OPEN COMMONS LINZ

The Open City is characterised by active cooperation between the city administration and civil society.

Open commons are digital public goods. These are knowledge, works and content that are freely and openly accessible to a community and can therefore be used by everyone without major obstacles. Specifically, this means, for example, digitised music, images, photos, videos, literature, data sets, software, construction plans, cutting patterns, maps, cooking recipes and much more.

Such digital goods can be shared an infinite number of times. The special thing about them compared to analogue goods is that they do not become less. Sharing knowledge increases it. Works and content can even be improved through multiple use by finding and correcting errors, adding content or using it for new projects. This is also the reason why commons are so interesting and productive for our society.

The City of Linz has launched Open Commons Linz to promote the production and distribution of such digital commons. It is doing this not only for idealistic reasons, to enable fair, democratic access to knowledge for all. It also hopes to create a breeding ground for an environment in which creative and inventive people feel comfortable and inspire each other. The aim is to apply the spirit of open commons to all areas of life in the city.