Short-term rentals, urban sustainability and governance policy: An analytical regulatory framework proposal

Short-term rentals (STRs) have become a major source of urban tension, intensifying housing pressure, neighbourhood conflict, and governance complexity. Despite growing academic attention, existing regulatory approaches still remain fragmented, focusing on single instruments rather than integrated governance strategies. This article aims to develop a more general and updated analytical framework for short-term rental regulation helping policy makers to confront main challenges. With this objective, in a first stage, we conduct a systematic review of 90 studies (2009–2025), identifying the key regulatory instruments, together with the institutional and contextual conditions where they develop. The synthesis informs the integration of regulatory choices, governance arrangements, and urban sustainability objectives within a common analytical structure. In a second stage, we propose a wider, more general and updated framework for STR regulation comprising six main components: host differentiation, adaptive regulation, multilevel governance and platform cooperation, enforcement and transparency, taxation schemes, and regulatory innovation. The framework contains all pieces identified in the current regulatory debate taking place at major worldwide cities, providing a playground for policy makers seeking to make cities a sustainable place for the future. Practical and policy implications emerge from the research.