Since the birth of Airbnb in 2008, many of the world's cities have been transformed by platform-mediated short-term accommodation—a phenomenon suspected of disturbing local life and removing dwellings from local housing inventories. Drawing on mixed-method, multi-level comparative research in twelve large European cities, coauthors Thomas Aguilera, Francesca Artioli, and Claire Colomb show that strikingly different regulatory regimes have emerged around short-term rentals.
In some cities, policies aim to curb this practice; in others, regulations are simply meant to support the market. These responses are motivated by a variety of political choices and pressures, from grassroots movements to property interests, the tourism industry, and municipal welfare and housing systems. This book makes a crucial contribution to comparative urban politics in the twenty-first century, investigating the capacity of local states to govern housing markets and platform capitalism in an era of globalized human and capital flows. In the face of this worldwide shift, Housing Under Platform Capitalism insists that institutions and regulations can champion the public good by protecting the right to housing and ultimately limiting corporate power.
Thomas Aguilera is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Sciences Po Rennes - University of Rennes, France.
Francesca Artioli is Assistant Professor of Spatial Planning and Urban Policies at the Université Paris-Est Créteil, France.
Claire Colomb is Professor of Land Economy (Planning, Public Policy, and Urban Studies) at the University of Cambridge, UK.
"Housing Under Platform Capitalism offers a compelling analysis of how European city governments tackle short-term rentals and sheds light on the connections between platform capitalism and housing financialization. It reveals diverse policy responses, making it a novel and essential contribution to urban political economy."—Manuel B. Aalbers, Professor of Human Geography, KU Leuven, and author of The Financialization of Housing
"Combining robust theoretical insights with a rich empirical comparative analysis of European cities, this book offers a compelling behind-the-scenes look at short-term rental regulation. Essential reading for scholars and practitioners navigating this contentious urban phenomenon."—Daniel Kübler, Professor of Political Science and Director of the Centre for Democracy Studies, University of Zurich
"Housing Under Platform Capitalism is a brilliant and timely book on the politics of regulating platform-mediated short-term rentals. Its robust comparative framework will be useful for those working on urban governance under platform capitalism in many parts of the world beyond European cities."—Romola Sanyal, Associate Professor of Urban Geography, London School of Economics and Political Science
466 pp.6 x 9Illus: 25 b/w illustrations; 3 tables
9780520418073$95.00|£80.00Hardcover
Jun 2025