Abigail Zenner writes of the need to find new nomenclature, instead of "sharing," for transportation network companies like Uber, or sharing economy darlings like Airbnb.
According to Zenner, "many commentators have pointed out that the term 'sharing,' at least as we learned it as children, generally means letting people use something you have for free, not renting out something you have, and definitely not a company owning a bunch of things which it rents to people or paying someone to do work on your behalf."
Zenner summarizes the argument of Jason Pavluchuk, for instance, from the Association for Commuter Transportation, who argues that calling Uber and the like "rideshare" makes it "harder to advocate for other models that more aptly deserve the term, like carpool and vanpool services where people actually ride together."
Read the full story: "Sharing" isn't a good term for services like Uber and Lyft. Is there a better one?
Ride-Hail Drivers Strike Today. Will Riders Boycott?
Uber is expected to be valued at $91 billion for an Initial Public Offering this spring. Initial investors will get rich. Drivers won't get much.
Next Steps in Lyft's 'Evolution': Public Partnerships, Fixed Routes, Autonomous Fleets
Lyft's Emily Castor Warren situates the company's newest initiatives within the "rapid pace of innovation" occurring in transportation.
Driving Uber, Sleeping in Parking Lots
In San Francisco, many who drive for Uber sleep in parking lots and live elsewhere to avoid sky-high rents.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
In Texas, data centers are swallowing promised parkland
Residents who moved to Taylor, Texas for a rural community now have to contend with three data centers in their backyard.
How a Chicago-sized wind farm beat the odds and powered on
The project spanned five presidential administrations and a standoff with a U.S. military base.
MTA gives itself 30 days to transform pit into basketball court
The site has been under construction since 2022; the city originally estimated it would finish the court in 2024.
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority