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"Hot off the presses from Airbnb's PR machine, we're hearing word of a new initiative dubbed &amp;quot;Resolution No. 87,&amp;quot; which \u2014 co-sponsored by mayors from across the US, including New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia \u2014 will lead 15 different cities to &amp;quot;review and address regulations&amp;quot; that cause roadblocks for sharing economy startups like\u00A0Airbnb.\r\n\r\nBut first, to clarify the buzzphrase: the sharing economy simply describes a system where owners can share (rent) services with others; Airbnb lets apartment owners host guests, TaskRabbit let's anyone rent out their free time, and Lyft connects car owners with people that need rides.\r\nResolution No. 87\r\nThe resolution, which legally is more of a goal than a guarantee from attendees of\u00A0The U.S. Conference of Mayors, acknowledges that the sharing economy serves a purpose, and says cities should encourage such behavior. More specifically, it states that the 15 co-sponsoring US mayors involved will focus on:\r\n\r\n\tcreating local task forces to review and address\u00A0regulations that may hinder participants in the Sharing Economy and proposing revisions that ensure public protection as well; and\r\n\tplaying an active role in\u00A0making appropriate publicly owned assets available for maximum utilization by the general public through proven sharing mechanisms.\r\n\r\nResolution No. 87 is\u00A0certainly the best news Airbnb's heard since being legalized in Amsterdam...\r\nAgain, this doesn't mean it's clear seas from now on for every\u00A0sharing economy startup, but it's a milestone of a blessing compared to what's happened lately.\u00A0As we've previously detailed, one\u00A0New York Airbnb host, for example,\u00A0potentially faced fines\u00A0of up to $40,000,\u00A0while another case led Airbnb to\u00A0intervene in the legal process\u00A0\u2014\u00A0without success.\r\n\r\nLyft,\u00A0Sidecar and\u00A0InstantCab\u00A0aren't strangers to legal struggles, either.\r\n\r\nIn any event, Resolution No. 87 is\u00A0certainly the best news Airbnb's heard\u00A0since being legalized in Amsterdam, and this could pave the way for proper legalization in the long-run.\r\n\r\nUpdate 5:48 PM ET: Here's the full list of sponsors:\r\n\r\nEd Lee of San Francisco, Michael Nutter of Philadelphia, Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles, Rahm Emanuel of Chicago, Francis Slay of St. Louis, Jonathan Rothschild of Tucson, Charlie Hales of Portland, Thomas Menino of Boston, Carolyn Goodman of Las Vegas, Michael Bloomberg of New York, Greg Fischer of Louisville, Christopher Cabaldon of West Sacramento, Bill Harrison of Fremont, Frank Cownie of Des Moines and Bill Finch of Bridgeport.\r\n\r\nImage credit: Getty Images\u00A0/\u00A0Andrew Burton"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://thenextweb.com/us/2013/06/24/mayors-from-sf-ny-la-and-more-co-sponsor-plan-to-review-regulations-that-harm-startups-like-airbnb/>