MIND THE GAP - RESEARCHERS GO TO LONDON

Oksana Mont, Andrius Plepys, Yuliya Voytenko and Lucie Zvolska of the Urban Sharing team undertook mobile research lab (MRL) in London 12th-17th November 2017. The aim of the MRL was to observe, explore and experience the sharing environment in London. We carried out 15 interviews with urban sharing organisations, municipal actors and third-party associations across a variety of sectors, such as space, mobility or tool sharing. The observations along with the interviews gave us unique insights into the overall institutional environment that urban sharing organisations (USOs) operate in. We got a better understanding of how USOs are designed and operate, what their institutional pathways are, how they engage with different stakeholders, how and why they emerge in London, as well as what features in the local context influence their development. The MRL built on experiences we learnt in Berlin, and will allow us to explore the types of organisations that emerge in Berlin and London, as well as the differences in the institutional pressures they face.