Airbnb Is an Ally to Cities, Not an Adversary

Summary

Cities must treat platforms like Airbnb as partners in finding new regulatory solutions, rather than casting them as the problem.

Involving these local collectives empowers groups of residents to choose solutions suited to their specific community, while isolating the impact of new rules to the people actually affected by the underlying issue. Perhaps, over time, this will lead to some buildings and communities becoming Airbnb-free, while others can advertise themselves as “Airbnb-friendly,” a grassroots alternative to zoning better suited for an economy in which the lines between personal and commercial are increasingly blurred.