The impact and regulatory issues of Airbnb in a mid-sized city: Valencia (Spain).

The presence of short-term rentals has been growing rapidly in the past few years and is not only limited to the most touristic cities anymore. This chapter takes a closer look at the development of short-term rentals and its regulatory process in Valencia (Spain). Tourism in Valencia has been growing and so has been growing the presence of Airbnb apartments. Like in many other mid-sized cities, Valencia is increasingly experiencing the negative effects of Airbnb and struggling to design suitable regulatory frameworks. Most short-term rentals in Valencia are located in areas that are already rapidly gentrifying and this chapter thus explores the relationship between gentrification, short-term rentals and regulatory approaches in mid-sized cities by using Valencia as a case study. The chapter aims to show that even though Airbnb apartments might be smaller in number in some cities, the (perceived) impact and regulatory struggles are similar to those of bigger cities.