HOW MUNICIPALITIES GOVERN THE SHARING ECONOMY THROUGH COLLABORATION

This week we conclude the video series, The roles of city governments in the sharing economy, with the fifth mechanism through which municipalities govern sharing economy organisations: ‘collaborating.’

In a collaborative mechanism both parties – municipalities and sharing economy organisations - play active roles in the governance process. At least two city roles can be identified here: the ‘city as a negotiator’ and the ‘city as a partner’.

The ‘city as a negotiator’ role refers to the instances when municipalities and sharing economy platforms negotiate on common principles and rules for the operation of platforms. For example, the City of Amsterdam was the first in Europe to negotiate a deal with the home sharing platform Airbnb. The ‘city as a partner’ role is often present when a municipality seeks to address its urban sustainability challenges through its engagement with the sharing community. In Sweden, the City of Malmö collaborates with Stapeln, which is a maker space that hosts many collaborative and sharing initiatives. The City of Gothenburg through the national programme Sharing Cities Sweden collaborates with the Clothes Library, the Toy Library, a repair workshop for bicycles Bike Kitchen, a platform that connects land-owners with urban farmers Grow Gothenburg, and a platform that connects Gothenburg visitors with its citizens Meet the Locals.

Post originally published in Shareable.