Post by High Priestess on Apr 27, 2016 14:22:57 GMT
See the article:
fusion.net/story/295484/airbnb-nyc-black-neighborhoods/
A recent report published by Airbnb claims that the platform has provided a marked “economic opportunity” to New York City’s historically black neighborhoods like Bed-Stuy and West Harlem. According to Airbnb’s analysis, in the past year it saw the most significant growth of its userbase in black neighborhoods as compared to any other kind of neighborhood in the city.
“In the 30 New York City zip codes with the largest black populations by percentage, the number of Airbnb guests grew 78% year-over-year, versus 51% citywide,” the report explains. “In fact, of the 1.26 million people who visited New York City via Airbnb last year, 1 in 7 stayed with a host in these neighborhoods.”
Taken at face value, Airbnb’s claim of providing black retirees and empty nesters with the chance to make a bit of money on the side reads like a good thing. But there are some local New Yorkers who are skeptical of the story the company’s trying to sell. Specifically, there’s no real way that Airbnb can prove that actual black people are using and benefitting from its business.
Murray Cox, a data analyst working out of Bed-Stuy, (creator of the site www.insideairbnb.com which scrapes data from the Airbnb site and uses it against Airbnb) contends that Airbnb is actually one of the forces contributing to the gentrification of these neighborhoods.
“Airbnb is a gentrifying tool that is being used by people moving into these neighborhoods, who are displacing long-term residents and turning around and renting [using Airbnb],” Cox told Gothamist.
While Airbnb repeatedly mentions that it’s growing in black neighborhoods, it doesn’t say much about who’s actually listing houses and apartments for short-term stays. Instead, Airbnb describes what kind of spaces are being listed, which can be interpreted in a few different ways. Airbnb says that 58% of its listers are offering private rooms for rent, meaning that 42% are offering up whole apartments
fusion.net/story/295484/airbnb-nyc-black-neighborhoods/
A recent report published by Airbnb claims that the platform has provided a marked “economic opportunity” to New York City’s historically black neighborhoods like Bed-Stuy and West Harlem. According to Airbnb’s analysis, in the past year it saw the most significant growth of its userbase in black neighborhoods as compared to any other kind of neighborhood in the city.
“In the 30 New York City zip codes with the largest black populations by percentage, the number of Airbnb guests grew 78% year-over-year, versus 51% citywide,” the report explains. “In fact, of the 1.26 million people who visited New York City via Airbnb last year, 1 in 7 stayed with a host in these neighborhoods.”
Taken at face value, Airbnb’s claim of providing black retirees and empty nesters with the chance to make a bit of money on the side reads like a good thing. But there are some local New Yorkers who are skeptical of the story the company’s trying to sell. Specifically, there’s no real way that Airbnb can prove that actual black people are using and benefitting from its business.
Murray Cox, a data analyst working out of Bed-Stuy, (creator of the site www.insideairbnb.com which scrapes data from the Airbnb site and uses it against Airbnb) contends that Airbnb is actually one of the forces contributing to the gentrification of these neighborhoods.
“Airbnb is a gentrifying tool that is being used by people moving into these neighborhoods, who are displacing long-term residents and turning around and renting [using Airbnb],” Cox told Gothamist.
While Airbnb repeatedly mentions that it’s growing in black neighborhoods, it doesn’t say much about who’s actually listing houses and apartments for short-term stays. Instead, Airbnb describes what kind of spaces are being listed, which can be interpreted in a few different ways. Airbnb says that 58% of its listers are offering private rooms for rent, meaning that 42% are offering up whole apartments