Suddenly, the business practices of Airbnb seem to be under attack in many locations—including one of the company's most lucrative markets.
Katie Benner reports: "Hours after Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York signed a bill that would impose steep fines on Airbnb hosts who break local housing regulations, Airbnb filed a federal lawsuit contending the new law would cause it 'irreparable harm.'"
"The heightened battle in New York follows lawsuits that Airbnb has filed against its hometown San Francisco and in Santa Monica, Calif., which have both moved to fine the company for illegal listings," according to Benner, in a gesture to the broad scope of Airbnb's legal battles. Airbnb has also been banned in Berlin, while fighting legal battles in Amsterdam and Barcelona. One exception is the city of New Orleans, which recently legalized (with strings attached) Airbnb rentals in much of the city.
However, given New York City's huge market for short-term rentals, the "New York law is particularly worrisome for Airbnb," according to Benner. Airbnb's legal complaint "the company contends that the law violates the company’s constitutional rights to free speech and due process, as well as the protection it is afforded under the Communications Decency Act, a federal law that says websites cannot be held accountable for content published by their users."
The article includes a lot more detail about the political battles and negotiations leading up the state's adoption of the law, as well as a preview of the battles to come.
Joshua Brustein and Christian Berthelsen provide additional coverage of the new law and the resulting lawsuit in a separate article for Bloomberg.
FULL STORY: Airbnb Sues Over New Law Regulating New York Rentals
Judge Sets Back NYC's Attempt to Grab Airbnb's Data
A 2018 law required Airbnb to share the names and addresses of hosts in the New York City. A judge ruled that the mandate violates the 4th Amendment.
Airbnb Drops Lawsuit with the State of New York
The frontline of the ongoing battle between Airbnb and government regulators shifts from Albany to New York City.
NYC Issues Over $16 Million in Short-Term Rental Fines
So far, the strict new regulations governing Airbnb and other short-term rentals have not made a significant impact on the rental housing market.
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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