The rise of the sharing & platform economy has an increasing impact on cities. On the positive side, the sharing of goods and services among citizens and local businesses benefits the local economy, improves social cohesion and boosts sustainability and overall quality of life. But there are challenges, too. The blurring line between public and private activities may lead to friction between different stakeholders and forces cities to reconsider policies and regulations (i.e. taxation, licensing and zoning). A growing number of cities from around the world are placing the sharing economy at the centre of their overall strategy. Many of those cities have the ambition of become a sharing city: a city that responds strategically to the emergence of the sharing & platform economy by unlocking opportunities and addressing challenges.
The Sharing Cities Alliance is a city-to-city network operated by an independent foundation that connects cities from all continents. The foundation fosters city-to-city collaboration, empowering city governments to continuously address the opportunities and challenges that the sharing and platform economy brings. Within the Alliance, cities share case studies, best practices, policies and research.
CURRENT CITIES OF THE SHARING CITIES ALLIANCE
• Amsterdam (the Netherlands)
• Barcelona (Spain)
• Copenhagen (Denmark)
• Dallas (US)
• Gothenburg (Sweden)
• Malmo (Sweden)
• New York City (US)
• Seoul (South Korea)
• Singapore (Singapore)
• Tel Aviv (Israel)
• The Hague (the Netherlands)
• Toronto (Canada)
• Washington (US)
The Sharing Cities Alliance was founded in Amsterdam and established in New York City in 2017.