Brussels Studies Institute (BSI)

The current capitalist mode of production, based on the idea of ‘eternal economic growth’, is incompatible with the ecological limits of the planet. It is clear by now that the  ecological disaster, is too big and complex to be solved by existing capitalist political institutions and the civic awareness of the climate crisis is growing in parallel with citizens mobilising for action—as seen by movements and projects, such as Fridays for Future, Extinction Rebellion, Degrowth, Transition Towns, and R-Urban.

The ecological question must be tackled in relation to the environmental crisis but also, as suggested by Félix Guattari, in relation to the politico-economic crisis and the prevailing mental ecology. It also needs to be addressed in post-anthropocentric terms, going beyond the human world towards more-than-human lifeworlds.

Practices of co-resilience support diverse, non-capitalist economies based on mutual interest, sharing, and collaboration. They are usually built on relations of collective care and can contribute to planetary ecological repair while allowing means to local stakeholders to participate in the ecological and economic regeneration of their own places. Additionally, they have an important role in the “mental ecology” of the community, offering spaces for socialization, health, and wellbeing; and enabling the cultivation of producer, citizen, and activist subjectivities. They are spaces for learning how to be a resilient citizen: more socially and ecologically engaged and more responsible in relation to the neighbourhood, the city, and the Planet.

Urban eco-commoning and co-resilience processes can generate ecological benefits related to life-worlds at any scale. How can these benefits be sustained over time? What is the role of public institutions but also of profesionnals and activists in supporting them?

We will address these questions through good practice examples and a dialogue with a local initiative. (TBC).