Commons: A Cartography of the Future is a long-term documentary project about how people organize themselves when markets can no longer meet their fundamental needs. Drawing on humanity’s oldest customs of mutual aid and shared resource management — practices at once radically progressive and deeply conservative — it looks at communities already living through economic struggles and environmental collapse: post-Soviet republics, war-torn countries in the Middle East, America’s deindustrialized rust belt, the disinvested inner suburbs of cities like Los Angeles and Toronto and the drought stricken interiors of southern India. In each, traditional systems are being reimagined to meet the needs of a changing world, from shared childcare and grassroots insurance programs to rebuilding water infrastructure across an entire state. The result is a witness and a guide to a form of group economics emerging all around us — a map of practical ways of surviving, and organizing, beyond the market.

A man in dark clothing and cap works on ceiling fixtures while others watch from below in an indoor space.
A neglected bathroom sink filled with sand or debris sits next to a toilet in a tiled room.
A person holding a smartphone photographs an open electrical panel on a yellow-painted wall.
A man with a beard wearing a Columbia vest and baseball cap stands on a sunny rooftop with wooden structures and concrete walls.
A white-walled building with a typewriter on a table outside, surrounded by coiled cables and vegetation.
View from an overlook across forested hills toward a distant city skyline at dusk.
Hillside settlement with whitewashed colonial-style buildings, vegetable gardens, and forested slopes.
A person in a black shirt works at a kitchen sink by a window in black and white.
Solar panels and wind turbine mounted on a concrete structure overlooking a forested valley.
A man in a baseball cap and sleeveless shirt works at a cluttered desk in a narrow brick room.
A green and black tent structure with mesh netting covers a trampoline in a wooded residential area.
A large geodesic dome structure sits in a forested valley with a city skyline visible in the distant background at dusk.
Tarped containers and tanks enclosed by metal fencing with forested hillside in background.
A person sits on a bench inside a boat cabin, gazing out at calm ocean waters through multiple windows.
White farmhouse with dormer windows beside a tall communication tower under cloudy sky.
Rocky coastline with houses and buildings visible across the water under overcast sky.
A weathered three-story house sits on a rocky coastal shore with driftwood and debris scattered across the beach.
Bare branches and dead vegetation frame a rocky outcrop in a stark black and white landscape.
A seabird flies against a gray, cloudy sky.
A white fishing boat anchors in calm water near rocky cliffs with a house silhouetted on the hillside at dusk.
Man in dark jacket and yellow pants stands on a rocky beach with fishing traps and ocean in background.
Woman in olive jacket standing on gravel near water and stacked fishing traps.
A weathered Toyota pickup truck parked beside a shingled cottage on an overgrown rural property.
Man with a beard at the helm of a boat, looking out at water and shoreline through cabin windows.
Rocky coastal headland with sparse vegetation overlooking the ocean under an overcast sky.
A cemetery on a hillside overlooks a coastal town with houses and evergreen trees under a cloudy sky.
Two people smile at the camera on a beach with boats and rocky coastline visible behind them.
A woman in a blue plaid shirt stands on a street near homeless encampments and industrial buildings.
Ana and her family in front of her home in Highland Park at a Los Angeles Tenants Union rally. Photo by Neal Rockwell.jpg
Ducks in the yard of Maria José, member of the Union de Vecinos in Boyle Heights. Photo by Neal Rockwell.jpg
A hand holds a small toad or frog against a dark background.
Concrete flood control channel with vegetation and palm trees along the banks at dusk.
People examine burned debris and waste on a concrete surface.
A bicycle hangs from a palm tree trunk covered in graffiti in an arid landscape.
A man in a black graphic t-shirt stands beneath a large tree, with clotheslines and colored fabric visible behind him.
A weathered RV covered with dark tarps is parked against an industrial building with graffiti.
A person points to wet stains on a concrete floor next to a red and white striped border.
Discarded bottles, shells, and debris scattered on pavement and sand.
An older man with a long white beard wearing a cap holds onto a black metal railing in an urban setting.
Man holding smartphone displaying a social media post in an office or workspace setting.
Dry shrubland with dead vegetation in foreground, industrial buildings and graffitied wall in background under clear sky.
Abandoned roadside structure with rusted circular sign surrounded by palm trees and dry grasses under clear sky.
An ivy-covered building at the intersection of Jefferson Boulevard and another street, with traffic lights and street signs visible.
Person's hand reaches toward a prickly pear cactus in a dry, desert garden with drip irrigation.
Woman in embroidered clothing preparing food at a kitchen counter in black and white.
An elderly woman wearing glasses, a lavender cardigan, and a cream scarf stands against a plain wall.
Woman wearing a lavender hijab and dark shirt stands against a plain beige wall.
Two women sit together indoors, one wearing a beige hijab and purple top smiling while holding clothing items.
Woman wearing a white hijab and patterned garment sitting on a couch, looking to the side.
Woman in black fur stole and gray sweater stands against pale wall, looking at camera.
Two women converse in a narrow hallway with a chair and doorway visible.
Woman wearing hijab and patterned clothing smiles in a crowded interior space lit by fluorescent lights.
A woman holds a gold-colored object near her face while smiling in an indoor space with a cuckoo clock on the wall.
Woman in turquoise embroidered tunic and pearl jewelry looks toward camera in studio setting.
A woman wearing a white hijab and patterned jacket sits on a couch, resting her head on her hand.
Two people sit on a couch with papers and documents, one wearing glasses and a beard, the other wearing a white head covering.
Woman wearing a black and white patterned kurta with white lace trim and jewelry, photographed against a plain wall.
A woman wearing a burgundy hijab and green cardigan laughs in a kitchen.
Woman in a floral chair laughs while sitting in a modern living room with a fireplace.
The TV room at Gite Urbain.
Members of Santa Teresa de Avila church hold a memorial to commemorate the assassination of Salvadoran bishop Oscar Romero at the hands of the military regime in 1980.
Castro delivers food to Gite Urbain, formerly Centre Rosement, a rooming house for people in precarious situations, many with mental health issues and who are on the threshold of homelessness.
Brother Jose Apolinario is a Dominican preacher at the Mision Santa Teresa. Apolinario's religious outlook focuses heavily on the importance of social justice.