In times of urban (and global) social crises and insecurities, we are witnessing an upsurge of new, progressive ideas which aim to challenge the foundations of the existing socioeconomic system, while taking into consideration the need for greater social wellbeing. This is the case with the commons paradigm that is being brought up to the agenda (in Croatia same as elsewhere) by urban social movements. The objective of this thesis is to conceptualize these new urban struggles as those for the commons, while at the same time, by using the civil society framework, to present the argument of their role as stakeholders in the field of the welfare mix, due to their importance in contributing to social cohesion and in building social capital. The aims of these actors are to increase the citizens’ power in the domains of urban governance and social services, both of which are susceptible to the risks of privatization and subjugation to the interests of capital. Although not always successful in reaching their formal goals, these grassroots initiatives have shown to have mobilized heterogeneous groups and brought about long-term positive change. This was achieved no matter how radical the employed mechanisms may have been - whether the actors professionalized in order to cooperate with local government in new participatory forms, or even politicized in order to nest into government structures. In any case, the end goal is the same: to materialize the image of a society where citizens and communities have their say in the management of existential resources, while correcting the flawed mechanisms of both the market and the state.