The opening essay aims to introduce the subject and the interpretative perspective of the monograph. It is divided into three parts: the first illustrates the evolution of the concept of sharing economy and the main analytical implications; in the second part, the main results of a systematic review of the literature on sharing economy are illustrated; finally, the third part places the contributions of this monograph in the context of other studies and summarizes the main content.

The current debate about the sharing economy has rediscovered the importance of reciprocity as a model of exchange. Time banks, traditionally tools for enhancing an underutilised workforce, are developing at the same time as forms of mutualism and reciprocity within defined communities (residents of a neighbourhood or organisational population of a company), and now have a new opportunity for scaling up through the enabling power of new digital technologies. This article analyses the case of a digital time bank using social network analysis in order to investigate whether the sharing economy can be considered a practice of ‘re-socializing economic exchange’.

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The paper develops a systematic reflection about the future of smart cites at the time of Covid-19, starting from an original periodization about the evolution of the concept of smartness, declined through a four fold analytical tool (technological, humansocial, institutional and spatial-environmental dimensions). Focusing on the role of smart citizens and on the "right to the city" concept, we list and critically appraise the emerging trends made visible by the worldwide sanitary crisis.

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