Democratizing NOVA

Our entire region is changing rapidly and will continue to change for years to come. Northern Virginia (NOVA) will be very different in ten years. What kind of region will this become? Whose interests and what purposes will our region serve? Who will decide? 

Democratizing NOVA (DNOVA) is a community-university partnership dedicated to a democratic, just, and sustainable transition in the Northern Virginia region. We are inspired by alternative models of regional democratization such as Cleveland’s Evergreen Cooperatives, Cooperation Jackson in Jackson, Mississippi, and Madison, Wisconsin’s many housing, consumer, and worker cooperatives.

To that end, our team has been developing the DNOVA Database, a comprehensive portrait of past and current efforts to increase the participation and ownership of ordinary people in their institutions and communities from the Shenandoah and the Potomac. Employing a variety of techniques, we document and analyze the histories, missions, activities, and partnerships of initiatives in 16 categories, including: 

• Pro-democracy advocacy organizations;
• Participatory alternatives to policing, alternatives to war;
• Anchor institutions;
• Campus-community collaborations that further community development and democratization;
• Worker, consumer, resident, and community cooperatives and credit unions;
• Community-controlled currency, exchange, trading, and supply chain management systems;
• Home rule and community rights laws; 
• Voter initiatives, referenda, and other forms of direct democracy in elections;
• Expansion of the franchise, citizenship, residency and personhood;
• Exercise of Indigenous sovereignty for system transition; 
• Community-owned and operated media, media channels, production, content;
• Mutual aid organizations;
• Open government policies and other transparency reforms; 
• Community property, land trusts, and commons;
• Participatory forms of public administration and governance; 
• Publicly and/or community-owned and operated services, utilities, banking, and enterprises.

From this research, we have been developing and implementing plans for long-term university-community partnerships, community development, and democratization. In 2022, we organized the Democratizing NOVA Summit,  bringing together community members, academics, and other to gain a deeper understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities facing our region. 

To watch highlights of the 2022 DNOVA Summit, click here.

To learn more about the DNOVA Council, click here.

To learn more about DNOVA, participate in our current activities, or contribute to the DNOVA Database, please contact us.

If you would like to donate, click the button below to go to our donation page.

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