Ortaklasa: Platform for commons
Ortaklaşa focuses on the urban commons in Turkey. Just for some background information: the use of urban space took on significance during the Gezi protests back in 2013, giving citizens hope about urban alternatives and new uses for common space. The platform aims to establish a stronger network of urban commons initiatives to encourage collaborative city-making and social innovation. They’ve been researching the theme, and their research has revealed that urban commons in Turkey are active in a series of sectors such as urban farming, food co-ops, social inclusion, sharing economy, place-making, and culture and arts. Project meetings and interviews took place in the three largest Turkish cities, Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, where commons-based initiatives have gained visibility to different degrees.
They currently have an e-book that’s available, which you can download here (note: book is in Turkish): Ortaklasa, the book.
as well as an online mapping initiative, currently in it’s beta phase. Sign up for updates! :http://ortaklasa.org/