Equity Commons

This visualization was created for a graduate school course at IIT Institute of Design, Organizational Models for Innovation, taught by my advisor, Carlos Teixeira.

In a market-focused, capitalist system, property/idea ownership is the source of power and control. As Benkler (2006) states, “the core characteristic of property as the institutional foundation of markets is that the allocation of power to decide how a resource will be used is systematically and drastically asymmetric” (p. 62). However, commons-based systems are not build around asymmetric exclusion typical of property.The “commons” is an open, shared system in which no one person maintains control. Within this social dynamic, resources and knowledge are shared because they benefit the larger collective.

The model is built around the idea of “equity networks”. What is the Chicago network of individuals and organizations that are working towards equity by seeking to improve the lives of people who are subject to systemic oppression due to their identity? A key idea in this model is the creation of a communication platform in which community members, organizations, government, researchers, and business interests share and build knowledge in an open exchange of ideas.