11. Bartering and Sharing Networks
Online / Various
Sharing cars and bikes has become commonplace, but what about sharing tools, skills, and just about everything else? In recent years there has been an explosion of sharing and bartering networks, allowing people to swap, for example, their power tools for knitting classes or surplus garden vegetables. While primitive economies have historically depended on the smallness and familiarity of one’s village or tribe, the resurgence of interest in capital-free exchange is fueled by websites that help people take advantage of urban density by facilitating their trade with others who might live on the same block (or same building!). OhSoWe, OurGoods, Trade School, and e-flux’s Time/Bank are just a few recent endeavors that help expand people’s access to resources while avoiding more consumption.
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