Venice had its own 'Airbnb problem' during the Renaissance – here's how it coped
The week's revelation that London now has one Airbnb listing for every two hotel rooms, together with new analysis of the platform's extraordinary impact on Edinburgh (the city's 12,000 Airbnb listings work out at around one for every 42 residents), has led to much lament over 'hollowed out' communities, and prompted calls for greater regulation of short lets in urban areas; but rather than taking a heavy-handed approach, today's policymakers would do well to look at how Renaissance Venice struck a delicate balance between the interests of foreigners and locals, says Rosa Salzberg...
From Paris to Shanghai, citizens are largely unaware of indoor air pollution risks
Indoor air can be far more polluted than outdoor air and was responsible for 3.8 million premature deaths worldwide in 2016;
The new London Plan is now in force
The capital's new "Spatial Development Strategy" - better known as the The London Plan 2021 - has finally come into force, after protracted exchanges between City Hall and Whitehall.
Government review pitches £14bn CGT hike, potentially doubling rates for second-home owners
There are "a range of areas in which Capital Gains Tax is counter-intuitive and creates odd incentives", says the Office of Tax Simplification in a comprehensive review of the CGT regime.