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Commoning Around The World
Project Category
Research Activities on Countryside Conservation & Revitalisation
Village Commoning: Developing a Community-led Model in Countryside Revitalisation
Proponent:
Division of Landscape Architecture, Faculty of Architecture of The University of Hong Kong
Site:
Kau Sai Fishermen Village、Po Toi Island、So Lo Pun Village、Yung Shue Au Village
Project Description
This project seeks to derive a community-led model of village revitalisation that enables local stakeholders to take a greater role in initiating revitalisation of their village assets. Utilising "commoning" as a conceptual framework, this model emphasises cooperative governance and the collective management of resources that can lead to the creation of new values, fostering a sense of pride and ownership of place by empowering the community as a whole.
Through village commoning, the project team have observed various benefits for villagers, including increased engagement in revitalisation matters, the expansion of the village core community to include external stakeholders, and the establishment of new models for rural practices. Practitioners should also consider these benefits when undertaking revitalisation efforts, particularly in terms of connecting villages with funding sources and establishing relationships with local communities. A set of Implementation Guidelines for Commoning, produced as a summary of the project findings, aiming to provide a framework for local villages to implement their own commoning initiatives, serving as a foundation for village revitalisation.
Grant Approved
HK$1,900,774
Project Duration
01/11/2021-31/01/2024
Project Update
The project has been completed.
Project Outcome
Developed a community-led village revitalisation model based on academic references, case studies, and discussions with village communities and village revitalisation practitioners through focus groups.
Introduced commoning as a conceptual framework to village communities and village revitalisation practitioners through focus groups and in-depth study engagements. Presented the conceptual framework to professionals involved in countryside conservation and scholars researching in the field through a symposium, as well as to members of the public through an exhibition and interactive activities.
Derived new engagement methods which put villagers first in the village revitalisation progress, including conducting a resource mapping exercise to understand what villagers value and what their common goals are.
Empowered village communities to lead their own village’s revitalisation by facilitating their full participation in identifying village assets, evaluating their values and significances, and setting out immediate, short-term and long-term goals for village revitalisation.
Published a set of implementation guidelines, providing suggestions to different stakeholders on the application of commoning in the village revitalisation process.
Project Website & Social Media Platform
Project Video
The video provides a summary of the project objectives, research findings, and activities highlights, aiming to spark interest in village commoning.
The video reviews the speakers' sharing at the Village Commoning Symposium, the topics included "The Discourse of Commons and Commoning", "The Rise of the Commons Movements in Hong Kong", "Feasibility and Challenges of Village Commoning", and "Commoning and Sustainable Development".
Villagers' participation and support are indispensable in village commoning. The project team produced a video featuring villagers' interviews, inviting villagers from Kau Sai Fishermen Village, Po Toi Island, So Lo Pun Village, and Yung Shue Au Village to introduce their villages and the current state of village revitalisation. This videos showcases how the "village commoning" model could help villagers from these four villages achieve their common goals.
