Washington, D.C. welcomed 22.8 million visitors in 2017, a 3.6 percent increase from the previous year. District residents know that sharing the District – be it the sidewalk, a local restaurant, or directions to the Museum of Natural History – comes with the territory of living and working in the nation’s capital.

In a city that is so used to sharing its attractions, the City Council’s decision to tightly regulate alternative accommodations is jarringly incongruous.