List of self-managed social centers


Self-managed social centers are community spaces which often feature music venues, infoshops, bicycle workshops and free schools. In French, they are termed espace autogéré and in Italian Centro Sociale Autogestito, or Centro Sociale Occupato Autogestito if squatted. These projects are concrete examples of Temporary Autonomous Zones.

Centers

NameImageCityStateDurationStatusReference
1 in 12 ClubBradfordEngland1988–Ongoing
121 CentreLondonEngland1980s–1999Former
491 GalleryLondonEngland2001–2013Former
56a InfoshopLondonEngland1991–Ongoing
ABC No RioNew York CityUnited States1980–Ongoing
ACUUtrechtNetherlands1976–Ongoing
ADMAmsterdamNetherlands1997–2019Former
Albert Street Autonomous ZoneWinnipegCanada1995–Ongoing
ASCIIAmsterdamNetherlands1999–2006Former
AuFrankfurtGermany1983–Ongoing
Autonomous Centre of EdinburghEdinburghScotland1997–Ongoing
Bank of IdeasLondonEngland2011–2012Former
BASEBristolEngland1995–Ongoing
BITLondonEngland1968–1979Former
BinzZürichSwitzerland2006–2013Former
Blauwe AanslagThe HagueNetherlands1980–2003Former
BlitzOsloNorway1982–Ongoing
Bloomsbury Social CentreLondonEngland2011–2011Former
BluestockingsNew York CityUnited States1999–2025Former
Boxcar BooksBloomingtonUnited States2001–2017Former
Brian MacKenzie InfoshopWashington D.C.United States2003–2008Former
The Brick HouseLouisvilleUnited States1999–2008Former
BuriddaGenoaItaly2003–2014, 2014–Ongoing
Camas Bookstore and InfoshopVictoriaCanada2007–Ongoing
Can MasdeuBarcelonaCatalonia2001–Ongoing
Can ViesBarcelonaCatalonia1997–Ongoing
Cascina TorchieraMilanItaly1992–Ongoing
Catalyst InfoshopPrescottUnited States2004–2010Former
Centre International de Recherches sur l'AnarchismeLausanneSwitzerland1957–Ongoing
Centro 73ChişinăuMoldova2010–2010Former
Centro IbericoLondonEngland 1970s–1982Former
Chanti OllinMexico CityMexico2003–2017Former
Ché CaféSan DiegoUnited States1980–Ongoing
Civic Media CenterGainsvilleUnited States1992–Ongoing
Coffee StrongLakewoodUnited States2008–2012Former
Common Ground CollectiveNew OrleansUnited States2005–Ongoing
Conne IslandLeipzigGermany1991–Ongoing
Cowley ClubBrightonEngland2002–Ongoing
Cox 18MilanItaly1976–Ongoing
CSOA Forte PrenestinoRomeItaly1986–Ongoing
C-SquatNew YorkUnited States1989–Ongoing
DIY Space for LondonLondonEngland2015–2020Closed
EKHViennaAustria1990–Ongoing
Eskalera KarakolaMadridSpain1996–Ongoing
ExtrapoolNijmegenNetherlands1991–Ongoing
Firestorm Books & CoffeeAshevilleUnited States2008–Ongoing
Forest CaféEdinburghScotland2000–2022Former
Fort ThunderProvidenceUnited States1995–2001Former
Freedom PressLondonEngland1886–Ongoing
Freedom ShopWellingtonNew Zealand1995–Ongoing
Grote BroekNijmegenNetherlands1984–Ongoing
HausmaniaOsloNorway2000–Ongoing
HirvitaloTampereFinland2006–Ongoing
IngobernableMadridSpain2017–2019, 2020–2020Former
Internationalist BooksCarrboroUnited States1981–2016Former
Iron Rail Book CollectiveNew OrleansUnited States2003–2012Former
Jura BooksSydneyAustralia1977–Ongoing
Kafé 44StockholmSweden1976–Ongoing
Kasa de la MuntanyaBarcelonaCatalonia1989–Ongoing
KlinikaPragueCzech Republic2014–2019Former
KøpiBerlinGermany1990–Ongoing
Kulturzentrum BremgartenBremgartenSwitzerland1990–Ongoing
Kulturzentrum ReitschuleBernSwitzerland1980s–Ongoing
KukutzaBilbaoBasque Country1996–1996, 1998–1998, 1998–2011Former
LadronkaPragueCzech Republic1993–2000Former
LandbouwbelangMaastrichtNetherlands2002–Ongoing
LeoncavalloMilanItaly1975–Ongoing
LepakkoHelsinkiFinland1979-1999Evicted
London Action Resource CentreLondonEngland1999-Ongoing
London Queer Social CentreLondonEngland2012–2014 Evicted
Lucy Parsons CenterBostonUnited States1992–Ongoing
MetelkovaLjubljanaSlovenia1993–Ongoing
MiladaPragueCzech Republic1997–2009Former
NoisebridgeSan FranciscoUnited States2007–Ongoing
OCCIIAmsterdamNetherlands1984–Ongoing
Okupa CheMexico CityMexico2000–Ongoing
OT301AmsterdamNetherlands1999–Ongoing
Patio MaravillasMadridSpain2007–2010, 2010–2015, 2015–2015Former
PoortgebouwRotterdamNetherlands1980–Ongoing
QilomboWest Oakland, CaliforniaUnited States2011–2019Former
rampARTLondonEngland2004–2009Former
Really Free SchoolLondonEngland2011Former
Red and Black CafePortlandUnited States2000–2015Former
Red Emma'sBaltimoreUnited States2004–Ongoing
RHINOGenevaSwitzerland1988–2007Former
RogLjubljanaSlovenia2006–2021Former
Rote FloraHamburgGermany1989–Ongoing
RozbratPoznańPoland1994–Ongoing
Salon MazalTel AvivIsrael2000sFormer
Seomra SpraoiDublinIreland2004–2015Former
Spartacus BooksVancouverCanada1973–Ongoing
Spike Surplus SchemeLondonEngland1999–2009Former
St Agnes PlaceLondonEngland1969–2005Former
Sumac CentreNottinghamEngland1984–Ongoing
Syndikalistiskt ForumGothenburgSweden1980–Ongoing
Tabacalera de LavapiésMadridSpain2010–Ongoing
Trotz AllemWittenGermany1999–2005, 2006–2006, 2010–Ongoing
TurkuFinland1981–Ongoing
UbicaUtrechtNetherlands1992–2013Former
UFFATrondheimNorway1981–Ongoing
UngdomshusetCopenhagenDenmark1982–2007, 2008–Ongoing
ValreepAmsterdamNetherlands2011–2014Former
Villa AmaliaAthensGreece1990–2012Former
VloekThe HagueNetherlands2002–2015Former
VrankrijkAmsterdamNetherlands1982–Ongoing
Vrijplaats KoppenhinksteegLeidenNetherlands1968–2010Former
Wapping Autonomy CentreLondonEngland1981–1982Former
Warzone CentreBelfastNorthern Ireland1986–2003, 2011-2018Former