Trojan horse or adaptive institutions? Some reflections on urban commons in Australia

The rubric of 'new' commons signals the re-assessment of old dilemmas about resource management and collaborative action in new social, spatial and technological settings. Urban commons feature in the expanding register of new commons, but there has been little analysis of the meaning and application of the concept. This article explores the urban commons in an Australian context, focusing on the provision of social infrastructure. While noting criticism of the concept's imprecision and ideological valency, the article argues that the urban commons offers new perspectives on public resources, urban governance and sustainability.