How Cities Are Regulating the Sharing Economy

Compiled from interviews conducted with city officials, this National League of Cities report gives us a regulator's-eye-view of the sharing economy. Among the topics discussed are equity, taxation, and data transparency.

1 minute read

April 15, 2015, 11:00 AM PDT

By Philip Rojc @PhilipRojc

Alfredo Mendez / Flickr

The sharing economy and peer-to-peer commerce continues to evolve. Recently released by the National League of Cities, Cities, the Sharing Economy, and What's Next is an overview of that ongoing development from the perspective of established city officials.

From the report: "Of the 12 interviews conducted, four officials held positions as a city councilmember, four held positions in offices focused on economic development or special projects, two held positions in offices focused on transit or sustainability, and the remaining two served as advisors to councilmembers or to the city."

Several consistent themes emerged from the research, including:

Ensuring equity and ease of access, especially in homesharing and ridesharing applications
Insurance provisions for next-gen "taxi" services like Lyft and Uber
How and when cities should have access to the data sharing economy companies collect
What kind of taxes cities should levy on sharing economy transactions

An article about the report on the NLC's blog concludes, "We also hope our findings inspire city officials to ask the tough questions. The sharing economy is disruptive, and it's moving quickly. It's changing how we get around, where we stay, how we manage tasks, what we buy – and sometimes the changes occurring can be overwhelming for city officials."

FULL STORY: Cities, the Sharing Economy, and What's Next

Tuesday, March 31, 2015 in National League Of Cities

Community / Economic Development Housing Infrastructure Technology United States Sharing Economy Peer-to-peer Car Sharing Uber Lyft Airbnb Regulators Equal Access Data Transparency View More

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