Affordable housing initiative in Barcelona: Construction of 1,700 homes to address housing needs

The Minister of Territory, Ester Capella i Farré, and the mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni i Cuadrado, have agreed to build at least 1,700 affordable homes in Barcelona. The City Council will transfer the plots to the Institut Català del Sòl (INCASÒL) for 75 years, and it will invest some 221 million euros in the construction.

These homes join the initiatives to increase the public set of social rentals in Catalonia. The first phase includes 637 homes with an investment of 82.81 million euros. After construction, award criteria will be established, reserving 30% for young people under 35 years of age. Monitoring commissions will be created to supervise compliance with the agreement and carry out operational monitoring.

The Government of Catalonia has promoted the construction of more than 2,100 social rental homes

The Government of Catalonia has begun the construction of more than 2,100 affordable and environmentally friendly homes for social rental in various municipalities in the region, with a total investment of 284 million euros. These residences are an integral part of a government program whose objective is to increase the social rental housing stock in Catalonia by 10,000 units by 2026, with the construction being the direct responsibility of Incasòl. The majority of these new developments are located in the Barcelona metropolitan area, where the demand for affordable housing is urgent.

The Minister of Territory, Ester Capella i Farré, has emphasized the Government’s priority in ensuring the right to housing. Of the 2,155 homes scheduled for this year, some are in the construction phase, while others are in the design and planning process.

These homes are being developed on land owned by Incasòl or through agreements with local councils. The management and award criteria fall to the Housing Agency of Catalonia, in collaboration with each municipality.

A new development stands out in Santa Coloma de Gramenet, consisting of 38 affordable rental homes that are expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2024. This project is part of an urban renewal plan and constitutes one of the four pilot tests of the project European Syn.ikia, aimed at building buildings with a positive energy balance and promoting sustainable communities. Incorporating solutions such as solar control, natural ventilation and improvements in insulation. Additionally, it participates in a project to establish energy communities that share surplus energy between nearby buildings, thus contributing to sustainability and energy efficiency at the community level.

The urban modification that requires the reservation of 30% for protected housing is approved

The proposal presented by Trias for Barcelona to modify the regulations that require 30% of new constructions to be allocated to protected housing has been approved by the Ecology, Urban Planning, Infrastructure, Mobility and Housing Commission of Barcelona City Council. The initiative, supported by PSC and PP, points out the lack of effective impact and the consequent paralysis of the real estate sector. Instead of the current 30%, the proposal suggests adjusting the regulations according to the percentage of the district, the location of the protected housing development and the maximum housing density.

Additionally, the proposal begins the creation of the City Pact for Housing, with the aim of prioritizing the expansion of the stock of protected rental housing. This pact seeks to address the social deficiencies of the housing market through public-private collaboration.

In another order of ideas, the initiative requests the beginning of an inventory of land intended for facilities, both public and private, with the purpose of evaluating the possibility of allocating them to the construction of homes with common services or shared accommodation.

Catalonia promotes the creation of 5,000 social rental homes

In 2023, the Government of Catalonia has promoted the creation of more than 5,000 social rental homes through public subsidies, as part of an ambitious plan to increase the number of these homes in Catalonia by 10,000 in the next three years. These subsidies, coming from both European funds and specific resources from the Generalitat, have resulted in the construction of a total of 5,337 homes, exceeding initial projections.

The Minister of Territory, Ester Capella i Farré, highlighted the relevance of collaboration between government entities and private actors with a social commitment to improve access to housing in Catalonia. Likewise, she called on the Government to comply with the State Housing Law, which would allow rental prices to be regulated in Catalonia.

This comprehensive plan contemplates various strategies, such as subsidies for housing promotion, the transfer of public lands and the direct construction of housing by the Generalitat.

Catalonia closes 2022 with the lowest unemployment since 2007

The difference between this year and the previous year is very notable, in December 2022 there were 22,820 fewer people registered as unemployed, compared to the same month in 2021, that is -6.18%.

The highest figures since records began in 2004 were reached, with 3,615,780.

Compared to December 2021, there was a fall in unemployment of 11.74% in Tarragona, -11.25% in Lleida, -9.88% in Girona and, finally, -4.31% in Barcelona. 

The number of unemployed people in Spain as a whole remains below 3 million, decreasing by 1.52% compared to the figures of November 2022. Over the past year, unemployment in Catalonia fell by -8.64%, below the Spanish average. 

More than one third -38% of all new contracts have been indefinite since the labour reform of the Gobierno Español came into force.