Overview
Berkeley Barter institutes an alternative local economy to help residents of the city of Berkeley exchange, trade, and swap their stuff.
Location: Berkeley, CA
Year: 2013
Purpose:
Berkeley Barter is an app to help residents of the city of Berkeley exchange, trade, and swap their stuff. It was designed by undergraduate students at the Social App Lab with the needs of Berkeley’s ever-changing student community in mind. Instead of dumping your sofa on the street when you graduate, why not trade it for a camera to use while on the road or for food from urban farmers to use at your graduation party? Berkeley Barter offers a flexible and eco-conscious way to circulate items within the local community. In keeping with certain Berkeley political traditions, the project was conceived at the Lab as fostering “an alternative local economy,” that is, an alternative to market capitalism.
BP provides a platform for people to barter goods and services with one another, creating an exchange system that does not rely on money. In this system, bartered goods typically include items that individuals no longer want, have in surplus, or believe others may value highly enough to trade for. Similarly, bartered services offered are generally skills that individuals are proficient in and consider valuable enough to attract trades, while services sought are those seen as useful in achieving a desired outcome. Services are monitored for appropriateness and safety. By enabling these exchanges, BP establishes an alternative economy that operates outside of market-based capitalism. Currently, there is no structured, organized, safe, convenient, and scalable way for people to engage in barter. BP fills this gap, whether through local exchange (conducted in person or via designated drop-off and pickup points) or through global exchanges, which may require a centralized banking function to manage transactions.
Implementation:
Berkeley Barter awaits funding and deployment.
Researchers and Contributors: The Social Apps Lab 2013 undergraduate students