we want co-ops in Amsterdam to pioneer the adoption of Web 3.0 Data Space — the new generation of the internet
Housing co-ops, energy co-ops, and shared mobility initiatives are some of the big successes of the commons movement. But while these initiatives thrive on shared values, they rely on fragmented and proprietary digital tools (Slack, WhatsApp, Google Drive, and others) that don't work well together. The result? Too many accounts, scattered data, and miscommunication. Important information lives in separate apps, conversations get lost, and someone is always missing from the channel where the decision was made.
These “digital annoyances” affect how the commons function. Yet, most commoners are so focused on keeping their initiatives alive that they don’t have time or capacity to step back and think about building shared digital infrastructure that works for everyone.
As the complexity of the projects grows, especially in housing commons, the commons world starts facing the same issues as governments and big companies: scattered tools, disconnected systems, and data that doesn't flow. But for the commons, the challenge is even harder. We’re not one organisation where everyone can be told what tool to use. Commons are made up of independent people who have to figure things out together, and most of us are doing this work in the evenings, after our day jobs. That makes tech frustration even more real.
These “digital annoyances” affect how the commons function. Yet, most commoners are so focused on keeping their initiatives alive that they don’t have time or capacity to step back and think about building shared digital infrastructure that works for everyone.
As the complexity of the projects grows, especially in housing commons, the commons world starts facing the same issues as governments and big companies: scattered tools, disconnected systems, and data that doesn't flow. But for the commons, the challenge is even harder. We’re not one organisation where everyone can be told what tool to use. Commons are made up of independent people who have to figure things out together, and most of us are doing this work in the evenings, after our day jobs. That makes tech frustration even more real.
While the commons movement is reshaping the economy to be more shared, open, and democratic, the digital realm must also be reclaimed by communities – shifting power from platforms to people and enabling the rise of Community Economies
In this project, we give the commoners the opportunity to co-create such transformative digital infrastructure for themself. That’s why we are launching a pilot of a Web 3.0 Data Space (W3DS) designed as a "Commons for Platforms". It enables multiple platforms – from calendars to car sharing – to access user data through a shared, community-governed framework, where people manage their identity and permissions with a unified ePassport. By building a digital infrastructure that aligns with the way of working together in co-ops, we demonstrate that an alternative, digital ecosystem with data sovereignty is not only possible but within reach.
If we change the digital economy at this scale, it won’t just transform the tools we use, it will reshape how people interact in their daily lives. We are not just building digital infrastructure; we are laying the foundation for a digital community economy of mutual support at a scale surpassing one city or oune country.
If we change the digital economy at this scale, it won’t just transform the tools we use, it will reshape how people interact in their daily lives. We are not just building digital infrastructure; we are laying the foundation for a digital community economy of mutual support at a scale surpassing one city or oune country.
Context information
The commons movement is growing, and with it, the number of housing commons in Amsterdam is increasing rapidly. Within the next five years, a significant percentage of new cooperative housing projects will be built, expanding the role of commons-based housing in the city. This shift aligns with Amsterdam’s broader strategic vision that works on public-commons partnerships and democratization of urban development, known as “neighborhood rights”.
But the commons movement goes beyond Amsterdam, across the Netherlands, the European Union, and globally, the community economy is gaining momentum. Unlike traditional economic models focused on transactions and invoices, the community economy emphasizes the co-creation of broad wellbeing in community-centered relations that emphasize care, trust, and social cohesion in neighborhoods and cities.
But the commons movement goes beyond Amsterdam, across the Netherlands, the European Union, and globally, the community economy is gaining momentum. Unlike traditional economic models focused on transactions and invoices, the community economy emphasizes the co-creation of broad wellbeing in community-centered relations that emphasize care, trust, and social cohesion in neighborhoods and cities.
Europe is actively developing Data Spaces to break free from tech giants’ lock-in and restore control over data to the people, and the European Digital ID to simplify the use of those services without numerous logins/passwords. Our initiative builds on this momentum, leveraging these developments to create the new generation of the internet – Web 3.0 Data Space – that empowers local communities on the EU level.
Housing cooperatives in Amsterdam are growing rapidly, and the process of starting one remains highly complex. Managing governance, finances, trust, and collaboration is difficult without digital tools tailored to their needs. Digital tools shape how we organize and connect. But most platforms – whether for messaging, file-sharing, or decision-making – are owned by big tech companies. Commons initiatives rely on these tools, but they don’t control them. They depend on proprietary services that can change terms, restrict access, or disappear entirely. This dependency weakens their autonomy and sustainability.
We need digital infrastructure that works for commons initiatives and is aligned with their way of organizing and collaboration. That means open, decentralized tools designed around their needs – tools they can trust, control, and even, if desired, own. Moreover, communities and individual members can seamlessly switch between different tools while keeping their data and network.
We need digital infrastructure that works for commons initiatives and is aligned with their way of organizing and collaboration. That means open, decentralized tools designed around their needs – tools they can trust, control, and even, if desired, own. Moreover, communities and individual members can seamlessly switch between different tools while keeping their data and network.
Solution: A Digital Commons Infrastructure
We are developing a prototype based on Web 3.0 Data Space (W3DS) – an open, secure, and commons-based digital infrastructure. This initiative is based on the foundation work laid down by:
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Post-Platforms Foundation develops principles, architecture, and standards for a digital ecosystem of Web 3.0 Data Space that:- separates data from platforms and gives it back to the people as personal and community-owned eVaults.
- provides people with Digital Self: a unique personal eName and ePassport to be legally recognized at the EU level, eliminating numerous logins/passwords
- Allows users to use different platforms to work with the same data, fostering competition and innovation.
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MetaState Foundation develops participatory democracy by involving citizens in communities that can take on some functions currently carried out by the state, thereby increasing the efficiency of our social system. For that reason, it makes strategic investments in rolling out a Prototype of an open Web 3.0 Data Space (W3DS) ecosystem and developing a set of key post-platforms (dataless platforms operated in W3DS infrastructure) tailored to the needs of the commons.
Our role now is to help MetaState fine-tune these platforms to fit the commons' way of governance, rigorously test them, and demonstrate their real-world impact. By doing so, we create an environment where startups and service providers compete to serve us better, ensuring high-quality, community-driven solutions.
This approach will foster a digital infrastructure that can scale across Amsterdam to any city in the European Union and beyond, bringing sustainable, commons-based digital infrastructure to communities everywhere.
Why do we roll out the pilot specifically with the Housing Cooperatives?
- Active and growing communityThe Housing Coops in Amsterdam is a small tightly-knit group of activists. Now the coops actively grow and ready to experiment and adopt new tech solutions
- ComplexityAny Housing Coop is a complex puzzle: many processes to tackle during the design and building process, as well as later during maintenance and exploitation
- Lack of tailored softwareDigital platforms and services that serve the housing coops are not always developed with the community-oriented way of work in mind. There are only a few of commons-oriented platforms and open source solutions for the HousingCoops.
What Cooperatives will get
Specific features that we currently develop:
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Two social platformsSimilar to twitter and instagram, to allow creating groups and communicate. The purpose is to demonstrate that any group (commons) has its own eVault, independent from the social platform -
eVotingAllow digital voting from your phone. Secure decision-making tools for cooperatives -
eSigningTo sign documents, resolutions, letters -
Digital statutenLegally binding digital statuten and membership -
And one more thingYourDigitalSelf: An app that provides eName, ePassport, and eVault for your personal digital sovereignty.
Co-creating the infrastructure together
As MetaState Foundation is developing the W3DS Prototype, in June 2025, we are launching a series of events to co-create and test a Web3.0 Data Space prototype with and for commons Co-ops.
- Anyone involved in the work around the commons is welcome to participate in our co-creation process: a six-month trajectory;
- Join discussions and testing events every 2-4 weeks;
- Shape the future of digital commons infrastructure for Amsterdam with your requests and ideas;
- Partner with us for European and national grant opportunities;
- Together, we can build an equitable and just, community-owned and open-source digital infrastructure suitable for the specific needs of Co-ops.
Project timeline
May - July
co-creation sessions with Housing Coops members to discuss functionality, needed tools, and features
July
testing the prototype in a sandbox (with test data and in parallel with the current processes of the co-ops to ensure that the co-ops' work processes are not disrupted)
September
launch pilot infrastructures for several partner co-ops
After the launch
continue cooperation with MetaState in developing the ecosystem, attracting new services, from project management to car sharing.
Contact us:
hello@ecommons.space
Project of MetaState Foundation
Keizersgracht 391A, 1016 EJ, Amsterdam
Netherlands
Keizersgracht 391A, 1016 EJ, Amsterdam
Netherlands
