Lab Report: How Cities Are Tightening the Leash on Airbnb

Rental restrictions: Facing glaring housing shortages, a number of large cities are now more aggressively regulating the operations of Airbnb and other short-term rental operators. This week Paris has required Airbnb hosts in the city center to cap rentals at 120 days per year. Meanwhile, the Seattle city council passed a new tax on short-term rentals, with funds intended to go toward affordable housing, as Vancouver imposes tight rules to prohibit permanent rental properties. The Vancouver Sun reports:

Preserving historic Philly: As downtown surges with commercial growth, Philadelphia is getting more proactive with defending historic properties from demolition—adding preservation staffers and setting up a new task force with help from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which this year listed the city’s neighborhoods as among its “national treasures.” (New York Times)