Commoning within the city implies collaboratively transforming spaces to address the basic needs of urban dwellers through collective action. Urban food commoners are developing various methods for producing, distributing, transforming, and sharing food, often through voluntary labor or independent organizations, including NGOs. This research considers such practitioners’ utopian imaginaries of feeding/nourishing/eating in the city.
Utopian imaginaries encompass beliefs, desires, and actions that shape perceptions of possibility. Exploring the utopian imaginaries of urban food commoning practitioners can reveal transformative pathways to desirable alternative futures.
The research develops a novel methodology for commons research by utilizing the future creating workshop (FCW) paired with Ruth Levitas’ Imaginary Reconstitution of Society’ (IRS) or 'utopia as method'. This approach is infused with artistic activities to explore and articulate the desired present-futures envisioned by urban food commoning practitioners.
The FCW provides a space for individuals to express their commitment to shared issues, emphasizing participants’ interests and lived experiences. It consists of three phases: Critique (identifying problems), Utopia (envisioning an ideal future), and Realization (strategizing implementation). To enhance discussions during the Utopia and Realization phases, we incorporate IRS modes—archaeology, ontology, and architecture—to articulate detailed utopian visions. Crafting these utopias involves recognizing present opportunities and determining the values and systems to support them. By integrating artistic activities such as image theater, drawing, and collage, the FCW creates engaging sessions that consider different means of expression, encourage diverse perspectives, and facilitate collaborative meaning-making.
In this presentation, we provide an overview of the use of these methodologies in a research project to imagine the urban as a regenerative space for food commoning. We also present the outcomes of using this methodology with research participants who express their aspirations, hope, and strategies for life-sustaining collective action.
