An instituting-organisational framework for the interpretation of urban commoning. Lessons from a neighbourhood park

Drawing from critical scholarship on commoning processes, this article discusses the disciplinary relevance of a commoning case that took place in a neighbourhood park on the northern outskirts of the city of Catania in Italy. Based on our direct engagement in the process, we tell the story of its rise and fall with the aim of reflecting on the possibilities and the pitfalls associated with a collective effort to take care of a neglected public space. The case is presented for its argumentative value and is discussed through the lens of a theoretical framework developed intersecting Argyris’s theory of organisational learning and Esposito’s ‘instituting thought’. The purpose is to argue the centrality of two important dimensions of a commoning process, organizational consistency and inclusivity.