The metropolis in-between neoliberalism and the common: disputes and alternatives in the contemporary production of space

Abstract

In opposition to neoliberal rationalities that tend to extend the imperatives of the market and of private property to all spheres of life, the common delineates the construction of cooperative forms of production and management of shared resources. In this article, we propose a brief theoretical reflection on how certain contradictions in the production of space in the contemporary metropolis can be understood through the clash between these two opposing political poles – neoliberalism and the common. The paper explores geo-historical injunctions and interlacements between neoliberalism and the metropolis, as well as the processes of indebtedness and financialization of the city. We present the main critical theoretical formulations concerning the common and highlight the growing relevance of the urban commons as an alternative to the neoliberal metropolis.