Overview page

P2P Urbanism as a global movement for improving urban environments

P2P Urbanism presented at the International Commons Conference

Many separate efforts taking places over the past several years came together around 2010 to define P2P Urbanism. This network of thoughts, and the principal ideas of its participants, were presented at the Berlin Commons Conference sponsored by the Heinrich Böll Foundation, Berlin, 1 November 2010. This was an event of major importance, as it helped to firmly anchor P2P Urbanism to the Commons movement arguing for and implementing a shared responsibility in both the design and use of the urban environment.

The book: "P2P Urbanism" by Nikos Salingaros and friends

Due to the interest generated by the presentation, some of the key writings are put together into a book draft: "P2P Urbanism" by Nikos Salingaros and friends (http://zeta.math.utsa.edu/~yxk833/P2PURBANISM.pdf), which will hopefully be published at some point soon. It is now available for free download. The individual articles are all on the web. Of course, this book represents but one portion of the broad range of thought behind P2P Urbanism, to be developed in future essays by other authors.

Contents:

1. A Definition of P2P Peer-to-Peer Urbanism.

2. A Brief_History_of_P2P-Urbanism.

3. Peer-to-Peer Themes and Urban Priorities for the Self-organizing Society.

4. Socially-Organized Housing: a New Approach to Urban Structure (http://zeta.math.utsa.edu/~yxk833/socialhousing.pdf). Also available in PORTUGUESE (http://zeta.math.utsa.edu/~yxk833/socialhousing-portuguese.pdf) and SPANISH (http://zeta.math.utsa.edu/~yxk833/socialhousing-spanish.pdf).

5. Michel Bauwens Interviews Nikos Salingaros on Peer to Peer Urbanism. Also available in GREEK (http://www.greekarchitects.gr/gr/αρχιτεκτονικες-ματιες/peer-to-peer-urbanism-id1973) and ITALIAN (as a Chapter of "NO ALLE ARCHISTAR: IL MANIFESTO CONTRO LE AVANGUARDIE", Libreria Editrice Fiorentina, Firenze, 2009).

P2P Urbanism World Atlas

Agatino Rizzo has undertaken to map existing projects that exemplify the many diverse aspects of P2P Urbanism into the P2P-Urbanism World Atlas. This map also provides a central point for future reference, as other groups discover that they have not been working alone. Anyone can add to this map, and the ultimate purpose is to link all P2P Urbanism groups into an interactive network. To subscribe to the discussion group, please visit the P2P-Urbanism World Atlas webpage.

Design Tools

The design component of P2P Urbanism that builds cities and restructures dysfunctional urban regions relies upon a recently-developed toolbox of methods. These are scattered among the work of different authors. Chapter 4 of the above book "Socially-Orbanized Housing" gives a detailed description of some techniques. Those readers who don't already know the "Pattern Language" of Christopher Alexander are referred to an (unauthorized!) online summary (http://vasarhelyi.eu/books/A_pattern_language_book/apl.htm). Further techniques are found in the books of Nikos Salingaros "Principles of Urban Structure" (http://zeta.math.utsa.edu/~yxk833/urbanstructure.html) -- most of whose chapters can be found on the web -- and "Twelve Lectures on Architecture: Algorithmic Sustainable Design" (http://www.bod.de/index.php?id=296&objk_id=354912), whose chapters in early version are free on the web (http://zeta.math.utsa.edu/~yxk833/algorithmic.html).

Work in Progress

Even before the International Commons Conference in Berlin, many P2P Urbanism ideas and applications have been circulating in draft form. Hopefully, they can be catalogued here as soon as they are published.

Related Concepts

Projects

More Information

Article by Nikos Salingaros: Peer-to-Peer Themes and Urban Priorities for the Self-organizing Society
Interview: Nikos Salingaros on Peer to Peer Urbanism
P2P Urbanism: From Exclusion to Autonomy

P2P Urbanism