This dissertation examines why and how civic actors contribute to the common good as welfare states have continuously delegated public service responsibilities to citizens. This shift has spurred citizen-led projects that transform urban spaces for community use, offering collaborative environments for living, working, and socialising. The ethnographic study in Amsterdam, Berlin, and Vienna, explores the role of citizen professionals (CPs)—civic actors who organise self-initiated projects, taking an intermediary role with public and private stakeholders to create autonomous spaces in their respective neighbourhoods. Unlike traditional urban movements, CPs seek “mutually agreed autonomy” through collaboration, promoting non-profit, shared ownership models that challenge capitalist norms and align with the concept of urban commons.

Longing for Autonomy explores the importance of autonomous urban spaces for living, working, and socialising, and the evolving role of citizens in providing these (semi) public services. It demonstrates how these concerned citizens define their quest for autonomy while collaborating with governmental actors and institutions and asks to what degree these initiatives can inspire others to assume responsibility for public resources and create similar spaces for communal use.