How a Network of Platform Co-op Accelerators Could Support Sharing Cities

Summary

I have been working in the sustainable, smart, and sharing cities space for some time, usually with a focus on the interaction between public policy and the urban startup community. For example, last year I published a peer-reviewed journal article on how shared mobility providers and cities need better agency alignment to ensure that shared goals are reached. This research started my thinking about what it would take to facilitate the growth of a group of sharing economy startups that, instead of having an antagonistic relationship with cities and, for example, on-demand workers, would embrace the underlying values of the real sharing economy in a way that “raises all boats.” This post is intended to advance the dialog about what it would take to create a network of startup accelerators dedicated to a responsible sharing economy ecosystem.