Jonathan Durand Folco. À nous la ville! Traité de municipalisme, Montréal, Écosociété (“Polemos” Series), 2017.

Commented by Jonathan Durand Folco, associate member (April 2020):

Confronted with a world in the midst of multiple crises (democratic, social, economic, energy-related, and ecological), it has become urgent to develop a different system than the one currently in place, i.e. a new paradigm and civilizational model aimed at responding to the many challenges facing societies in the twenty-first century. To this end, the municipalist project sees the municipality as a potential springboard for democratic transformation of social, economic, and political life. From this perspective, the commune, or municipality, is not simply perceived as a subordinate level of the central state or as a local public administration, but as a political community aimed at rebuilding democracy through the establishment of local self-government. On the other hand, cities (and towns) can become incubators, or even accelerators, of a complex transition to a new, more just, democratic, and sustainable society. 

But how do these aspirations fit into the real world? What are the founding principles of municipalism, as well as the concrete forms that this political project takes in current movements? How can cities concretely change the world through local initiatives, reforms, and social innovations? After examining some of municipalism’s promises, this book raises the many obstacles, challenges, and constraints municipalities face in the current framework. By highlighting the issues and difficulties that limit the transformative potential of municipalism to varying degrees, we can better identify different strategic perspectives for municipalities to fully participate in social change. [Read more in the digital notebook À nous la ville! Traité de municipalisme.]

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