The national government is requiring the short-term rental operator to remove thousands of illegal listings from its site as part of an effort to stem a growing housing crisis.
Spain has ordered short-term rental operator Airbnb to take almost 66,000 listings in the country, widening a growing crackdown on rentals that many locals believe are driving up housing costs and displacing longtime residents.
As Liz Alderman explains in an article in The New York Times, “The government said the listings were in violation of rules because they either lacked licenses, had fake license numbers or failed to reveal whether the property was run by a corporation or an individual.” The company is appealing the decision and says it will keep listings online until a court rules on the appeal.
Like in the United States, short-term rentals are often blamed for contributing to the housing crisis and putting rentals out of reach for residents. “In Spain, the government has sought to reverse the problem with an ambitious program to build more affordable lodging and social housing.” Last year, the city of Barcelona took a hard line on Airbnbs, announcing it would require all STR owners to change the units to long-term, rent-controlled units or sell them by 2028.
FULL STORY: Spain Orders Airbnb to Take Down 66,000 Rental Listings
Spain Fines Airbnb $75 Million After Crackdown on Unlicensed Rentals
The government took action after residents in tourist centers protested, blaming tourist rentals for a growing housing crisis.
Spain Moves to Regulate Short-Term Rentals
Calls for regulation at the national level have prompted lawmakers to consider limiting tourist rentals amidst a growing housing crisis.
Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association