commons /ˈkɒmənz/

  • derived from the traditional English legal term for common land;
  • the cultural and natural resources belonging to or affecting the whole of a community, managed by groups of people for individual and collective benefit;

Commoning is at bottom a process by which we enter into a participatory culture and can sketch an idea of how we want to live together as a society.  […] A commons must arise from the personal engagement of commoners themselves. It is unavoidably the product of unique personalities, geographic locations, cultural contexts, moments in time and political circumstances of that particular commons.
– David Bollier & Silke Helfrich, Patterns of Commoning

The beauty of a cultural commons is that it encourages access and participation. And in so doing it democratises things like social standing and hierarchies that may normally prevent folks from contributing.
– Jamie Gahlon, Voluntary Arts