bigcitytransplant

I am interested in the notion of the commons from reading a report called the Commons Rising written by Peter Barnes, Jonathan Rowe and Kathleen Maloney of the Tomales Bay Institute.  The Tomales Bay Institute educates about the commons through publications, gatherings, media outreach and a variety of special projects.   

I found the description of all the common resources available inspiring such as Craigs list, Wikipedia and even learning about free operating system software that major companies use.  As The Tomales Bay Institute puts it “The Commons Rising is about the growing grass roots activities that are defending and invigorating the commons wholistically, from the Internet to natural resources, public spaces, information and culture. We can see the ‘commons rising’ in collaborative websites and ecosystem trusts; in innovative legal tools such as conservation easements and Creative Commons licenses; in new types of social networks such as community gardens and time banks; and in new online communities such as Wikipedia, free and open source software, Craigslist and open science initiatives.”

The Commons Rising follows an earlier report by the Tomales Bay Institute that audited the “state of the commons.” That report found that many commons are “grossly mismanaged” and in need of protection. What I wonder is how is the state of the Portland and its’ outlying areas fare in terms of their commons. We do have free wi-fi, bike lanes, Pioneer Square, Fareless Square and public libraries. Is that enough or do we need more?

A copy of The Commons Rising can also be downloaded from the right column of the OntheCommons.org home page.   They are based in Point Reyes Station, California, with an office in Minneapolis and Fellows across the country. For more information, contact Kathleen Maloney, Coordinator, at TBI, PO Box 14967, Minneapolis, MN 55414 , or tbicoordinator@earthlink.net .

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