De Visscher, Jean-Philippe

Both top-down, state-driven planning in the Global North and bottom-up, informal practices in the Global South have proven inadequate for addressing contemporary urban challenges. A promising hybrid alternative lies in the principle of the urban commons, which advocates for the collective management of shared resources by its community of users, supported by multilevel institutional frameworks. However, bridging the gap between these approaches within complex urban settings remains a significant challenge.
Drawing from personal research experiences in Brussels, Belgium and Yaoundé, Cameroon, this presentation illustrates the limitations of dominant governance models in both contexts when addressing large-scale urban transitions, particularly in waste and water management, mobility, and social infrastructure. It emphasizes the importance of Northern cities learning from contexts where self-production and self-management of the urban environment occur on a large scale.
By comparing the methodologies developed to address challenges in these two contrasting settings, the presentation also identifies emerging convergences and complementarities. In both cases, adopting a multiscalar approach in both descriptive research—such as the combination of urban-scale mapping and in-depth on-site surveys—and prospective research—such as the integration of Research Through Design, prototyping, and action research—is crucial for driving social learning processes aimed at fostering the urban commons.