Analysing the social practice of urban commons-oriented coproduction : The case of Sant Cugat del Vallès in Spain
Maestre Andrés, Sara (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Calvet Mir, Laura (Institut Metròpoli)
Simon Mas, Gemma (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Bianchi, Iolanda (Universitat de Barcelona. Departament de Sociologia)
Ferreri, Mara (Politecnico di Torino)
Pera, Marina (Universitat Oberta de Catalunya)
Reguero Jiménez, Núria (Instituto de Gobierno y Políticas Públicas (IGOP))
Villamayor Tomás, Sergio (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)

Date:	2026
Abstract:	Research attention is being paid to the different ways urban commoners engage with the local state to address commons material needs and the implications of this engagement. To have a better understanding of these processes, this article proposes an analytical framework to examine the social practice of commons-oriented coproduction. It studies the social network of urban commons in a neighbourhood of Sant Cugat del Vallès (Spain), to assess the type of collaborations urban commoners are engaged in. It is combined with analyses of current collaborative processes among urban commoners and with the local state through the lens of The Collaborative Advantage theory, which distinguishes five aspects of the collaboration: shared goals, trust, cultural diversity, leadership and power. Our results show that a collaborative relationship exists between most urban commons initiatives and the City Council, the latter occupying a central position in the social network of urban commons. However, most initiatives expressed lack of trust in the City Council, complaining about the rigid administrative procedures and the frequent imposition of a political agenda. We argue that collaborations with the state are sometimes needed to ensure the (re)production of urban commons, however, they are often characterised by tensions.
Grants:	Agencia Estatal de Investigación MDM2015-0552
Note:	Altres ajuts: acords transformatius de la UAB
Note:	Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-M
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, i la comunicació pública de l'obra, sempre que no sigui amb finalitats comercials, i sempre que es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original. No es permet la creació d'obres derivades.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Urban commons ; Co-production ; Social network ; Collaborative advantage ; Social and solidarity economy
Published in:	Cities, Vol. 172 (May 2026) , art. 106884, ISSN 0264-2751

DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2026.106884

13 p, 1.6 MB

The record appears in these collections:
Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles