within the commons that can be in a good state, so preservation becomes the desired outcome. Make sure to generalize this specific term of this task...

• Each sub-chapter should be more focussed on what than why : what is (or should be  "Assessing the physical aspect of the space" rather than why " there was a reason to voice concern"

• You're right... I will add some sentenses on what this process is.

• the "why" should be in another chapter (probably before) that explain the reasons and the principles of the tactical chartering 

• I agree with this point. This will take some time to reorganize...

•  

• Condition Identification - It is important to understand the objective of this tactical chartering process. That means one has to identify if this commons will preserve a shared physical space or repairing/improving a degradated shared physical space. That will highlight the specific steps for acheiving the common objective

 

• Fencing Detection and Enclosure Recognition - Observing where the fences that protect the commons end

 

• Access Points - Determining access points and what direction they serve. Hence what points do people come from and why?

 

• Physical Mapping - Where people are given an actual map of the neighborhood, they fill in what they think the boundaries of this shared space are, which parcels of the neighborhood use them the most, and what actually places people use in the neighborhood that surround the urban commons 

 

 

3. Assessing the social aspect of the space (perhaps through mental mapping)

 

Assessing the social aspect of the space involves observing the communication between people who use the space. It also involved what people see within the space, and how they use it. The best way to show this is by having people draw a mental map of the neighborhood the shared space is in, and perhaps asking them to detail the shared space itself. People who draw more objects or personal matters will feel very closely to the space, and they may have a better idea on what to do best for the neighborhood. Also, we can use statistical measurements to see what objects people draw the most, and then there could be a focus around that specific aspect of the shared space. 

 

• Stanley Milgram’s theory of mental mapping - where people can emphasize what they find most important in their neighborhood, and what is important to them about this neighborhood

 

• Determining the boundaries of the neighborhood or what people see are the boundaries (important in accessing who will use this urban commons space)

 

• Determining what this urban commons will be used for - for example, if people in a mental map show food places, the urban commons must facilitate places where people can sit down, eat their food, and recycle it properly (that commons should have bench tables and recycling resources). 

 

 

4. Finding the Stakeholders/Making decisions that benefit the grand pool of stakeholders, particularly the people

 

The stakeholders include everyone interested in being part of the planning of an urban commons. One has to find interested participants to give a project some friction. Neighborhood locals can be very vehement about participating in the urban common development, and these people will have a myriad of ideas to share and put forth in the planning. In order to find these people, signs can be posted around recreational centers that explain what is going on and how people can get involved. The use of social media will also attract people into becoming participants. The organization around meeting these participants must be fair (so everyone must be heard), and people should be able to share some ideas with one another. Once the participants have been received, there can be discussion about the kind of decisions that need to be taken, and how each decision process will affect an urban space. It is particularly hard to move forward on any decisions when many people have completely different opinions on what is right for the space. That is why the dialogue has to be set in an organized matter, meaning that the forum will have a certain schedule that will allow each individual group to present their case. There should also be a moderator who can identify similarities of what people say (problems, specific objects that they relate to and note them down. 

 

• Collective Action - the process in which individuals who are pursuing collective interests by gaining any form of value from them within a group, and working collectively with other individuals to agree upon decisions that are harder to make in a group (Gillbert 2006)

 

• Roles of Responsibility - Each stakeholder must have a responsibility that helps nurture the charter of the urban commons. More organization means the the process of the charter can be more clearly defined, more efficient, and it will incentivize people to participate and adhere to their responsiblities, which will benefit the public around an urban commons. 

 

• Democratic approach to decision making - Where active participants vote on 'common' decision in an environment where each vote is counted as same value. This democratic approach helps active participants agree upon a decision that will effect everyone active in an urban commons. 

 

5. Understanding the character of the neighborhood (through history, and present times)

 

Each neighborhood has a distinct character because it has been shaped by its history. Understanding what that history is will give a superior knowledge to what this neighborhood and its people represent. The history is what brings out the character in a neighborhood, and any addition to that neighborhood must consider the past in order to keep its character alive. Commons especially must embody that character, so that the neighborhood can keep being a place that is properly represented by the people. In order to do that, one has to talk to the people of the neighborhood who have been there for a long time, and are watching the place evolve for many years. Some people will give you historical accounts of major social events, protests, movements, and leaders, all of which shape the identity of a neighborhood. Understanding that will allow the formation of the commons to highlight these historical accounts, and the people will feel more connected to the commons as a major part of this neighborhood (character). Story sharing is a key tactic in the chartering process. The best way to do that in the chartering process is by asking locals in the neighborhood what the past was like, and what stories they will share that should be distributed to everyone involved in the neighborhood.

 

• Tactical Story-Sharing - Inhabitants have a long relationship with the neighborhood they live in. Sharing these stories and instilling them in a shared space can enrich the presence and function of these urban commons

 

• Cultural Awareness - Each neighborhood has a story of people moving in and out, and placing their culture within the neighborhood. It is important for a shared space to enhance the culture of a neighborhood, and this can be done by working with inhabitants and small businesses and see how a shared space can become a part of their quotidian life. 

 

6. Understanding the qualities of the neighborhood to further highlight and improve them in the urban commons

 

It is important to find out how people relate to their neighborhood, and what qualities they share that make this place a pleasant and fun place to live. Bringing out the positivities in a neighborhood will entice people to feel a strong connection, like the place, and be driven to maintain it so that it is preserved and not degraded. When people are reminded what they like about their neighborhood, they will participate in the chartering process to make sure people understanding these qualities. Detecting of qualities makes people proud. The urban commons should be a place that encapsulates these qualities, so that people in the neighborhood can use this space to take advantage of these qualities. The best way to do that in the chartering process is to ask residents what qualities they find when living here. 

 

7. Communication/Dialogue between and within the people

 

Once it is decided who will participate as a resident and as an organization, a dialogue can take place where people get their needs heard, and organizations document them so that they are ready to present it to people involved in the development of the urban commons. It is important for people to set up networks so that there could be as much reach as possible. The more people participate, the more value this commons could potentially hold. The communication has to be fluid and organized, but also getting as many voices heard as possible. 

 

• Group Creation, Division of Responsibility - Making groups that have succinct responsibilities, taking care of specific problems, holding on certain forms of communication

 

• Community conversation (this is similar to the townhall meeting approach)

 

• Network establishment - people should be trained to reach out to as many people as possible when recruiting for urban commons involved. That network must be officialized, established, documented, and expandable. People meeting people should give out recommendations on who to talk to, if a problem is heard from two different people and from two different location within that neighborhood, they should be able to meet, relate, and start a sub-movement within community conversation

 

8. Communication/Dialogue with a capable government, perhaps a municipality

There must be a certain level of organization in order to approach a government about future development plans in a neighborhood. Governments are often subject to regulatory slippage when managing shared green spaces in a city, so communities can assume the role setting up rules and surveillance mechanisms to protect and preserve an urban commons. Governments in return should officially recognize these commons as independent and functioning institutions in order to protect and enrich the commons. Government back-up will protect the commons from become a parcel of private property and will become prioritized to received government protection and funding that is key for the permancy of urban green commons. In other words, governments might create and enforce de jure rights for commoners in urban green commons, and recognize and support de facto rights between and within commoners who wish to create, manage, and maintain within the urban commons site. De Jure rights will provide adequate and reliable protection, while de facto rights, in conjunction of de Jure rights, will create collective action and several guidelines for commoners to use and mantain the urban commons.  

 

• Implementing De Jure Rights - Enforcements by governments in the form of formal and legal instrumentalities explicitly granting rights to specific individual resource users. This implies that any conflicts within property rights can be settled in a judicial setting. 

 

• Supporting De Facto Rights - Informal institutional set of arrangements determining resource use organized or enforced by individual users who are not officially recognized by government bodies

 

9. Putting a label to what this urban commons is and how it will be used.

It is important to recognize that each commons serves a different purpose for a specific area or region. This means that each urban commons is different from one another, with a different objective. Having general classifications and labelled types of commons will help determine the differences and similarities within each commons. This will create transparancy between commoners and governments. Most importantly, it will help commoners share and distribute infromation on one another based on relevancy and experience. In other words, commons with a specific goal and within a specific biological region can communicate with another commons that is labelled in the same way, making the information transfer focused, reliable, and efficient. This type of focused infomation distribution will help create the networks necessary to keep this commons movement growing. The labels that may be used can also be found under the 'Key Concepts' of the "Remix the Commons" website. 

 

Each commons

• concepts "résultats" ?

• to be discussed... Im not sure how to organize these last 3 parts... because clearly they come after the charter is proposed

• I will also need to develop them in the same way as the other 7 parts.

• I need to run, Ill be back on the hackpad in 45 minutes

 

10. Making sure the urban commons is space that is to stay

In order to keep the general commons movement relevant and growing. Urban commons that are created, shared, and preserved must be considered permanent establishments. Often enough these community gardens are temporary set ups before the vacant lots are under construction by a private developer. The permanency of these community gardens depends on well-organized collective action and strong local governance to develop a strong appearance or aesthetic that adds to the character of the neighborhood. That permanency is key to developing lessons learned, documenting experiences, and delivering a higher-level quality of lifestyle for urban residents in the long run. As people use an urban common more frequently, they will be incentivized to manage, improve, and protect it. The more active and norm-abiding users there are within a commons, the more residents, municipalities, and other actors will see such a commons as an entity to stay. 

 

• Permanency - The process designed to protect a community garden that is only temporary set up until the vacant lot it sits on is under construction. This process is based on collective action and strong local governance in developing a strong appearance or aesthetic that adds to the character of the neighborhood.  (Barthel 2013)

 

• Cognitive Resilience Building - a mental process of human perception, memory, and reasoning that people acquire from interacting frequently with local ecosystems, shaping peoples’ experience, world views, values towards local ecosystems and ultimately towards the biosphere. (Barthel 2013)

 

• Vocabulary :

 

 

• Note : Resources and bibliography

How to make a Community Charter.docx

Tactical_urbanism_vol_2

• Wouah !! c'est génial ce bouquin !