Commoning is expected to shape both individual subjectivities and relationships, creating possibilities for broader social transformation (Dombroski et al. 2023; Singh 2017; Varvarousis and Kallis 2017). These processes include recognition—or intentional creation—of interdependency through sharing something and the development of a sense of mutuality, both toward one another and in the joint responsibility for whatever they share. Care is widely recognized as important in commoning, and commoning as being 'care-'full' or full of care (inter alia, Dombroski et al. 2019; Gibson-Graham et al. 2013; Lejano 2023; Sciarelli 2024; Trogal 2017; Williams 2020). At the same time, blind spots and inequalities that bedevil care work also occur within commoning, as in society more broadly (Anderson and Huron 2023; Blau 2021; Nightingale 2019; Noterman 2016; Tummers and MacGregor 2019).
To make sense of the varied relations among commoning, caring, and subjectivity, we consider both the various forms or “phases” of care acknowledged in the literature (Fisher and Tronto 1990; Tronto 2013) and those observed in settings where caring and commoning involve strangers (e.g., Alam and Houston 2020; Huron 2015). We demonstrate that only "caring with" necessarily supports commoning, given how it both arises from and (re)produces interdependency, which fosters a sense of mutuality. We suggest that caring with not only supports commoning but is an inherent – albeit not the only – component of commoning.
We then identify conditions associated with caring with and commoning in the context of open urban spaces. Caring with in socially open contexts depends on its visibility and organization. In these settings, the visibility of collective care supports recognition of sharing and interdependency, whereas organizing care in ways that are inclusive and non-hierarchical fosters relationships based on mutuality. Differential care may support commoning by welcoming people to participate in taking and giving care, allowing them to "become commoners" (Singh 2017; cf., Dombroski et al. 2018). Differential "caring with," however, threatens commoning, especially over the long term, because it involves hierarchy (cf., Noterman 2016). An exploration of the commoning practices of two movements associated with urban green spaces in Montréal illustrates variation in caring within commoning, as well as how the visibility and organization of caring influence commoning and socio-natural relations.
