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Short abstract

This paper explores collective imagination as a practice through which alternative futures become institutionalized. Drawing on Ostrom’s commons governance and Wright’s “real utopias,” it analyzes cohousing as a grassroots experiment where shared visions turn into commons-based social infrastructure

Long abstract

This paper examines collective imagination as a social practice through which alternative futures emerge and become institutionalized. Instead of treating futures as speculative visions, the analysis focuses on participatory processes in which groups collaboratively construct scenarios of shared life and social organization. These processes rely on structured methods of collective scenario building that combine representation of affected groups, non-hierarchical deliberation, and techniques of collective creativity. Such arrangements enable participants not only to imagine alternative social arrangements but also to develop agency in their realization.

The theoretical framework brings together Elinor Ostrom’s theory of commons governance and Erik Olin Wright’s concept of “real utopias.” Ostrom shows that communities can develop durable institutional arrangements for managing shared resources through locally grounded norms and practices. Wright describes real utopias as institutional experiments that embody emancipatory principles within existing social systems. Together these perspectives frame alternative futures as institutional prototypes emerging in everyday life rather than distant ideals.

Empirically, the paper analyzes cohousing initiatives as grassroots experiments in collective living that combine shared resources, participatory governance, and everyday cooperation. These communities illustrate how collective imagination can move beyond discourse and take material form as commons-based social infrastructure.

The paper argues that alternativity emerges when shared visions become embedded in governance arrangements and daily practices, turning imagined futures into lived institutional experiments.