Cities and Consumption: Eight ways to design and develop sharing cities to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals
In this article, Kes McCormick and Charlotte Leire at Lund University in Sweden, discuss how sharing cities can contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which is a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet. The sharing economy in cities can contribute to the SDGs from environmental, social and economic perspectives but not by default — only by design. Actively shaping the development of sharing cities is imperative to meet ambitions on the SDGs.
The sharing economy is emerging in a diversity of formats and sectors from mobility to space to products and services. In broad terms, the sharing economy offers innovative solutions for sharing, renting and replacing under-utilized assets, often using digital platforms, visualization technology and ICT that connects individuals and organisations in the sharing economy by informing about supply and demand.
“To meet challenges, communities, organizations, and local governments are increasingly turning to a basic human practice: sharing.”
— Sharing Cities: Activating the Urban Commons (2015)
Sharing economy organisations vary in terms of size (from global home sharing platforms to local clothes libraries), market orientation (from for-profit car-sharing companies to non-profit tool pools) and organisational form (from municipal bicycle sharing schemes to umbrella sharing businesses to community-based toy libraries). All these initiatives are transforming production and consumption systems in cities around the globe — in both positive and adverse ways.
Sharing cities often refer to when municipalities or community-based organisations are playing a leading role in engaging with sharing economy organisations or enabling citizens to share by including sharing principles in the planning and design of cities and communities. Sharing cities inform and nudge citizens as well as facilitate those sharing economy organisations that deliver public good and urban sustainability, while restricting those that bring risks and negative impacts for urban citizens.
To further explore the many dimensions of sharing cities, over 200 people from around the world gathered in October 2019 at the Sharing Cities Summit in Sweden for a conference in Lund and an exhibition and workshops in Malmö. The combination of people from municipalities, academia, sharing initiatives, NGOs and SMEs created a vibrant environment for critical discussions. The focus of the event was centered on the connections between the SDGs and the sharing economy in cities. This public event was followed up by further analysis on this topic leading to the publication of a synthesis report in December 2020.
This article outlines the key findings from the synthesis report. As stated, the sharing economy in cities can contribute to the SDGs, public good and urban sustainability but only through good governance and active management. This article highlights eight key signposts to help design and develop sharing cities working with the SDGs — fostering, collaborating, measuring, impacting, governing, leveraging, connecting and disrupting.
FOSTERING: There is a broad variety of sharing initiatives and urban actors, particularly municipalities, that can foster desirable forms of sharing in many ways. A key challenge to address is how to make sharing attractive among a broader spectrum of people, and not only be a niche market associated with a certain lifestyle.
COLLABORATING: Partnerships are key — there are many different business models that include a diversity of actors, and it is important to co-design and co-create sharing cities that facilitate more sustainable consumption. A key challenge to address is how to capture the social and environmental value generated by sharing business models.
MEASURING: Metrics that assess and evaluate the sustainability impacts of the sharing economy in cities are needed in order to confirm the sustainability gains of sharing pracities and organisations. A key challenge to address is how we can make people more engaged with and committed to the sustainability of the sharing economy.
“Sharing services are able to contribute to reduced energy and climate impact and sustainable development, but also significantly promote social innovation and sustainability in the city.”
— Sharing Cities: Exploring the Emerging Landscape of the Sharing Economy in Cities (2019)
IMPACTING: It is necessary to better understand the potential side-effects and impacts of sharing initiatives particularly negative environmental impacts. A key challenge to address is that there is a lot of developments in the sharing platform economy world and assessment needs to keep up with the pace.
GOVERNING: Collaboration between citizens and decision-makers is crucial for effective sharing. However, municipalities should also remember to not only rely on local initiatives, but also to enforce and lead by example. A key challenge to address is to define what sharing is and what it should be in practice.
“The future of humanity is urban, and the nature of urban space enables, and necessitates, sharing of resources, goods and services, and experiences.”
— Sharing Cities: A Case for Truly Smart and Sustainable Cities (2015)
LEVERAGING: Digital solutions in the sharing economy can open up new opportunities and possibilities that, when used right, can enable resource efficiency, active citizenship and trust-building. A key challenge to address is how to regulate the access to and use of personal data derived from digital platforms.
CONNECTING: The sharing economy can be considered as a part of the circular economy. A key challenge to address is how to build trust and make partnerships between organisations in the sharing economy and circular economy — currently many goals and policies in the circular economy are heavily influenced by industry and lack engagement from citizens.
DISRUPTING: Behavior change, new technology, and leadership are crucial not only for the sharing economy but sustainability impact in general. In order to get a critical mass response it is necessary that radical policy and investments drive change. A key aspect to understand is that the sharing economy is a tool for sustainability but not the entire solution.
The sharing economy is here to stay. But if it contributes to achieving the SDGs is a matter of governance and management. Municipalities or community-based organisations are vital to creating sharing cities that contribute to public good and urban sustainability by including sharing principles in the planning and design of cities and communities. We hope the the eight key signposts presented here can be a guide.
Explore the course — Sharing Cities: Governance and Urban Sustainability
Sharing Cities Sweden is a program for the sharing economy in cities in Sweden. The program is part of the Swedish strategic innovation programme Viable Cities aiming at accelerating the transition to inclusive and climate neutral cities by 2030 with digitalisation and citizen engagement as enablers. Viable Cities is jointly funded by Vinnova, the Swedish Energy Agency and Formas and hosted by KTH.
