The government took action after residents in tourist centers protested, blaming tourist rentals for a growing housing crisis.
The Spanish government fined Airbnb 64 million euros ($75 million) for failure to remove unlicensed short-term rentals from the online platform, according to a report from the Associated Press.
The country’s consumer rights ministry said the company violated the law by not including license numbers on listings, including incorrect numbers or host information, or otherwise violating new Spanish regulations for short-term rentals. Airbnb plans to challenge the fine in court and says it is complying with Spain’s new permitting and registration system.
Spain has seen some of the strongest backlash to Airbnb and other STR booking platforms as residents accuse them of driving up housing costs and displacing locals. Barcelona, one of Spain’s most popular tourist destinations, plans to phase out all 10,000 STRs in that city by by 2029.
FULL STORY: Spain fines Airbnb $75 million for unlicensed tourist rentals
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.
Spain Moves to Ban 66,000 Airbnbs
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.
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
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The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association