Urban Farm DB
Research catalogue
Database research record2024·Italy

Da bene pubblico a bene comune: le aree verdi come oggetto di un impegno congiunto

Valeria Di Martino, Gian Vito Zani

Rivista di estetica

Urban Farm DB summary

This paper examines the distinction between public goods and common goods (commons) as understood in economics and applies it to a typical public good — urban green areas. While public goods involve openness to all and state management, commons require management that is common yet still limited; the two also differ in the kind of agent involved, with public goods presupposing an aggregate of individuals and commons presupposing a plural subject capable of acting in concert to manage the good. After exploring this distinction in detail, the paper applies it to green areas in cities and shows the theoretical advantages of a commons-based framing, including through the concrete case of community gardens.