Caring for life in common: Care, diversity and the paradox of the commons

Abstract

Although urban theory has long championed the urban commons, it has said little about how the commons are to be sustained. This article argues for the centrality of an ethic of care in sustaining the commons. Drawing on ethnographic research with activists seeking to create an age-friendly neighborhood in Kilburn, London, I develop four interlinked claims about care and the commons: First, prevailing approaches to valuing the commons fall short of what is needed to ensure their survival. Second, there is an element of commoning that underwrites the value of all public resources in the city. Third, an ethic of care—involving an ethical orientation toward situated particularity alongside a commitment toward entangling diverse forms of care—is essential for sustaining such commoning. Lastly, just as the urban commons require care to create and sustain their value, care requires the urban commons to become sufficiently expansive and inclusive.