Hi, I’m Samantha Edwards, an editor at The Globe and Mail. Welcome back to Lately, The Globe’s new tech newsletter – and if you’re here for the first time, welcome! Every Friday morning, I break down the week’s biggest tech stories and how they intersect with, and even change, our world. In this week’s issue: 🌎 Artificial intelligence and Google’s growing carbon footprint 🙅🏻♀️ Another city wants to ban Airbnb 🌽 Canadian farms seeking tech workers 🤢 How the “white boy summer” meme was co-opted by white supremacists Barcelona’s mayor wants to ban all short-term rentals by 2028 Ask the locals or mayors of tourist hot spots such as Barcelona, Maui, or and they’ll tell you: the short-term rental phenomenon is ripping the fabric of the city.
Residents say Airbnbs are driving up rents as landlords shift to more lucrative vacation units, and historic city centres feel more like theme parks. This week in Barcelona, after residents protested against the rise in tourist rentals, the mayor announced a and pledged to phase out short-term rentals by 2028. In the past year, New York and London passed strict new regulations, such as imposing an annual cap on how often hosts can rent out their properties.
The appeal of Airbnb has waned in recent years generally: initially billed as a more authentic and cheaper hotel alternative, many short-term rentals now look more like Ikea showrooms and And at a hotel, you don’t have to spend your last couple o.
