Degrowth Urban Transitions: A Tool Library Case Study in Australia

Catalyzing sustainability transitions occurs at different scales, from macro-level policy changes to micro-level adjustments of lifestyles. This study argues that socio-economic transformations are effective at meso-level scales and operating in, and through, processes of commoning and mutual community support. We present the learning from direct experience in starting and managing the Brisbane Tool Library (BTL) in Australia, incorporating perspectives as researchers and practitioners. BTL encourages and enables people to borrow tools, camping gear, party appliances, and many other items. BTL started as a practical response to enable degrowth transitions. The inventory of BTL has been built through rescued items from landfills and private donations. Tool libraries influence productivism, consumerism, and ownership models. The circular models of tool libraries, and their commitment to reuse and repair, can help communities reduce their ecological footprint. By allowing people to borrow and not to buy, BTL has also saved its members more than 1.1 million. Additionally, by prioritizing access over ownership, these sharing models can help reshape cities by, for example, reducing inequality and helping households save money and space. The case study is presented under various facets, including its barriers and opportunities. Access to premises and the lack of exnovation are the major obstacles. BTL’s role and its work are contextualized within broader socio-economic transitions in Australia. One major significance of BTL is that it re-politicizes sustainability discourses and socializes new narratives, such as degrowth.