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Fearless Cities: A guide to the global municipalist movement
In a world in which fear and insecurity are being twisted into hate, and inequalities, xenophobia and authoritarianism are on the rise, a renewed municipalist movement is standing up to defend human rights, radical democracy and the common good. In 2015 in Spain, housing rights activist Ada Colau was elected mayor of Barcelona, and movements from the squares won local elections across the country on manifestos pledging to tackle corruption and radicalize democracy. In the United States, cities are on the front line of resistance to Trump, standing up for diversity, women's and LGBTI rights, and working to tackle climate change. In Turkey and Syria, Kurdish democratic confederalism is a beacon of participatory democracy, feminism and human rights in a sea of violence and discrimination. In Latin America, new municipalist movements are springing up and working to fight poverty and inequality by building economic alternatives from below. It The theoretical underpinnings of municipalism, including the politics of proximity and the movement's role in feminizing politics and stopping the far right. Examples of real radical policies being implemented in town and cities across the world to guarantee the right to housing, remunicipalize basic services and democratize decision-making. Practical organizing strategies and tools from municipalist platforms, from how to draw up a participatory manifesto to how to crowdsource funding or hold a neighbourhood assembly. Profiles of 50 pioneering municipalist platforms from around the world.
256 pages, Paperback
Published February 5, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 1, 2019
Fearless Cities - A Guide to the Global Municipalist Movement ( New Internationalist, 2019). I have been pre-ordering and waiting for this book which is a follow-up read to some of the discussions from last year’s The World Transformed where I really picked up on some of the fairly revolutionary stuff that is happening at city levels and the ‘global municipalist movement’. This is probably the most exciting stuff in terms of building real-life alternatives to capitalism that I am aware of.
A few take-aways: Recently, concrete social and political struggles in the squares and streets of cities and towns all over the world translated into the most diverse social movements taking over city halls (‘rebel cities’ ‘indy towns’ etc), most famously the Barcelona en Comu where former housing activist Ada Colau was elected mayor of Barcelona in 2015, mostly across Southern Europe and Latin America. Often, these movements came about through concrete struggles over affordable housing, environmental issues and fighting global investors in the neighborhood. This is probably the theoretically and practically most exciting thing about municipalism: it can challenge globalized political power without resorting to the nation state and nationalism. While focused on the local administrative level, municipalism is globalist in its outlook in two ways. On the one hand, cities can challenge right wing populism and nationalism through the concept of citizenship based on residence rather than ethnicity and nationality; think the existing ‘sanctuary cities’ which treat immigrants as residents from day one and provide immigrants with city photo IDs. On the other hand, municipalism is globalist in its approach of cities across the globe working together – as expressed in this book which builds on the cooperation of over 50 cities all over the world. The city can provide real and practical alternatives to global capitalism, through socialized and community run provision of services and public spaces.
Equally important is municipalism’s challenge to patriarchy through feminizing politics at the local level, e.g., ensuring equal representation and speaking time in assemblies (also using video technology etc to make sure people with children can participate in the time consuming direct democracy) but also through city planning and public transport that takes into account the gendered and class based nature of city and service use.
The book provides an excellent snapshot of the cities that have been ‘taken over’ by citizens over the past five years or so. It’s also a guidebook on some lessons learned and ideas that worked in some contexts and may be replicated elsewhere (maybe we’ll see something similar happening in Berlin through the ongoing movement to re-socialize housing and fight global investors who are driving up housing prices and re-organize the city along profit lines.). Bigger picture: while globalization makes ‘us’ feel powerless as capital is global and politics still based on nation states that rarely challenge capital (especially in the context of hollowed out democracies bordering oligarchies), cities can be a democratic political space where we can collectively build alternatives to capitalism (in a ‘globalist municipalist sense not just localist and isolated).
A few take-aways: Recently, concrete social and political struggles in the squares and streets of cities and towns all over the world translated into the most diverse social movements taking over city halls (‘rebel cities’ ‘indy towns’ etc), most famously the Barcelona en Comu where former housing activist Ada Colau was elected mayor of Barcelona in 2015, mostly across Southern Europe and Latin America. Often, these movements came about through concrete struggles over affordable housing, environmental issues and fighting global investors in the neighborhood. This is probably the theoretically and practically most exciting thing about municipalism: it can challenge globalized political power without resorting to the nation state and nationalism. While focused on the local administrative level, municipalism is globalist in its outlook in two ways. On the one hand, cities can challenge right wing populism and nationalism through the concept of citizenship based on residence rather than ethnicity and nationality; think the existing ‘sanctuary cities’ which treat immigrants as residents from day one and provide immigrants with city photo IDs. On the other hand, municipalism is globalist in its approach of cities across the globe working together – as expressed in this book which builds on the cooperation of over 50 cities all over the world. The city can provide real and practical alternatives to global capitalism, through socialized and community run provision of services and public spaces.
Equally important is municipalism’s challenge to patriarchy through feminizing politics at the local level, e.g., ensuring equal representation and speaking time in assemblies (also using video technology etc to make sure people with children can participate in the time consuming direct democracy) but also through city planning and public transport that takes into account the gendered and class based nature of city and service use.
The book provides an excellent snapshot of the cities that have been ‘taken over’ by citizens over the past five years or so. It’s also a guidebook on some lessons learned and ideas that worked in some contexts and may be replicated elsewhere (maybe we’ll see something similar happening in Berlin through the ongoing movement to re-socialize housing and fight global investors who are driving up housing prices and re-organize the city along profit lines.). Bigger picture: while globalization makes ‘us’ feel powerless as capital is global and politics still based on nation states that rarely challenge capital (especially in the context of hollowed out democracies bordering oligarchies), cities can be a democratic political space where we can collectively build alternatives to capitalism (in a ‘globalist municipalist sense not just localist and isolated).
July 6, 2021
Not so much a book as a catalog -- of inspiring community organizing projects in cities around the world, many of which (especially those outside the USA) have been successful at transforming cities. As a lifelong proponent and practioner of change from below and engagement in city politics, I approve, but the book would be more engaging if the writing were better.
September 19, 2019
An interesting resource book that demonstrates that radical change is possible - even in places where it seems like it would be impossible.
April 19, 2024
I will read this again for my thesis....
August 25, 2021
Practical minded guidebook for both organizing and making policy at a progressive, localist level involving continuous popular political and social mobilization. Not quite a how-to, but more an inspirational account of what is actually happening in cities all over he world, on the basis of not responding to urban crises with fear-mongering, but rather with anti-fascism, feminization, and inclusion.
June 15, 2021
Good starting point for exploring horizontal power systems as applied to municipal government.
Doesn't go too deep into any one topic, but uses a consistent framing to spark discussion
Doesn't go too deep into any one topic, but uses a consistent framing to spark discussion
October 4, 2020
This will be inspiring for some, but short on details and description for others. Either way, the book captures many ideas and practices that are some of the most sound experiments in working out what genuine participatory democracy might look like in our modern era, by people who manage to be both clear-eyed and utopian at the same time. If you can't get hold of the book, you can learn about some of these projects on their website at http://fearlesscities.com/
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September 8, 2020Excellent book, comprehensively covering the municipalist movement with practical examples and routes to follow to find out more. Highly recommend it for anybody interested in progressive politics which are rooted in communities and localities rather than focussed on national government (plus it proves the theory works when it's put into practice).
July 9, 2019
Concerned about all of the crises plaguing our planet overall? This book helps you consider options on how to act locally within your city and take action with others when nation-states fail. Great lessons to be learned from international cities.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews