A Systematic Review and Comparative Policy Analysis of Sharing Cities and Their Urban Governance

Under the influence of technological advancement, digitalisation, and mobile networks, sharing has gained a new dimension in the contemporary era. In the context of rising consumption and economic pressures, the sharing economy has emerged as a global model to promote efficient utilization of limited resources. Recent controversies have questioned how sharing city practices are integrated into urban space and whether they enable the equitable use of underutilised areas. In this context, the “sharing city” approach has been adopted in many cities worldwide. This study explored how sharing practices shaped urban spaces and examined the role of city governments in this process. The research was designed in two stages. First, a systematic review of the Scopus database selected 499 publications from 2016 to early 2025, of which 61 met the inclusion criteria and were analysed to understand the spatial and social impacts of sharing city practices. Second, twelve global cities that adopted sharing city strategies were compared in terms of policy orientation and roles of governance. The analysis demonstrated that the sharing economy produced both enabling and constraining effects on cities, particularly in housing, mobility, and public space. City governments employing a range of regulatory, incentive-based, and partnership-oriented instruments assume different roles, depending on local urban characteristics. By combining insights from the literature and cross-case analysis, the study developed a governance framework that linked municipal roles to specific sharing domains and highlighted areas where equity and data governance remained weak. The findings provide practical guidance for municipalities seeking to balance innovation with regulation, thus offering implementable tools to integrate sharing practices into sustainable urban planning.