This is apparently running since mid March - family members come from outside Lombardie region, if I get it well, to care for their loved ones are staying with AirBnb hosts for a few days. What I found most interesting is that hosts are renouncing 50% of the accommodation fee to help (the other 50% is covered by AirBnb). Is this something we might look into in more details?
“Chi è interessato deve contattare l’associazione Sei petali, cooperativa sociale di donne, che fa da intermediario con Airbnb per trovare la soluzione più adatta alle esigenze del caso. Airbnb si fa carico dei costi di soggiorno mettendo a disposizione coupon di viaggio, mentre la comunità degli host (ovvero i milanesi che mettono in rete le proprie case) dà il proprio contributo rinunciando a metà della tariffa. In un giorno solo - l’appello è partito ieri, lunedì - sono già cento i proprietari di casa milanesi che hanno aderito al progetto. Ci penserà la cooperativa Sei petali a gestire il servizio nella pratica grazie al lavoro delle donne seguite dalla Casa di accoglienza delle donne maltrattate.” The news in fukk is here: Milano, le case Airbnb ai familiari dei pazienti in cura: al via la sperimentazione
Yes, The City of Milan is experimenting on field the low-cost overnight system provided by AirBnb to offer new services to inpatients’ relatives. The project has effectively started this month and is based on:
a daily living space ("Spazio Ri-Milano - Ricaricarsi e Ripartire) which is located in Ripamonti area near the European Institute of Oncology; In the space it will be possible for guests to relax during the day and receive assistance.
an intermediation between offer and demand of accomodations between Milanese citizens and inpatients' relatives. Milanese hosts have showes to be really enthusiastic about the initiative: at the moment, more than 100 hosts are available and they are increasing.
AirBnb:
identifies a host-target (hp1: hosts in Ripamonti area; hp2: most profitable hosts; hp3: at AirBnb discretion)
sensibilizes its users through a communication campaign in order to convince them to offer their accomodation at a base price for at least one week per year.
The project will be supported by a cooperative “I sei petali” who received data from AirBnb will have the responsibility of organizing accomodations and to manage bureaucratic issues.
Thanks @Alberto_Simonetti. I guess I’m curious what is the city’s thinking at the core and whether it comes from a problem that was clearly identified and analysed, like having to accommodate large numbers in prohibitively expensive lodging options. Or it came from civil society - the cooperative “I sei petali” proposing this.
I mean, just look at the City vs AirBnb in Berlin nowadays… clearly a whole different relationship and framing of the public good.
Do you think there’s something to keep an eye on in this case?
In a session during Ouisharefest 2014 Amsterdam @Carlien_Roodink (who was working with the city council at the time) mentioned the city gets bursts of large numbers of visitors e.g. when there are events. The challenge is how to accomodate them, without crowding out/making the city unhospitable to its residents. So as I understand it there were discussions to work with e.g. Airbnb and other "sharing"economy platforms. For me this is problematic on many levels. For one thing is it appropriate that insitutions in Europe communicate with their citizens via platforms owned by private companies outside European jurisdiction?
I agree with you @nadia, that’s why in a public presentation here in Milano I said that these “infrastructures” (i.e. Airbnb) needs to be regulated not only to collect taxes but (more important) because they are quasi-monolistic operator in the market ( see for example how Terna the Italian electricity transmission system operator is operating in Italy)
So: data needs to be own by the collectivity but here we’re in the field of EU, economics agreement… a mess
These agreement (such as the one linked by Noemi) are on a totally different level (economically, politically, … ) and in my opinion are quasi-ok.
