A recent survey funded by the Rockefeller Foundation reveals that, through social and community bonds, the Sharing Economy can play an important role in coordinating self-help during disasters.
In the Sharing Economy, asset owners use digital resources to capitalize the unused capacity of things, and consumers rent from their peers rather than buy from a company. During disasters, these asset owners can use the same resources to offer what they have at no cost. For example, over 1,400 New Yorkers offered free housing using AirBnB to people heavily affected by the hurricane Sandy. Meanwhile, the City of San Francisco has just launched a partnership with BayShare to “harness the power of sharing to ensure the best response to future disasters in San Francisco”.
All over the world, there is growing awareness of the tremendous, lasting damage and loss of life in communities affected by natural disasters. This attention brings the topics of preparedness, response, and recovery to the fore. Central to these discussions is resilience: how and why some individuals, and some communities, recover more quickly and more effectively than others in the face of a natural disaster. Social resources and the Sharing Economy can be critical to response and recovery efforts. Indeed, factors such as social network connections, social cohesion, trust, and community bonds facilitate interaction and information exchange. This reservoir of social resources can then be drawn upon in the event of a disaster.
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