Commoning by zoning? Social work’s involvement in urban spatial conflicts

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ABSTRACT The article explores how social workers are engaged in the making of public space in local communities. Based on a case study which the authors conducted in a German municipality the analysis show that Social Work acts in different spheres in reaction to a certain ‘local’ problem: A conflict that arose between established user and new user groups at a skate park leads to interventions of social workers not just on the site of the park itself as well as local politics and community planning. Despite using different professional sets of action, the social workers involved all deploy a strategy which might be called ‘zoning’: By defining and reserving distinct segments of the public space for different user groups the children and young people in the community receive designated places for their leisure activities. But at the same time, they are exclusively allocated to these places and thus excluded from the wider public space with their sports activities and youth cultures. In reference to the more recent concept of the Commons as well as to earlier traditions of community work the article concludes by suggesting an alternative understanding of space for Social Work practice.