Abstract
This article argues that Airbnb should be understood as a new urban institution that is transforming relations between market, state, and civil society actors. Taking the Airbnb Citizen advocacy initiative as my case, I examine how this transnational “home sharing” platform achieves such transformations, which in turn requires an investigation into the specific nature of Airbnb as an institutional form. Assuming the agenda-setting role of the urban “regulatory entrepreneur,” Airbnb aims to co-shape the terms of current and future policy debates pertaining not just to home sharing/short-term rental but also to the very fabric of city life. It pursues this mode of “platform urbanism” by mobilizing its user base, which it frames as a community of entrepreneurial middle-class citizens looking to supplement their income in a climate of economic insecurity and tech-enabled opportunity. Yet, who is the “Airbnb Citizen” and what are the opportunities and risks associated with platform-mediated citizenship?
Highlights
This article argues that Airbnb should be understood as a new urban institution that is transforming relations between market, state, and civil society actors
Taking a cue from Benjamin Bratton’s reflections on the practical ontology of platforms, this article develops the argument that Airbnb should be understood as a new urban institution that is transforming relations between market, state, and civil society actors in post-welfare societies
I examine how this transnational “home sharing”/short-term rental platform accomplishes such profound transformations, which in turn requires an investigation into the specific nature of Airbnb as an institutional form
Summary
This article argues that Airbnb should be understood as a new urban institution that is transforming relations between market, state, and civil society actors.
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