The City Council of Florença approved this Tuesday (30) a new text to prohibit the allocation of properties in its historic center, an area listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, for short-term rental services, such as Airbnb.
The veto had been introduced in October 2023, but was revoked at the beginning of July by the Regional Administrative Court (TAR) of Tuscany, with the argument that the rule was an amendment to Florence's old urban planning regulations and ceased to be valid when it was not mentioned in the successive zoning plan.
As a result, the City Council had to vote on the measure again to insert it into the urban plan. “This is the beginning of a journey to make the beauty of our city appreciated by sustainable tourism, but above all by our citizens”, said center-left mayor Sara Funaro, who took office in June.
The conservative opposition, however, claims that the ban is an “attack on private freedoms,” an argument refuted by Funaro. “We need to have the freedom to approve actions that protect our city and our citizens,” added the mayor, highlighting that mass tourism has become an “emergency” in the Tuscan capital, one of Italy’s most visited destinations.
The ban is the strictest in the country against services like Airbnb and only applies to properties that are not currently intended for short-term rentals – those already registered will not be affected.
The popularization of platforms of this kind is seen as directly responsible for the population depletion of the historic centers of large cities around the world. The increase in the availability of properties for tourists creates a shortage of supply for long-term contracts, increasing rental prices and forcing residents to seek out more distant regions. (HANDLE)
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