Page 22 - Economy_Sustainable Global Economy
P. 22
22
Remember a few years ago when sleeping in a stranger’s house instead of a hotel was something only
broke 20-something-year-olds were interested in doing? Now Airbnb is one of the trendiest ways to lodge,
with 4 million listings to choose from. That is almost ¼ of the total number of hotel rooms available in
world, which was last counted at 17.5 million.
It’s no wonder Forbes recently estimated Airbnb’s worth at $38 billion considering the impact it has on
the hotel industry. You can rent an entire house on the accommodation-share website for less than a hotel
room most of the time.
Case 2. La Colaboradora Coworking
La Colaboradora is a co-working space with a difference: this community of some 200 entrepreneurs, free-
lancers and creative professionals each dedicate four hours of their time every month in return for support
with launching their projects. The principle is an exchange of services, ideas and knowledge through a
‘bank time’ approach. Since its launch in 2013, the community has shared over 8,000 hours of their time,
and has had a significant social and economic impact: around 75% of projects have launched or consolidat-
ed, creating new local jobs.
Eurocities award 2016
More info
