Compulsory registration

Housing Under Platform Capitalism: The Contentious Regulation of Short-Term Rentals in European Cities

Fifteen years after the launch of Airbnb, most cities around the world have adopted measures to regulate short-term rental markets. Yet, across different territories—particularly in Europe—a wide variety of governance and regulatory approaches can be observed. Drawing on comparative, multilevel research and employing mixed methods, this book analyses 12 major  touristic European cities (Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, Lisbon, London, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Prague, Rome, and Vienna) to highlight and explain the emergence of distinct regulatory regimes. In some cities, public policies aim to curb the growth of short-term rentals to protect affordable housing for residents or to mitigate the impacts of overtourism. In others, regulation seeks to support and legitimize the market, enabling taxation and enhancing territorial attractiveness. This diversity of responses is shaped by institutional and socio-economic factors—such as welfare state regimes, forms of urban capitalism, and housing market dynamics—as well as by political mobilizations involving citizen movements, property owners, financial actors, tourism and housing stakeholders, and local and national governments. This book examines the capacity of states and cities to govern housing, tourism, and, more broadly, platform capitalism. It contributes to the comparative study of multilevel urban governance, state theory, and the political economy of contemporary capitalism.

Speaker: Thomas Aguilera, Francesca Artioli & Claire Colomb

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

Discussant: Beatriz Botero Arcila, Assistant Professor of Law at Sciences Po Law School

Subscribe to our mailing list | For more information: citiesarebackintown@sciencespo.fr