Hulst, Natasha

This presentation seeks to deepen the understanding of “commons literacy” as both a conceptual framework and practical approach to building resilient commons-based structures in Amsterdam’s urban agriculture landscape. Through our work with the land commons advocacy initiatives Grond van Bestaan and Voedselpark Amsterdam, we examine how Amsterdam’s current land politics uphold a regime of scarcity. This scarcity, in turn, fosters competition and conflict—often placing urban farmers and entrepreneurs in opposition to one another and to the municipality, creating a fragmented environment that challenges collaboration and shared land management.

Rather than perceiving these divides as intractable political differences, we propose viewing them as openings for collective learning. Our approach reframes conflict as a productive space for dialogue and mutual understanding, integral to the development of commons-based modes of organization. Central to this process is “commons literacy,” which we understand not as a specific skill or capacity, but as a communal practice of discovery, negotiation, and collective “patterns of commoning” that emerge over time.

Through a series of educational initiatives—including lectures, workshops, and collective research sessions led by Natasha Hulst—we have facilitated spaces where diverse stakeholders can come together to explore and gradually define what commons mean in both theory and practice. These gatherings are not only about convening in a shared space but also about fostering a slow, intentional process of co-learning and developing patterns of commoning, such as shared stewardship, collaborative decision-making, and mutual care for land and community resources.

Our findings suggest that commons literacy, grounded in these patterns of commoning, is foundational to the collective establishment of shared values and practices in urban agriculture. Rather than a set of instructions or static knowledge, it represents an evolving process of building a shared understanding and a capacity to navigate complex social and political landscapes collaboratively. Through this presentation, we aim to demonstrate how commons literacy and emergent patterns of commoning can be instrumental in creating sustainable, commons-oriented models for urban land use.

In Amsterdam, commons initiatives are generating significant social, ecological, and economic value by addressing essential needs that markets and the state often fail to meet effectively. These endeavours, from community gardens to shared childcare and public space management, prioritize community well-being over profit while at the same time avoiding bureaucratic complexities. As commons gain momentum, offering localized solutions to pressing needs, the City of Amsterdam explored ways to support this movement. As commons face a major funding gap, as traditional finance structures are misaligned with their principles of collaborative governance, ecological care, and long-term communal benefit.

This presentation introduces relationalized finance, a new funding model developed by the Schumacher Center for New Economics and proposed by AmsterDOEN, the City of Amsterdam's action program for commons. This model emphasizes transvestment. An important concept in supporting this alternative theory of value – “living systems as generative” – is transvestment. This term refers to the deliberate transfer of money from conventional capitalist circuits of wealth-creation into commons-based circuits of value having a different character. Unlike conventional financial arrangements, which prioritize investor returns, relationalized finance functions as a social partnership or covenant, rooted in an ongoing commitment to supporting the diverse, often unmarketable value that commons produce.

Through transvestment, relationalized finance addresses the unique needs of commons by facilitating long-term stewardship, community cohesion, and mutual aid. It fosters investments that enable commons to operate autonomously, with a focus on creating sustainable, human-centered networks of care and responsibility. This model is not charity or “do-gooding” but a strategic investment in resilience and ecological health, offering an alternative to the extractive nature of traditional markets and bypassing the rigidities of state-driven support.

Relationalized finance and transvestment together provide a framework for redirecting resources into initiatives that regenerate community life, creating a financial ecosystem that values the commons' holistic contributions over immediate profit. This presentation will explore how this innovative approach, as envisioned by the Schumacher Center and championed by AmsterDOEN, can empower Amsterdam’s commons movement, strengthen their role as agents of positive social change, and serve as a replicable model for cities seeking to foster resilien