ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the emergence of the sharing economy, highlighting that the sharing economy is leading to institutional and societal transformations. The author conceives of the sharing economy as a set of new industrial technologies and consumption patterns. Yet, as the author points out, existing regulations and institutions are in a period of catching up, as the technologies and the related consumption practices continue to evolve. The chapter explores the role of planners in the governance of the sharing economy. Examples from transportation and the taxi industry (Uber), short-term rental accommodations and the hotel industry (Airbnb), and peer-to-peer lending and the finance industry are explored in detail to illustrate how sharing economy platforms are reconfiguring and disrupting existing industries and their incumbent firms. The author argues that planners should best conceive of the sharing economy as a site of institutional experimentation. From this premise the author offers important lessons for planners to keep in mind as they grapple with how to govern and/or regulate the sharing economy, emphasizing the need to pay attention to both technological and institutional experimentation, regulating and governing at the appropriate scale, and ensuring democratic participation.
