ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the contemporary terrain, contestations, and transformations of sharing in cities and seeks to explain how these might be harnessed to rebuild social cohesion in forms suited to a globally interconnected, post-modern, intercultural world. It outlines the breadth of sharing practice, its evolutionary roots, and historic emanations in cities. The chapter describes and theorizes current transformations in sharing from traditional evolved communal forms, to intermediated commercial forms. It discusses forms of urban sharing beyond the commercial, highlighting the focus on urban commons in concepts such as social urbanism. The chapter highlights the ways in which social inclusion and interculturalism, including recognition of and respect for counter-cultures, is central to the shift in values and norms implied in the sharing paradigm. It also explores the new and revived forms of collective politics that become possible in a sharing city and also outlines some of the practical steps necessary to build genuinely smart and sustainable sharing cities.
