Citizen Professionals Reclaiming Collective Spaces

On civic actors in urban dynamics: urging shared ownership, the social value of autonomy, maintaining autonomy as intermediaries, as based on rigorous fieldwork! In recent decades, citizens active in urban governance have taken up their roles as autonomous subjects, negotiating with governmental actors on the reuse of vacant buildings while representing the wishes of fellow residents to create self-managed communal spaces that are open to neighbourhood residents. They have appropriated vacant properties — and, where possible, constructed new buildings — in line with their own interests, those of civic groups, and the common good. They work to create affordable working, living, cultural and community places in an increasingly commercialised urban environment. In this publication, these civic actors are referred to as citizen professionals (CPs). Written by Karin Christof, with a foreword by Elke Krasny.