In 2014, Barcelona en Comú emerged from grassroots social movements and occupations of public spaces to organize a social movement for radical democracy centered in the city, to win power and govern in more inclusive, participatory, transparent and accountable ways. In 2015, Ada Colau, a housing …
Introduction
Building Power in the City by Johanna Brenner This essay introduces two municipal movements (Richmond, California and Barcelona, Spain) which are explored further in our reading list and argues that combining deep organizing with electoral politics can transform our cities. Read Article …
Section I: Envisioning a Democratic City
Right to the City Because cities serve as the centers of global capital, they hold great potential as spaces of social struggle against capital, particularly by bringing participatory democracy to life. Social movements worldwide are inventing new strategies for challenging the ruling apparatus and …