To facilitate the creation of a network of generative commons across Europe, gE.CO has built, since February 2019, the project website, gE.CO database, gE.CO platform and gE.CO toolbox. Moreover, a biannual newsletter is regularly issued
The website (
https://generative-commons.eu/(s’ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)) is the tool for informing about gE.CO’s progress and for collecting materials developed during the implementation of the project. So far, the gE.CO database collected more than 200 generative commons in Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain and UK. The database is accessible in the project website, and it is mainly organized around two categories: community of citizens - including both formal and informal groups - and urban policies.
Among the cases collected in the database, a group has been identified to be studied in depth throughout interviews and surveys. The aim of this assessment phase is to understand which factors make self-organized experiences sustainable and how Public Institutions can support the development of generative commons. The results of the assessment phase have been the starting point for developing in 2021 the innovative gE.CO DIY package. It includes tools to facilitate citizens' participation in taking care of urban commons; to improve the internal organization of communities; and to renovate open spaces and buildings where solidarity initiatives are organized. To facilitate the creation of local partnerships between communities and public administrations, a legal toolkit has been created. Furthermore, specific recommendations are devoted to improve women' participation and underrepresented groups.
The gE.CO platform is composed of a map and a set of open source tools (gE.CO toolbox). The map provides users with a European-wide overview of generative commons and permit zooming on different scales: European, national, and local. The three-level system allows the use of the map as an informative tool but also as an operative network, since it facilitates connections. The map has been populated uploading more than 200 cases in Europe. Accesses to the platform (14300 in 2020; 13600 in 2021; and 1800 ins the first months of 2022) shows that it is a well-known tool to discover the world of commons. The gE.CO Toolbox is conceived as a device for supporting citizens and administrations, providing them with a tool for collaborative editing of community pages (Wiki.js); a tool for synchronous text editing and cloud storage (NextCloud); and a tool for synchronous communication (RocketChat).
During the final period, the gE.CO consortium developed its own tasks by involving communities and civil servants: 15 workshops have been organized to test and improve the gE.CO DIY package, and 3 thematic webinars allowed to discuss the project progress. An International Conference of Urban Commons has been organized in order to present the gE.CO project to European and international scholars: more than 60 researchers responded to the call for papers.
The consortium decided to present gE.CO and the tools not only to a specialized audience and for this reason, the project has been presented during the European Researchers' Night and one of the tools of the gE.CO CIY package has been tested.
The main strategy to exploit the results of the project consists in the creation of the Widespread Museum of Generative Commons, allowing to explore the Europe of the commons, as well as to discover communities through thematic itineraries.
