Writing in Time, Anita Hamilton examines the rise of peer-to-peer car sharing networks, and why, exactly, the world's largest car company would support such a system.
For starters, just to clarify, peer-to-peer car sharing differs from traditional car sharing services such as Zipcar in that it allows people to rent out their own vehicles to others at rates set by the car owners themselves, and would theoretically siphon people away from buying new autos.
Hence the question about GM's recent funding for RelayRides, one of a handful of peer-to-peer car sharing services in the U.S. According to Hamilton, "what matters most is that more people are driving around in GM vehicles, whether they own them or not."
The primary obstacles for peer-to-peer start-ups such as RelayRides aren't getting backing by institutional investors (which include Google Ventures, August Capital, and now General Motors), it's much more psychological.
As Hamilton writes, "The big catch, of course, is whether Americans are really comfortable renting their personal cars to strangers. 'Some people by nature don't want to share anything,' concedes Bob Tiderington, GM's Manager of Business Initiatives, the unit that partnered directly with RelayRides. But the rise of collaborative consumption, in which people rent or lend everything from a hammer (at borrowtools.org) to a cocktail dress (at renttherunway.com), suggests that enough people are comfortable with the idea to make the business model work."
FULL STORY: Will Car-Sharing Networks Change the Way We Travel?

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

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

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

Cal Fire Chatbot Fails to Answer Basic Questions
An AI chatbot designed to provide information about wildfires can’t answer questions about evacuation orders, among other problems.

What Happens if Trump Kills Section 8?
The Trump admin aims to slash federal rental aid by nearly half and shift distribution to states. Experts warn this could spike homelessness and destabilize communities nationwide.

Sean Duffy Targets Rainbow Crosswalks in Road Safety Efforts
Despite evidence that colorful crosswalks actually improve intersection safety — and the lack of almost any crosswalks at all on the nation’s most dangerous arterial roads — U.S. Transportation Secretary Duffy is calling on states to remove them.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie