Crowdfunding and value-sharing: the case of saving the Gartenbaukino cinema

This case study aims to illustrate how crowdfunding platforms can encourage value-sharing by acting as a central hub for platform-based interactions that enable the creation and transfer of value, as well as the use of a market instrument for non-market exchanges. We examine how an urban project achieves its objectives by utilising crowdfunding as a hub for reaching and interacting with audiences. This case study research aims to enhance the understanding of the dynamics between online and offline communities in developing diverse and inclusive urban infrastructures using digital platforms. We contend that the connection between urbanism and online platforms is reciprocal: platforms can contribute to enhancing urbanism and localised initiatives, if individuals mobilise local networks and utilise platforms as digital intermediaries - as a virtual centre for both financial and non-financial transactions.