https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com

Commentaries


Unsplash

Article

The sharing economy: Helping cities meet their sustainability goals

The sharing economy: Helping cities meet their sustainability goals

  • Written by Edward Moon
  • 31st May 2022

Individualism has been a watchword of society in North America since the colonial days, and belief in the spirit of the rugged individual helped build the government we know and love today. As our society became larger and more interconnected, we have come to realize that individualism can only get us so far. Problems such as the environmental degradation demand we come together as a community, as a species, and definitely as a government. We must not only combine our abilities but share our resources if we are to keep living in a world where individuals can enjoy their freedom.

To that end, we have seen the rise of the “sharing economy.” This peer-to-peer system streamlines and automates the basic human act of sharing by using community online platforms to facilitate the pooling of goods, services and resources. Beginning as a grass-roots movement such as “swap culture,” the sharing economy offers city government decisionmakers a healthy, community-driven pathway to achieving environmental and sustainability goals as it incentivizes owners to participate.

Meet, swap

In its basic form, the sharing economy is focused on local swap, rental and gifting of assets such as space, tools, and other goods. Citizens advertise their need for an item or the items they have to spare, and rather than buying new which would create more waste, they share the items for some specified period of time. Such activities have been leveraging the internet since it was established, and today specialized platforms like Freecycle or Facebook Neighborhoods make it easier than ever. And governments stand poised to supercharge this process through facilitation and incentivization programs that make it easier and more advantageous to share.

Share because we car(e)

Reducing material waste is a great start but cities could implement similar platforms to help people share the resources around that huge and looming polluter: transportation. Sharing economy programs could do a lot to alleviate this problem, especially when backed by smart government action.

Carpooling and vehicle sharing are a great place to start. By using technology to help people find carpools going their way, cities can drastically reduce the number of cars on the road. Carpooling is a good method to network and meet new people and can be an excellent way to build community while reducing car usage. Vehicle sharing is another option, where community-owned electric cars or scooters wait at designated charging stations. Users find the nearest vehicle with an app and either drop it off at the station nearest their destination or with the next user waiting nearby.

The rise of electric vehicles (EVs) has helped to reduce pollution, but the market remains underserved by electronic charging stations. Of course, cities can and should install more such stations for public use, but the sharing economy could also allow residential or commercial parking facilities to share their chargers. Indeed, citizens can even share energy, paying for one another to use these charging stations or using home-generated electricity from solar or wind to help charge each other’s cars in geographic locations where this is feasible. Government programs can make this sort of transport resource sharing much more common, as individuals receive benefits and incentives to work together.

Parking pro publica

Of course, you can’t have EV charging stations without parking spaces, and parking is another source of waste that can be reduced through sharing. Public and private buildings often have plenty of empty parking spaces. These facilities can easily provide spaces for visitors and commuters to reduce fuel used when seeking street parking. Rather than drive individually to their work sites, construction and civic workers could park in these unused spaces and then take a shuttle, reducing congestion in busy developing areas.

Government leaders can spearhead the creation of social networks, smart spaces, and apps to drive this progress. Smart parking apps in particular are leading the way to making parking easier to share. By joining a smart parking network, drivers can find and reserve spots nearest their destination, and even swap spots with one another ahead of time. Organizations and government entities can price their parking or get into the sharing economy spirit by letting app users park for free.

Edward Moon is a growth marketer at Spacer Technologies a technology company that enables property owners to discover new revenue sources through innovative solutions that leverage unused spaces.

Tags: homepage-featured-1 homepage-featured-2 homepage-featured-4 Administration Commentaries Administration Commentaries Article

Most Recent


  • ARPA funds
    Spending American Rescue Plan Act funds: A primer for municipalities
    The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021 is a $1.9 trillion legislative package that includes funding for states, local governments and tribal nations to respond to the economic and public health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. While initially restricted, subsequent guidance from the federal government has expanded what those funds can be used for. […]
  • recruit
    With a few strategies and tools, public procurement directors can recruit new, diverse staffers
    Yes, being a public purchasing professional is a much-coveted career that can have a big impact on a community, says Celeste Frye, principal and CEO of Public Works Partners, a WBE/DBE/SBE-certified urban planning and consulting firm. “From purchasing quality foods for school lunches or environmentally sustainable trucks for trash collection, procurement managers have a significant […]
  • green building
    Green building and clean energy: Key considerations for municipalities during the planning process
    Each day, it becomes more and more clear how important it is for municipalities to embrace green building and clean energy projects. Once thought of as novelties, elements like solar power and renewable building materials are now all but essential. They advance environmental sustainability and represent new opportunities for economic growth. These strategies also have […]
  • foreign companies
    Miami leads the way in FT-Nikkei ranking of best U.S. cities for foreign companies
    Miami has won the top spot in the first-ever “Investing in America” ranking produced by the Financial Times (FT) and Nikkei. The ranking measured best U.S. cities for foreign businesses and foreign investment in the U.S. The Florida city has been selected the best city in the U.S. for foreign multinationals to do business in. […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • sustainable
    Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council can help governments get up to speed on sustainable buys
  • sustainable
    Local governments rely on ICMA to help make communities more resilient and sustainable
  • Global sustainability network helps local governments share green procurement practices
  • Columbus completes Smart City Challenge, looks to the future as collaborative innovation lab 

WHITE PAPERS


Modernizing government services for today’s resident expectations

24th January 2023

Preparing Your Community Now for the Next Generation of Older Adults

18th October 2022

Helping Government Fleets Achieve Their Goals

30th September 2022
view all

Webinars


How To: Evaluate Digital Government Service Delivery Technologies

23rd January 2023

Using Technology to Enhance Communications

29th November 2022

Learn the benefits of transforming and automating your Contract Management process

4th November 2022
view all

Podcast


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

GALLERIES


Report: While remote work is causing offices to empty out, walkable cities are still in high demand

26th January 2023

10 American cities with a great downtown

24th January 2023

Miami leads the way in FT-Nikkei ranking of best U.S. cities for foreign companies

20th January 2023
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

How 5G is making cities safer, smarter, and more efficient dlvr.it/ShYNcx

27th January 2023
AmerCityCounty

Shifting city demographics present an opportunity to build coalitions, address inequality dlvr.it/ShYMMm

27th January 2023
AmerCityCounty

Spending American Rescue Plan Act funds: A primer for municipalities dlvr.it/ShXzvl

27th January 2023
AmerCityCounty

Report: While remote work is causing offices to empty out, walkable cities are still in high demand dlvr.it/ShVhBW

26th January 2023
AmerCityCounty

Managing landslides along road corridors using remote sensing dlvr.it/ShTpL6

26th January 2023
AmerCityCounty

Report: Prioritizing neighborhood infill, expanding transit options increases neighborhood resilience dlvr.it/ShRrFM

25th January 2023
AmerCityCounty

10 American cities with a great downtown dlvr.it/ShNxXH

24th January 2023
AmerCityCounty

With a few strategies and tools, public procurement directors can recruit new, diverse staffers dlvr.it/ShNnj4

24th January 2023

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2023 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.