Sharing by Design

Book excerpt: This book answers the question of how to design a sharing system that can promote sustained, meaningful, and socially constructive sharing practices in today’s cities. To do so, it constructs a framework for practical inquiry into the design of sharing systems. Further, the book invites readers to consider questions such as: If sharing can be designed, then how does one design a sharing system for cities? Which urban conditions make this sharing system possible? What are the considerations, variables, and methods that can inform and guide the designers of a sharing system? By considering both the environmental and societal motivations for sharing, and the reality that most examples of the Sharing Economy are neither equitable in their socio-economic outcomes nor genuine in their original social promises, this book presents balanced and thoughtful answers to the questions posed above. The book will appeal to a broad readership, from students and teachers in the various design disciplines, to professionals and scholars in architecture and urbanism, business and innovation, and other related fields of the humanities and social sciences, as well as activists and policymakers committed to achieving more sustainable and equitably distributed access to urban resources.