Report on sharing economy sheds light on local government opportunities

We are pleased to announce the release of the Local Governments and the Sharing Economy (LGSE) roadmap. The roadmap explores the question:

How can cities strategically engage with the Sharing Economy to advance sustainability?

There are three key messages in the Local Governments and the Sharing Economy roadmap:

1. The Sharing Economy is not inherently sustainable but cities can help to make it more so.  
   
2. Community sharing is a promising area where local governments can play proactive, enabling roles.
3. Addressing data gaps is critical for understanding sustainability impacts on cities.

The LGSE roadmap analyzes shared mobility, spaces, goods and community sharing - and, to a lighter degree, shared food and energy - using a six-part sustainability filter.

• Discover what cities are doing to lead the way including Montréal, Austin, Vancouver, Portland and Toronto.
  
• Find out if carsharing, co-working spaces, clothing swaps and other Sharing Economy activities reduce the ecological footprints of cities, and increase social connection, equity and resilience.
• Learn about recommendations and roles for local governments to harness the Sharing Economy to strategically advance sustainability.
• Explore our analysis of Sharing Economy actors from community innovators to for-profit players (e.g., Airbnb and Uber) to the public sector.

This roadmap was developed and written by One Earth supported by a grant from The J. W. McConnell Family Foundation as part of the Cities for People initiative. The One Earth team is grateful to our expert advisors and the advisory committee of eight Canadian and US member cities of the Urban Sustainability Directors Network.