Analyzing conditions and potential for sharing concepts and establishing sharing centers

The project aims to investigate the framework conditions and possibilities for the shared use of objects in sharing centers. From neighborhood tool containers to central lending libraries, including a community workshop, various formats and implementation scales are conceivable. The project team involves citizens, researches and evaluates suitable organizational forms and business models, as well as financing, procurement, lending concepts and logistics. Another key aspect is workshops on technical education and building a user community.

Recycling is not the only way to save resources. The shared use and reuse of tools, devices and leisure equipment also offers great potential for avoiding waste. However, such sharing centers require concepts that enable sharing, intensified use or repair to be successfully established.

This is where the project comes in, with the initial aim of analyzing all the prerequisites necessary for a sharing center. To this end, the project partners are conducting needs and acceptance analyses. This is being done through a mix of expert interviews, citizen surveys, and in-depth studies on user behavior and interaction with regard to borrowing and sharing.

In a second step, the results of these analyses will be used to plan such a sharing center in terms of technology, organization and design. The focus here will be on aspects such as urban planning classification, strategies for reaching and integrating all social classes and the development of a business model and a digitization strategy. The prototype implementation will be based on the example of the city of Essen.

Finally, the results of the concept will be evaluated from a socio-ecological perspective and also subjected to an economic analysis. This will ensure that the concept for a sharing center can be successfully implemented and transferred to other cities and municipalities.

• City of Essen
• Dortmund University of Applied Sciences