Mapping of sharing services and their impact on active frontages

The sharing economy can be described as the parts of the economy that are made up of the sharing, trading, renting and lending of artifacts and services. This can include for example technologies, furniture, clothes, facilities, services and information.

In parallel we can see a development around the world where cities and communities are striving towards the creation of so-called active frontages, meaning premises in the ground floors of buildings which house shops, restaurants, culture, arts etcetera. However, up until this day, not much work has been conducted on the role that sharing initiatives can play in the ground floors of buildings.

The aim of this study is to map and evaluate how sharing initiatives contribute to value creation in cities and communities. The hope is that the study can make it easier for municipalities and property owners to house sharing services in their ground floor premises. The study is conducted within the programme Sharing City Gothenburg, in cooperation with the City of Gothenburg and a consortium of property developers active in the regeneration of the inner-city area of Masthuggskajen, an area where this issue is prioritized.

The study includes an international research overview as well as interviews and workshops with sharing initiatives, property owners and civil servants from the municipality. The study will result in a report and additional visualy oriented materials for communication.