Airbnb’s contribution to socio-spatial inequalities and geographies of resistance in Barcelona

Abstract

Red flags are increasingly being raised over the contribution of short term tourism rentals (mediated by platforms such as Airbnb) to socio-spatial inequalities and residential displacement. In many cases, the most vocal reactions have come from social movements claiming the Right to the City through particular geographies of resistance that underpin protest counter-narratives in the digital and non-digital spheres. In order to evaluate this relationship, a digital content analysis based on a sample of around 16,000 tweets illustrates the depth and diversity of tourism counter-narratives within the Twitter activity of social movements in opposition to tourism saturation in the city of Barcelona. This approach is triangulated with a spatial analysis of Airbnb-mediated rentals in Barcelona, based on GIS mapping, as well as correlations with a variety of geo-referenced data sources and the application of different socio-economic variables. The relationship between these two dimensions is key for policymakers in influencing regulatory approaches to collaborative platform activity and mitigating socio-spatial inequalities generated by short term rentals and the platforms that mediate them.