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27 Apr, 2016

Airbnb is ‘ravaging’ black neighbourhoods in New York City and trying to hide it, officials say – The Independent

New York City policymakers and affordable housing advocates have criticised Airbnb following a report the company released claiming it benefits “predominantly black” neighbourhoods. Critics call the company’s release of this information a “duplicitous” and “disingenuous” PR push, a smokescreen to obscure how Airbnb is actually “ravaging” black neighbourhoods in New York City by taking rental units off the market – which contributes to raised rents amid a significant housing crisis. “It’s a typical Airbnb puff-piece where they release selective data,” Sarah Desmond, executive director of the Manhattan-based advocacy nonprofit Housing Conservation Coordinators, told The Independent. “They control all of the data. No one else has access to the raw data, they only have the summarized whitewashed version that they released. [Airbnb] obviously use the data points that make the case that they want.”

Read the rest: Airbnb is ‘ravaging’ black neighbourhoods in New York City and trying to hide it, officials say | Americas | News | The Independent