THE COMMONS

Thursday, 3/5, 6:30 pm: THE COMMONS Given the massive bailout of the financial sector by the US government and the demise of laissez-faire capitalism, questions of regulation, shared burden and collective action resonate more strongly than ever with the public. Garrett Hardin's 1968 essay "The Tragedy of the Commons"illustrates the dilemma in which multiple individuals acting independently in her or his own self-interest can ultimately destroy a shared resource, even when everyone knows that this depletion is in no one’s long-term interest. Hardin, a biologist, was concerned with population growth, and discusses the moral and ethical issues at stake when "no technical solution" to the problem is available. How might we re-evaluate the Commons as both opportunity and dilemma today? Taking a cue from Rahm Emanuel's remark that "you never want a serious crisis to go to waste," this discussion will question how the current shift in national sentiment toward shared responsibility and collective action might enable us to re-examine the Commons as a social form. How might the structure of the Commons help shape the way we think about shared natural resources such as fresh water or air, or the physical structure of our cities? How might successful initiatives such as Creative Commons provide useful insights into ways of structuring sharing in other areas? How should we take action to protect our common wealth? Featuring: NORA LIBERTUN DE DUREN, Director of Planning, New York City Parks and Recreation Department OLYMPIA KAZI, Executive Director, Institute for Urban Design MICHAEL MANDIBERG, Artist MARK SHEPARD, AND; SUNY-Buffalo BROOKE SINGER, Artist Moderated by GAVIN BROWNING, Studio-X Sponsored by IZZE Sparkling Juice RSVP: [email protected] Free and open to the public __________________ Studio-X 180 Varick Street, Suite 1610 New York City Between King and Charleton Streets 1 train to Houston Street [Studio-X is a downtown studio for experimental design and research run by the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation of Columbia University.]