Listings Distribution
After understanding the differences in Airbnb’s approach to housing from a strictly descriptive standpoint, we can look at data regarding Airbnb’s listings to understand the full extent of its influence. Take for example New York City, a city with a tight housing market that is also popular with tourists. This bar chart shows the dramatic differences in Airbnb listings in Manhattan and Brooklyn compared to neighborhoods like Staten Island or the Bronx. The disproportionate spread of listings per neighborhood not only reflects the popularity of these neighborhoods, but also preconceived notions about less popular neighborhoods. For one, as tourists receive the impression that certain neighborhoods are inherently filthier and less safe, they may contribute to the support of gentrifying practices because, rather than a displacing force, gentrification is seen as a positive trend that transforms “ghetto” areas into ostensibly safer, more aesthetically pleasing, “hipster” areas. One example would be Brooklyn, New York City, which has been gentrified into a radically different, predominantly white area (Törnberg, 2020). The spread of Airbnb listings could be used to both reflect as well as reinforce existing biases, by redirecting tourism into already concentrated areas (Jan, 2018). With both strong preferences and biases, tourism is unevenly condensed into particular areas without regard for long term effects on property and housing market values.
