Airbnb tries urban planning — and hotels — with 'Samara'
 

Airbnb tries urban planning — and hotels — with 'Samara'
http://i.amz.mshcdn.com/b-A-a5kSsjrI...-533956996.jpghttp://a.amz.mshcdn.com/assets/feed-...50839a8e00.jpghttp://a.amz.mshcdn.com/assets/feed-...32c6f24ba1.jpg
Airbnb is moving beyond home-sharing with a new design firm called Samara.

The new initiative pushes the company into a type of urban planning, with the firm positioned to evaluate declining small towns that could benefit from an Airbnb-sponsored project. Those projects themselves, as Business Insider pointed out, look a lot like hotels or hostels.*

The first project is a community center in a small town in Japan. But unlike a typical community center — and like a hotel — it hosts travelers. The building includes a living room, a kitchen and a 16-foot communal dining table, according to FastCo Design, which profiled the project for its launch.* Read more...

More about Japan, Samara, Airbnb, Business, and Startupshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Mashable/~4/Hv-y99I6FdI