Home Sharing or Illegal Hotel?

Like many companies in the “sharing economy,” Airbnb prides itself on “disrupting” the traditional marketplace—but at what cost to New York’s affordable housing?

1 minute read

December 22, 2017, 10:00 AM PST

By UrbanOmnibus


Airbnb

OuiShare / Shutterstock

“New Yorkers agree: Airbnb is great for New York City,” declared ads that papered the city’s subway system. But is it really? In the tenth Housing Brass Tacks discussion, Patrick Tyrrell of the nonprofit legal services firm Mobilization for Justice breaks down the impact of short-term rentals on New York’s housing market:

  1. Explosion of short-term rentals
  2. Illegal hotels, from SRO to Airbnb
  3. Patchwork housing laws
  4. “Do we want to peg affordable housing to the tourist economy?”


Wednesday, December 20, 2017 in Urban Omnibus

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Interior of Place Versailles mall in Montreal, Canada.

Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units

Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.

May 22, 2025 - CBC

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

3 hours ago - Diana Ionescu

Rendering of California High-Speed Rail station with bullet train.

California High-Speed Rail's Plan to Right Itself

The railroad's new CEO thinks he can get the project back on track. The stars will need to align this summer.

May 19, 2025 - Benjamin Schneider

Blue sidewalk curb cut painted with white accessibility symbol.

How Infrastructure Shapes Public Trust

A city engineer argues that planners must go beyond code compliance to ensure public infrastructure is truly accessible to all users.

5 minutes ago - Governing

Protester at Echo Park Lake, Los Angeles holding sign that says "Housing is a human right"

Photos: In Over a Dozen Cities, Housing Activists Connect HUD Cuts and Local Issues

We share images from six of the cities around the country where members of three national organizing networks took action on May 20 to protest cuts to federal housing funding and lift up local solutions.

2 hours ago - Shelterforce Magazine

White and yellow DART light rail train in Dallas, Texas with brick building in background.

DARTSpace Platform Streamlines Dallas TOD Application Process

The Dallas transit agency hopes a shorter permitting timeline will boost transit-oriented development around rail stations.

4 hours ago - Mass Transit