FNS Project accepted:

Mountain COMmons : Questioning past and present Commons to address territorial development issues in MOUNTain areas (ComMount)

Leïla KEBIR (main applicant, University of Lausanne)

Luigi LORENZETTI (co-applicant, Università della Svizzera italiana)

Stéphane NAHRATH (co-applicant, University of Lausanne)

Emmanuel REYNARD (co-applicant, University of Lausanne)

During a nine-month seed-funding project, the research team has identified and characterized ‘new mountain commons’ dealing with infrastructure such as ski lifts or energy production, heritage (community projects for architecture renovation of bread oven, watermills, pastoral hamlets, etc.), and the supply of local services (community groceries, cafes, maternity centre, etc.). The diversity of examples found in France, Switzerland and Italy shows that collective actions in the Alps are underway and address issues such as climate change, tourism transition, lowland-upland relationships, or social, cultural, and economic development.
These preliminary observations lead the team to further ask how these ‘new commons’ structure and organise and how they relate to the ‘historical commons’ that still remain in mountain regions. Furthermore, the team will question the spatial, social, political and economic conditions by which they emerge and develop and their role as a lever for territorial development and governance evolution.

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