01 01OCTOBER 2019 Diàlegs d’Habitatge The housing crisis in cities: causes, effects and responses Summary of the talks given at the Barcelona Housing and Renovation Forum MACBA auditorium, 19-21 March 2019 INTERACTIVE PUBLICATION The housing crisis in cities: causes, effects and responses Summary of the talks given at the Barcelona Housing and Renovation Forum MACBA auditorium, 19-21 March 2019 Organised by: Barcelona Municipal Institute of Housing and Renovation Rapporteur: Irene Peiró Compains 02 01 03 04 05 06 08 07 10 12 09 11 13 3 01 06 Introduction ................................4 Planning housing policies: 9.2.2. Assigned-use housing: ............75 the experience of the Balearic Islands the Basque Country’s experience 9.2.3. The Austrian benchmark: ........77 02 .................................40 combining public action and limited- profit housing associations The challenge of housing in the context of global 07 9.2.4. The experience of the .............81 community land trust in Brussels capitalism ......................................6 Regulating the rental market: putting a halt 03 to gentrification .................... 46 10 7.1 What is gentrification? .................47 Housing for new models The housing crisis in Causes and consequences of living together ..................84 Barcelona: state of play 7.2 Perspective of social .................. 49 and main initiatives 10.1 The Netherlands, ....................... 85 ............10 movements: the Tenants Union a model country in social and 3.1 State of play of housing ...............11 7.3 European benchmarks ............... 52 intergenerational cohousing in Barcelona in housing and letting 10.2 A successful case in ................. 89 3.2 Public housing policies ..............16 7.3.1 Analysing successful ................ 53 the Spanish State: intergenerational promoted in Barcelona models in Europe to import them housing in Alicante into the Spanish State 10.3 How can dwellings be .............. 92 04 7.3.2 Good practices in ...................... 58 adapted to the development of Europe in defence of affordable social changes from a gender The role of public rents and housing perspective? authorities in the face of the housing crisis 08 11 in cities ...........................................18 Renovating the housing New-build and renovation 4.1 Promoting affordable ................. 20 public housing stock ................................................ 62 projects promoted by 4.2 Adopting emergency ................. 26 8.1 Renovation policies ..................... 63 Barcelona City Council .... 96 measures in response to the in Barcelona: towards a sustainable 11.1 New-build projects .....................97 housing emergency renovation model 11.2 Renovation projects ................ 102 4.3 How should rent hikes ............... 29 8.2 Santa Coloma de Gramenet's ..... 66 be tackled? experience in creating a conservation and renovation area 12 05 09 Innovation and housing: Taking on the housing finalists’ proposals for Public-private emergency ................................. 32 the BCN-NYC Housing collaboration in promoting 5.1. Social movements: ..................... 33 Challenge ................................... 104 affordable housing .............. 70 The PAH's experience during a 10-year fight 9.1 Collaboration between ................ 71 the public authorities, the private 5.2. Social organisations in the ...... 36 13 sector and the third sector to face of residential exclusion: expand affordable housing the Càritas housing diagnosis Conclusions ............................. 108 and programme 9.2 Housing alternatives ...................73 from the social and cooperative 5.3. The Barcelona Intervention ..... 38 economy: public support for and Mediation Service in cohousing Housing-Loss and Occupation Situations (SIPHO) 9.2.1. The cohousing ............................73 model in Barcelona CONTENTS Introduction Guaranteeing the right to decent housing is one of the main political and social challenges in many cities around the world and in Europe. All the more so in Catalonia and the rest of the Spanish State, where public housing policies are accumulating historic arrears compared to other European countries. Analysing their causes and consequences and, above all, suggesting alternatives, as reflected in pioneering policies being implemented in countries such as the Netherlands, Austria and Germany, constituted the goal of the Barcelona Housing and Renovation Forum (FHAR), held between 19 and 21 March 2019. The forum brought together some 50 Spanish and international speakers at the Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA). 5 This publication contains a summary of the main contents of the FHAR, arranged in thematic areas, which together offer a general overview of the housing challenge. It focuses on Catalonia, Barcelona and its metropolitan area in particular, but sets the problem in a European and international context. In fact, it attributes its main cause to the commercialisation of housing and its conversion into investment assets in global financial markets. There are numerous perspectives on the housing challenge and the following pages bring together the viewpoints of the various sectors involved in solving this problem, namely, public authorities, social movements, the property sector, the financial world, architects, the academic world, the social, solidarity and cooperative economy, the third sector and so on. You will also find a wide range of measures and policies for guaranteeing the right to decent housing, a challenge that can be tackled from many fronts, ranging from initiatives requiring more immediacy in the fight against the housing Above, picture of a visit to Can Fabra during the FHAR. Left, Lucía Martín, emergency to others requiring strategic Barcelona City Councillor for Housing planning with a medium-to-long-term vision. and Renovation, next to Josep Maria Montaner, her predecessor in the post. The following sections deal with measures Right, inside a public dwelling. Below, for combating rent hikes, the phenomenon of the forum reception. gentrification and the scarcity of affordable housing, measures for regulating tourist accommodation, promoting the renovation of buildings, guaranteeing property’s social function and mobilising vacant flats for the social rented housing stock. It should be noted that, if such measures are to be implemented, there will have to be public-private collaboration as well as collaboration between the authorities themselves. Cohousing alternatives, driven by the social and cooperative economy to ensure the availability of affordable housing and create new household models, are also highlighted. In short, this publication aims to offer a contextualised, diverse and complex approach to the challenge of housing in cities, which we hope will be of interest to you. INTRODUCTION 02 The challenge of housing in the context of global capitalism 7 SeSSIon Global challenges and local solutions to the right to housing RAQUEL ROLNIK SÃO PAULO Architect and former United Nations’ Rapporteur for the Right to Housing. IntervIew Raquel Rolnik To understand the problems for This process has involved separating ensuring the right to housing in the financial value of housing from Barcelona, Catalonia and the rest the real needs it meets. Only this can of the Spanish State, we must first explain why the big investors have widen our focus and analyse the issue a large number of properties left from a global perspective. That is unused, as “the important thing is not the aim of the summary below of the to use them but to exploit them as talk that Raquel Rolnik, a lecturer in an investment fund”, and why private architecture and urban planning at property has been prioritised over other the University of São Paulo and an forms of housing tenure. For citizens, international expert in the field, gave ownership is not the safest way to during the official opening of the access housing, as the mortgage crisis Barcelona Housing and Renovation of 2008 showed. For capital, on the Forum. Rolnik was also the United other hand, it is the easiest way to turn Nations’ Housing Rapporteur from 2008 it into a financial asset. to 2014 and has stood out for tackling urban planning from the perspective and needs of the most vulnerable RAQUEL ROLNIK collectives. “Deterritorialised In her opinion, the housing crisis in Barcelona and also many other cities capital with no ties is round the world “is the result of a restructuring cities and more extensive structural condition changing our lives” of the current stage of capitalism’s development”. Housing at this stage is no longer regarded as a mere market commodity, instead of a social right, but as a financial asset too, subject to the circulation flows of international capital. THE CHALLENGE OF HOUSING To reproduce and expand their gains, international capital is RAQUEL ROLNIK buying up more and more properties in the big cities and turning “What is in crisis them into financial assets, with the consequent impact that are not just the this has on their social and urban fabric. In addition, the profits generated by this economic activity are not reinvested in the policies of a cities, because many of the investors are not subject to local political party, but taxation and deposit their profits in tax havens. The architect rather the way highlights this paradox: “Deterritorialised capital with no ties of organising the is restructuring cities and changing our lives”. She defines this phenomenon as a “colonisation” process of capital, which goes State and how it beyond mere territorial occupation and has effects on cultural, relates to capital” social, political and community levels. This colonisation and dispossession process has occurred in two stages, which are perfectly distinguishable in Spain’s case. The first was the gestation period of the property bubble, which involved an exponential growth in housing prices and, as a result, in the mortgage indebtedness of many families. This stage continued in Spain until 2007, when a wave of foreclosures and evictions began. The second wave of dispossession is the one encouraged by the rental bubble, which is currently causing “a systematic expulsion of local residents from Barcelona's centre and their removal to its outskirts”. She blames the rental bubble on vulture funds, which are buying up thousands of dwellings for speculative purposes and, in particular, Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs): investment companies dedicated above all to purchasing properties to be let out and which enjoy certain privileged tax conditions. Second, she highlights platforms such as Airbnb, which encourage the tourist accommodation business, with the consequent impact this has on the rental market generally. In the face of these waves of dispossession, Rolnik does not believe the answer lies in states. She points out how, from their very beginning, nation states were conceived of as a tool for enabling the expansion of markets and not for empowering citizens and that, more recently, they have seen their margin of sovereignty reduced in the context of economic globalisation. “What is in crisis are not just the policies of a political party, but rather the way of organising the State and how it relates to capital”, insists Rolnik. In that sense she criticises the incapacity of states to regulate the flows of financial capital: “It is the states themselves that put up walls to prevent the circulation of people, the very states that have not blocked the circulation of financial capital”. 9 She believes the alternatives for encouraging city residents to reclaim public spaces will be driven by social movements and a cultural change in society. She does not believe these alternatives correspond to a clearly defined model, rather she understands them as a “political process built from practices of resistance against evictions, the organisation of a tenants’ union...”. She also puts strong emphasis on the alternatives for guaranteeing the right to housing driven by the social and cooperative economy. RAQUEL ROLNIK “The central issue for the survival of housing for the people is to cut the link with the possibility of it circulating in financial markets” Rolnik believes city councils have a big role in this process of reclaiming the cities and that it should not be one of imposing a model bur one of recognising and nourishing the new non-commercialised forms of citizen organisation to guarantee social rights such as housing. In that regard she recognises that municipalities in various parts of the world, including Barcelona, are “desperately trying to change paradigms”. Even so, she warns that, if we are to end the housing crisis in cities we shall have to go further and pressurise the authorities to tackle its structural causes. She therefore concludes: “The central issue for the survival of housing for the people is to cut the link with the possibility of it circulating in financial markets”. Pictures taken from the ‘Global challenges and local solutions to the right to housing’ session, moderated by the journalist Cristina Fallaràs. THE CHALLENGE OF HOUSING 03 The housing crisis in Barcelona: state of play and main initiatives 11 State of play of housing in Barcelon3a .1 SeSSIon Measuring for planning. Creating indicators and presenting the state of play Preparing a good diagnosis of all the CARME social factors that have an impact on TRILLA public access to the right to housing BARCELONA has to be the starting point for planning Chair of the Barcelona Metropolitan Housing housing policies in cities. This point Observatory. was made by Carme Trilla, an expert preSentatIon in this field in Catalonia and currently The Barcelona Metropolitan the Chair of the Metropolitan Housing Housing Observatory Observatory of Barcelona. Her talk at the Housing Forum analysed factors such as the needs of the population, depending on its demographic development, the available housing stock, types of housing tenure and the FUENSANTA conditions and prices of flats. ALCALÁ BARCELONA As regards uses of Barcelona’s housing Technical Director of the Housing stock, Fuensanta Alcalá, the Technical Discipline Unit at the Barcelona Director of the Housing Discipline Unit Municipal Institute of Housing at the Barcelona Municipal Institute and Renovation. of Housing and Renovation, also preSentatIon Department of Housing presented Barcelona City Council's Discipline and Inspections programmes and studies for detecting whether or not its social function is being fulfilled. The following sections summarise the contents of their talks, which help to analyse the state of play of housing in Barcelona. THE HOUSING CRISIS IN BARCELONA There is a growing distance between rent prices and what city residents can Analysing demographic afford to pay development to plan Historically speaking, in Catalonia and the housing policies Spanish State as a whole, the prevailing culture for gaining access to housing has been one of While the number of city residents — currently ownership rather than letting. However, this trend 1,620,343 — has stabilised since 2010, Carme has started to go into reverse in recent years, Trilla warns that changes are being recorded especially since 2011, when banks restricted in the population's profile. One the one hand, access to credit following the outbreak of the Observatory has detected an increase in the mortgage crisis. In Barcelona's case, the the number of foreign-national residents. In percentage of households living off rent rose 2000 it represented 5% of Barcelona’s total from 30.1% to 38.2% between 2011 and 2017. population, but by the end of 2018 it had risen This rise in demand in the rental market is being to 24.2%. matched by a strong hike in prices. Since 2013, Added to this phenomenon is “the ageing rent prices in Barcelona have gone up by 36.4%, trend of Barcelona’s population, something with the monthly average reaching a historical that ought to make us reflect on the city high of 929.60 euros in 2018. Despite the profile we are building”, Trilla notes. Since continued rise of rent prices in Barcelona in the 1996, the percentage of young people living last year (6%), it is worth noting that the growth in the city has dropped 5 points, from 20.4% rate has dropped, having been 9.8% in 2017. to 15%. So now, the percentage of people If we look at the trend in rent prices by over the age of 65 (21.54 %) exceeds the neighbourhood, we find the more pronounced percentage of young people. Moreover, it increases are in those parts of the city where should be borne in mind that more than a rents are lower: Ciutat Vella, where they have quarter of the elderly people live alone, and gone up by 43% during the last 4 years, Sant three out of every four are women. In most Martí (+38%) and Nou Barris (+35.1%). cases it is a situation of unwanted solitude, which the authorities will need to take into This upward trend in rent prices is causing a account when planning housing alternatives growing gap between the rent that people can for elderly people. afford to pay and market prices. At present the most common rental demand ranges from 600 euros to 800 euros a month (35% of the total), whereas most rental offers (68% of the CARME TRILLA, Chair of the Barcelona Metropolitan Housing Observatory total) are over 1,000 euros a month. “We currently have sales We also need to take prices that are very similar into account that at to the ones we had during present the rental bubble coexists with a moderate the bubble” trend towards recovery in 13 the property sector and a rise in purchase prices, after years of crisis in the construction market. A total of 1,251 dwellings were completed in Barcelona in 2018, more than twice the number in 2014. As for house prices, these went up by 38.1% in the new-build market and by 50.3% in the second-hand market between 2013 and 2018. “Maybe it is being obscured by the rise in market rental prices, but we currently have sale prices that are very similar to the ones we had during the bubble”, warns Carme Trilla. Thus a rise in purchase prices is being added to the rise in rental prices and worsening the growing separation between people’s income levels and housing costs. Whereas gross available family incomes rose by 63.4% between 2000 and 2018, rental prices went up by 127.7% and purchase prices by over 144% during the same period. The growing difficulty people face in meeting the cost of housing has many consequences. First, young people are having more difficulties living on their own: the emancipation rate dropped by almost 10 points between 2007 and 2017 (from 32.6% to 23.8%). Second, more and more people are finding themselves forced to move out of their neighbourhood or even the city. The percentage of people moving house but staying in the same city has fallen in the last few years, from 77.6% to 72.7% between 2013 and 2017. At the same time, the percentage of people remaining in the same neighbourhood has fallen from 41.8% to 36.4%. These are still high percentages, but declining, showing the consequences of the gentrification phenomenon. Nor can we forget a reality which, while not as visible now as it was during the harshest years of the crisis, continues to affect a large number of households: evictions. In 2017 there were 2,519 evictions in Barcelona, 9% fewer than in the previous year. At present, the overwhelming Carme Trilla warned about the ageing of majority (84.1%) are due to rent defaults. Barcelona's population and the effects that it could have on housing. THE HOUSING CRISIS IN BARCELONA Housing ownership, highly Guaranteeing the social fragmented and mainly in the function of ownership in hands of individuals Barcelona The latest estimate of the number of dwellings On the basis of legally in Barcelona is lower than the figure from the protecting the social function count taken in 2011. While that recorded 811,106 SeSSIon of property established Collaboration and properties, the current estimated figure is control to ensure under the Catalan Right 774,190, according to an analysis done by the the proper use of to Housing Act of 2007, in housing Metropolitan Housing Observatory using data recent years Barcelona City from the city’s property register. Council has initiated studies and programmes to identify Two features characterise the distribution whether this function is being of ownership of Barcelona’s dwellings. First, performed effectively, failing it presents a high degree of fragmentation: which the relevant disciplinary there are 512,178 natural or legal persons (or and corrective measures would tax-payers) that possess the city’s 774,190 have to be applied. dwellings, in other words, the average number of properties per tax payer is 1.5. Second, most of Cases where the social function the flats (84.6%) are in the hands of individuals, of property is not being carried whereas legal persons (companies, organisations out in line with these regulations etc.) own 10.7%, and the public authorities a include maintaining a dwelling meagre 1.6%. vacant for more than two years without justification and not Nevertheless, this high degree of fragmentation using an officially protected should not make us lose sight of the existence of dwelling (HPO in Catalan) as a large-scale property owners in Barcelona. More regular or permanent residence. specifically, 1,087 owners (0.2% of the total) own In recent years, Barcelona City 75,767 dwellings (9.8% of the housing stock). In Council has stepped up its other words, each of them possesses an average work to detect these kinds of of 69.7 dwellings. Most of these large-scale non-compliance in particular, property owners (53,6%) are companies and through the Housing Discipline organisations (legal persons). Unit at the Municipal Institute of Housing and Renovation, which is run by Fuensanta Alcalá. FUENSANTA ALCALÁ, the technical director of the municipal Housing Discipline Unit, presented the results of the first exhaustive census of vacant flats in Barcelona. 15 The first exhaustive census of vacant flats in detected than empty flats (10,052). Among the Barcelona was initiated towards the end of tourist apartments, 881 have also been detected 2016. Its results were presented during the lacking the corresponding licence, as a result Housing and Renovation Forum. An observation of which disciplinary proceedings have been team from Barcelona City Council has since started against their owners. visited 103,864 dwellings, all likely to be These same inspections have also revealed vacant, because they had zero or very little problems regarding accessibility to the city’s water consumption, because there was no housing stock, which will have to be taken one registered in the city residents’ register or into account in the city's renovation policies. because they were owned by a bank. As many as 69.8% of the dwellings inspected As a result of this fieldwork, 10,052 vacant flats are not accessible for people with reduced have been detected in Barcelona, 1.2% of the mobility and 35.8% have no lift. By contrast, the total number of the city’s dwellings. This figure percentage of dwellings in poor condition has is below the City Council’s initial estimates dropped to 3.4%. of 12,000 to 13,000 vacant flats in the city. Besides its vacant dwelling census, Barcelona Moreover, in most cases where information was City Council has also developed a programme obtained, the dwellings had been unoccupied for to ensure that HPO properties (classified for less than two years. sale and with that classification in force) comply Where vacant flats are in the hands of large with the use they are intended for, namely, the property owners, it should be recalled that the regular and permanent residence of the people articles of Catalan Act 24/2015 against evictions they are awarded to. and energy poverty enabling such properties to A total of 2,091 officially protected dwellings be mobilised for social letting are back in force, were inspected between December 2017 and following the Spanish Constitutional Court's February 2019, out of the city’s 16,000 HPO flats. lifting of their suspension. Of course, Fuensanta This resulted in 265 anomalies (12.65%) being Alcalá warns of the difficulties that this entails detected in 51% of the cases for subletting the in practice, given that dwellings owned by dwelling to a third person, considered a very banks are often not vacant but squats: “When serious offence which can lead to fines of up to we began in 2016, 59% of squatted flats were 900,000 euros. In 33% of cases, dwellings were owned by banks”. She also believes that, as most resided in by people other than their owners and squatting families are in a vulnerable situation, in another 10% they were unoccupied. A further fining owners is not always the best option, 5% concerned cases where a flat not used as the whereas mediation and negotiation are. main residence was partially rented out or had uses incompatible with housing. More tourist flats or offices Finally, it should be noted that Barcelona City than vacant dwellings in Council recently imposed a hefty fine of 2.8 million euros on two vulture funds for keeping Barcelona two blocks of buildings empty for over two years in the Eixample district. Social movements Inspections made in drawing up the census appear to be satisfied with this penalty, although of vacant flats have also enabled other uses they feel the municipal government should have and needs of Barcelona's housing stock to imposed more fines of this kind throughout its be detected. One of the most significant term of office. pieces of data is that more dwellings used for non-residential purposes, such as tourist apartments or offices (13,852), have been THE HOUSING CRISIS IN BARCELONA 3.2Public housing policies promoted in Barcelona SeSSIon G lobal challenges and local solutions to the right to housing During the forum, the Barcelona City Barcelona City Council has exercised Councillor for Housing and Renovation, over 650 properties to allocate them to Josep Maria Montaner, explained the social or affordable housing, according JOSEP policies pursued by the Council during to the latest report published by the MARIA its 2015-2019 term of office to tackle Council. Another more recent channel, MONTANER the numerous challenges involved in to do with urban planning regulations, BARCELONA guaranteeing the right to housing in concerns the obligation to allocate Barcelona City the city. This refers to the measures 30% of new private developments Councillor for Housing and included in the Barcelona Right to or major renovations to affordable Renovation. 1 Housing Plan for 2016-2025 that have housing. Montaner pointed out that been implemented so far. this pioneering measure received full He highlighted the considerable public council approval at the end of 2018 on investment that the City Council has the proposal of the social movements. made in housing policies. The annual Another mechanism would be public municipal housing budget quadrupled construction of affordable housing, during this term of office, from 45 mostly for public rental, but also by million euros in 2015 to over 180 million incentivising cohousing models being euros today. According to Montaner, promoted by the solidarity and coop- during this term Barcelona City Council erative economy. The most extensive “has spared no means” to promote the is assigned-use housing, where a right to housing and combined several cooperative is the owner of a block of public policies to that end, which are dwellings and its members can live summarised below. there in definitely indefinitely by paying One of the main priorities has been an affordable monthly amount. In other 1 Josep Maria to expand the affordable housing words, they have an exclusive right to Montaner was the City Councillor their dwelling even though they are not for Housing and stock through several channels. One Renovation until the of these involves the preemtive (or its owners. end of the 2015-2019 term of office. preferential) right of purchase, which Inside the La Borda housing cooperative during a visit 17 from the FHAR. JOSEP MARIA MONTANER ranging from 30,000 “Cohousing is better to 60,000 euros during this term of office. able to resist in According to the City the face of neo- Council, the number of liberal policies than unlicensed tourist prop- is public housing, erties advertised on the various online platforms which can be sold” has dropped from 5,875 to 272 during this term. Moreover, he high- The City Council has helped lighted the changes to incentivise cohousing by that have been made assigning it the use of publicly to the Special Tourist owned land. Montaner believes Accommodation Urban it is particularly important Development Plant for the City Council to help (PEUAT) to regulate to nourish these experiences and limit its presence in certain million euros during the 2011- and make people aware of areas of the city with greater 2015 period. them through educational and tourist pressure. He stressed how the City awareness-raising work. In his Council was no longer giving view “cohousing is better able JOSEP MARIA MONTANER out renovation permits in cases to resist neo-liberal policies than public housing, which “Renovation creates where tenants’ rights were not being complied with, a measure can be sold”, and he recalled jobs for the local population; it is for combating bad practices. the case of Madrid City Council which, when Ana Botella was harder for big In fact, he pointed out that in 2019 Barcelona City Council mayor in 2013, sold 1,869 HPO capitals to intervene issued the first fine for property properties to vulture funds. there [...] it is based mobbing in the Spanish State, To make access to housing on a much more following the protocol approved easier, Barcelona City Council local-economy logic”. for that purpose. As for moni- has also increased its expend- toring the social use of housing, iture on rent aid, which he also mentioned the prepa- currently stands at about 24 Montaner also put special ration of the first exhaustive million euros a year, compared emphasis on promoting census of vacant flats. to 10 million in 2014, according housing renovation: “A lot has been achieved, to the Council’s latest figures. “Renovation creates jobs but there is still plenty to During this last term of office, for the local population; it do. Housing policies are not the Barcelona Intervention is harder for big capital to consolidated in just four and Mediation Service in intervene there and you’ve got years”, he concluded. He also Housing-Loss and Occupation more guarantees if you control called on both the Catalan Situations (SIPHO) was set up it. It is based on a much government, given its juris- to provide support for people more local-economy logic”. diction over housing policies, facing residential exclusion, as In that regard, he noted the and the Spanish State, on explained more extensively in considerable investment that which key housing regulations Section 5.3. Barcelona City Council has (such as those for letting and The Councillor for Housing made in this field. According to the mortgage market) depend, also asserted that Barcelona the latest housing evaluation to collaborate much more with City Council has carried out conducted in 2017, some 42.5 Barcelona City Council and intensive inspection work to million euros were allocated to increase its public spending to detect illegal tourist flats and renovation policies, compared promote housing policies. issue their owners with fines to an annual average of 17 04 The role of public authorities in the face of the housing crisis in cities 19 What role do the various public author- SeSSIon The role of public authorities ities play in the face of the housing crisis in the face of the housing-access crisis in cities in cities? This was the topic of one of the roundtables held at the Barcelona Housing and Renovation Forum, in which Javier Martín, the Managing Director of Architecture, Housing and Land at the JAVIER Ministry of Public Works, Judith Gifreu, MARTÍN the Director of the Catalan Housing MADRID Agency and Javier Burón, the Manager Director-General of Architecture, for Housing and Renovation at Barcelona Housing and Land at the Spanish Ministry of Public Works. City Council took part. IntervIew The talks by the speakers were followed Javier Martín by contributions on the topic of housing by representatives of various organisa- tions from a “row 0”. Taking part in that wereJaume Artigues, a member of the Barcelona Federation of Local Residents’ JUDITH Associations and the Chair of the Dreta GIFREU de l’Eixample Residents’ Association; BARCELONA Irene Escorihuela, the Director of the Director of the Catalan DESC Observatory; Elena Massot, the Housing Agency. Deputy Chair of the Catalan Association of Promoters and Entrepreneurs, and Pau Pérez, Barcelona Global's spokesperson. A summary of this roundtable's contents is JAVIER BURÓN given below, organised in thematic areas. BARCELONA Manager for Housing and Renovation at Barcelona City Council. THE ROLE OF THE PUBLIC AUTHORITIES 4.Pr1omoting affordable public housing JAVIER BURÓN, the Manager for Housing and Renovation at Barcelona City Council, called on the The deficit in affordable public housing in the Spanish State is a problem recognised by all Catalan and Spanish public authorities. Javier Burón, the Manager governments for of Housing and Renovation at Barcelona City Council, referred first of all to the enormous gap more involvement and between the affordable public housing stocks investment in housing. of other EU countries and that of Spain. To give an example, in the Netherlands over 30% of dwellings fall into that category, compared in tackling the housing crisis and bemoaned the to under 2% in Spain. He is in favour of making fact that, while local authorities have the fewest the leap to at least 15% affordable housing, the powers over housing issues, in many cases they target set by the Catalan Right to Housing Act of are the ones doing the most to deal with situa- 2007 to be met within 20 years and which has tions of residential exclusion. The latest report not been implemented since then at the pace on the Barcelona Housing Plan for 2016-2025 required for achieving it. shows the City Council invested four times Secondly, he believes there is a “money problem”, more per resident on housing than the Catalan given that “Spain invests between 15 and 20 government did in 2017 and ten times more than times less in housing policies than various other the Spanish State. EU countries did when they were developing Thirdly, he warned that there was a problem their housing systems”. While EU states continue with space, as Barcelona has very little land for to allocate 1% of their GDP to housing – and building housing on, but above all with time: between 1.5% and 2% during times of economic “European countries such as the Netherlands prosperity – the equivalent figure for Spain is and Austria have been implementing housing around 0.1%. policies for a hundred years, but we don’t have Burón therefore called for more involvement a hundred years at our disposal. We have to do from both the Spanish and Catalan governments things urgently”. 21 JAVIER MARTÍN, the Director-General of Architecture, Housing and Land at the Spanish the Deputy Chair of the Catalan Ministry of Public Works, Association of Promoters insisted on making the private and Builders. In addition, the sector jointly responsible for the Barcelona Global spokesperson, production of affordable housing. Pau Pérez, asked for greater regulatory clarity over urban planning and housing in the wake of the current confusion. The Managing Director of One of the aspects of the Architecture, Housing and Land current regulations that the IntervIew at the Spanish Ministry of Public Javier Catalan government is consid- Martín Works, Javier Martín, admitted ering changing is the one there is a need to increase the allowing officially protected public budget in this area and housing (HPO) to return to insisted on making the private the free market after a period sector jointly responsible for the ranging from 10 to 30 years production of affordable social (depending on the autonomous housing: “If we only expect the region, the classification of the public authorities to play this land the housing is on, whether social role, we will be making a 2 The Catalan it received direct public aid to Parliament mistake too”. be built and so on.) According rejected the Catalan govern- In his opinion private players to the Director of the Catalan ment's executive decree on 26 have to be given an incentive to Housing Agency, Judith Gifreu, June 2019. All the take part, including cooperatives the new rent decree proposed opposition parties voted against and social-action organisations by the Catalan government this it. The Comuns and the CUP from the third sector. He added March2 makes HPO permanent consider it falls that, for the private sector to be in Catalonia, as had already short and fails to meet the social able to produce housing faster, been the case in the Basque movements’ demands. The public authorities would have to Country since 2003. Despite other opposition speed up the process for granting that, the Manager for Housing parties argue that the issue building permits for properties, an and Renovation at Barcelona comes under the jurisdiction of the opinion shared by Elena Massot, City Council, Javier Burón, Spanish State. THE ROLE OF THE PUBLIC AUTHORITIES warned that the permanent growth of the affordable social HPO classification proposed housing stock This legislation by the Catalan government envisaged that in 20 years had would not be given in every to achieve the following target: case. According to the text that 15% of its housing stock of the decree, HPO classifi- would be affordable, to reach cation would remain in force European standards. So far, provided these dwellings were however, its growth has been kept for use as housing with far below the rate required for public protection under the achieving that target. urban planning regulations and Gifreu puts this delay down to integrated into the public land the outbreak of the financial crisis just after the Act was JUDITH GIFREU, the Director of the Catalan approved: “As soon as the Housing Agency: financial crisis broke out, the provisions were put on hold”. efforts are being made “to The Director of the Catalan redress” the lack of affordable Housing Agency explained housing and lines of loans that the Catalan government have been launched for public is now attempting to redress the situation, although its and private developers, local scope for action is hampered authorities and the third by jurisdictional and budgetary sector to that end. limitations. Given that, she stressed its determination to find creative solutions within and housing assets. Of course, its possibilities for tackling where none of the above cases arose, the protection would be for a certain length of time. In the case of Catalonia, the Catalan Right to Housing Act of 2007, a pioneering piece of legislation throughout the Spanish State, was funda- mental for promoting the Javier Burón highlighted how important it was for local authorities to promote the affordable housing reserves. 23 the deficit in affordable social Apart from the two lines of Burón recognises that these housing. As an example, she loans launched with the ICF, properties will basically be highlighted the two lines of Gifreu highlighted the fact sold and that the City Council loans that the Catalan Housing that the Catalan government will be able to buy them of its Agency has launched together has given initial approval to own volition – in fact, it aims to with the Catalan Institute of the Catalan Sectoral Territorial do so through its preemptive Finances (ICF) to expand the Housing Plan, which aims to right, so it can allocate them for public housing stock. The first increase the protected housing affordable renting – or if they of these is a line of subsidised stock taking into account the have marketing problems. loans for public and private demand from municipalities. He rejects the voices in the developers officially protected It should be borne in mind private sector that have rental housing, at a fixed rate that the Catalan Act provided accused the City Council of of interest of 2%, with a total for the drafting of this plan promoting the figure of 30% budget of 140 million euros. within a one-year deadline, owing to its inability to promote Priority will be given to building essential for planning how to effective right-to-housing housing within municipalities achieve the targets set out public policies, and transferring with proven strong demand, in the Act. However, it kept a public authority responsibility and the forecast is to build a on being delayed until the to businesses by means of a thousand rental flats meas- target was taken up again in measure which will paralyse the uring 70 m2 for a monthly rent this legislature. activity of some players in the of 450 euros. property sector. He maintains The second is a line of loans that the City Council is imple- JAVIER BURÓN local authorities, non-profit menting the Right to Housing and third-sector organisa- “An extraordinary Plan (2016-2025) with a total tions, and social developers, so context, given the budget of 1.6 billion euros but, that they can acquire vacant difficulty people living despite that, they need to dwellings for social renting. off their salaries go further: “An extraordinary This line of funding, with an have of getting a context, given the difficulty allocation of 110 million euros, home, also requires people living off their salaries is in a context where banks are extraordinary have of getting a home, selling off a large part of their measures”, such as also requires extraordinary dwellings. It should also be the 30%. measures”, such as this 30%. borne in mind that the public He gave several reasons authorities have preemtive (or preferential) right of purchase. One of the measures imple- to justify the need for this measure, starting with the Thanks to this mechanism, mented by Barcelona City Council for expanding the fact that the property market social rental offers in Catalonia city’s affordable housing “does not produce affordable are expected to expand by stock has been to make it housing endogenously” so that 1,800 dwellings, which will be requires incentives from the allocated as a priority to indi- mandatory for at least 30% of new private developments public authorities. According viduals being assisted by the emergency boards and then or large-scale renovations to Burón, in Catalonia's case, it to be allocated to affordable is even more important than in to other groups with housing needs in each locality. Despite housing. More specifically, the Basque Country – his birth- place and where he worked all that, Judith Gifreu warned the measure establishes that developments or renovations as a deputy minister and the that they are having difficulties in Barcelona finding dwellings of over 600 m 2 have to allocate regional government's housing 30% to the general protected planning director – that a local adapted to the purchase condi- housing system, within the authority promotes affordable tions, given that these loans housing reserves. have a legal maximum ceiling of urban development uses of 80,000 euros. land, for their sale or letting. THE ROLE OF THE PUBLIC AUTHORITIES He explained that in Catalonia “housing out, “part of this capital gain origi- reserves are much lower than in the nates from public initiatives and the Basque Country” and that too much of community needs to be compensated this responsibility is being delegated for that”. to local authorities. In his opinion it For the Manager of Housing at is assumed that all land which devel- Barcelona City Council this technique opers are legally obliged to hand over was essential in Barcelona, which to local authorities (corresponding to practically has no space to grow in 10% of the new plots for development) but he said the city still needed close and the protected housing reserves to 20,000 dwellings to be at its full are two connected realities: “It is all capacity. Under these circumstances, ready for 100% of the land allocated in the only alternative will be to “rebuild the future to protected housing to stay what is already built”, with the aim of in the hands of the public authorities, achieving affordable housing. Despite basically local councils, which are also his estimation that all the other munic- the weakest from the economic and ipalities in the metropolitan area still financial point of view”, he bemoaned. have land classified for building 75,000 By contrast, Basque legislation makes protected dwellings, he warned that it mandatory to reserve 40% of devel- the same thing would happen sooner opments on urban land and 75% on or later and that this technique had developable land for protected housing therefore “come to stay” and “will be and, furthermore developers have copied by other authorities”. Moreover, to hand over a higher percentage of he defends its “constitutional” new land plots to local authorities for character. development (from 15% to 20%). In this Burón considers it essential to take context, Burón said it was “impossible” extraordinary measures such as this for all protected housing to fall into the to match Europe in terms of affordable hands of public operators, in contrast to housing and commented on the need Catalonia: “In the Basque Country, the for “binary” thinking: looking for land- private sector is also making protected based solutions, expanding the creation housing, building, selling, spending of affordable housing, and above- money and some are even letting ground solutions, in other words, by their properties”. reshaping the city working with the In addition to reversing the lack of space above the ground. protected housing reserves, Burón For all the above reasons, he concluded, believes the 30% measure approved it is clear that the measure does not by the City Council towards the end of tally with the alarmist discourse of 2018 on the initiative of social move- some of private sector players, rather ments will guarantee that part of the it represents “a change in the rules of profits from the new property devel- the game”: “The city will be rebuilt from opments and large renovations of the within and it will have to do that”. private sector will be reinvested in the community. From his point of view, that is fair, because if a developer can sell a flat for more, after renovating it or demolishing what was there before and building a new one, in many cases that is also possible thanks to the urban improvement processes promoted by the authorities and, therefore, paid for from everyone’s taxes. As he pointed 25 Public at the 2019 FHAR. IMHAB development of public housing for the elderly. Interior of a publicly owned flat. THE ROLE OF THE PUBLIC AUTHORITIES 4.2Adopting emergency measures in response to the housing emergency The lack of a public social housing stock In the case of families in vulnerable has overwhelmed the public authorities situations, he says it is necessary to faced with the wave of evictions that “provide a solution”, wherever possible started in 2008 with the outbreak of a preventive one, anticipating evictions: the economic crisis. Initially they were “We need to develop coordination with caused by mortgage foreclosures but the courts, social services... so they do now by rent hikes. In 2018, evictions not act on the day of an eviction but due to the latter went up by 4.5%, before”. He is of the view it is necessary reaching 37,285. guarantee at least the temporary So long as the number of public suspension of an eviction, while the dwellings required is not achieved, “the authorities seek alternative housing for only solution that remains are benefits, the people affected. financial help to pay the rent of the The Spanish government recognises dwelling of a family about to be evicted the “enormous difficulties” that the or of the new one the family might be autonomous regions have in tackling relocated to”, admits Javier Martín, this problem and he insisted on the Director-General of Architecture, mutual collaboration, with everyone Housing and Land at the Spanish doing as much as possible from their Ministry of Public Works. jurisdictional area. JAVIER MARTÍN “We need to develop coordination with the JUDITH GIFREU: courts, social services... “Since the lifting of the suspension of Act so they do not act on the 24/2015, the Catalan day of an eviction but government has a much before” wider margin of action” 27 Article 17 of Act 4/2016, which directly affects the conditions under which owners may be legally obliged to hand over the use of their dwellings. The Spanish Constitutional Court ruled that compensation has to be granted to owners compelled to hand over the use of their dwellings, to guarantee their patrimonial indemnity, and that the compensation could not be reduced to the value of the social rent, as initially provided for under the Catalan Act. To ensure the feasibility of these regulations, Gifreu explained that Judith Gifreu remarked the Catalan the Catalan government's option Housing Agency is providing the means is, primarily, for owners to reach an for communicating with banks, asset- agreement with families so that they management entities or investment stay in the flat by paying a social rent. funds to reach agreements so empty Failing that, they will resort to a rule dwellings can be mobilised for social established under the Land System Act housing and families in vulnerable for cases of compulsory expropriation. situations protected against evictions. The regulations provide that, where She believes the Catalan government an owner is failing to fulfil the social has “a much wider margin of action” for function of the property, a reduction of these purposes since the lifting of the up to 50% of their property’s value could suspension of most of the articles in Act apply. On the basis of this regulation, the 24/2015 and Act 4/2016, under which Catalan government would compensate the Catalan government attempted to the owner with a sum corresponding to a dodge the suspension of the former by 50% reduction in the market price of the the Spanish Constitutional Court but expropriated dwelling. which was likewise appealed against. Besides referring to the application First, she highlighted the recovery of of Act 24/2015, Gifreu also explained Article 5 of that Act, which forces big that the Catalan government aims to housing owners to offer a social rent increase its public stock of land and to the families affected by eviction housing for special housing. This is processes if they find themselves in intended for people with difficulties vulnerable situations. The price of the accessing the housing market (young social rent can never exceed 18% of people, the elderly, groups at risk the family unit's income (18% where of exclusion and so on), where the they have a weighted income equal to authorities retain ownership of the land or above 0.95 of the Catalan adequate and promote its development. According income indicator, 12% if it is below 0.95 to Gifreu, municipalities will have more and 10% below 0.89%). facilities for expanding their number Second, Gifreu mentioned the recovery of dwellings of this kind thanks to a of Article 7, which makes it mandatory legal amendment that will enable the to hand vacant flats over to the social integration of the current concept of rental housing stock, where the special public housing urban planning owners are legal persons (not people). system into that of community facilities.3 Nevertheless, on that point, she 3 A measure provided for in Decree 5/2019 on urgent warned that the Spanish Constitutional measures for improving housing access, the vote on which was withdrawn from the full Parliamentary Court did not lift the suspension of session of April 2019 for lack of support. THE ROLE OF THE PUBLIC AUTHORITIES JAVIER BURÓN: “Despite the fact Intervention and Mediation Service in Housing-Loss and that local councils Occupation Situations (SIPHO), are the authority with the housing offices and the the least jurisdiction municipal legal teams. They over housing, they are are working on detecting cases of evictions and often the ones that squatting to provide temporary make the most or, if possible, permanent effort” solutions for families who find themselves in such situations. Despite these measures, the With regard to blocks occupied reality is that the authorities are by squatters, he noted that overwhelmed by the housing many of these have been emergency and social services changing hands in recent years are often burdened with the owing to movements in the responsibility for dealing with financial and property market: the consequences of a problem “First the developers went that is structural, such as the bankrupt and their dwellings lack of public housing. Jaume passed into the hands of banks. Artigues, a member of the The banks were called by FAVB and the Chair of the Brussels [...], who did not want Dreta de l’Eixample Residents’ them to take on systemic risks, Association, criticised the to tell them to remove property scarcity of public and affordable assets from their accounts, housing. While he recognises so then they sold them to the municipal government has investment funds”. taken measures in the right In this situation, while he is in direction, such as the one on favour of increasing the legal 30% affordable housing in obligations of big housing new private developments or owners towards people at risk large-scale renovations, or for of eviction or who have no regulating tourist apartments, legal tenure, for example, by he believes that is not enough. regularising their situation, Given the incapacity of the he does not believe that will public authorities to provide be enough for solving this housing alternatives for all problem. In that regard, he the families in situations of pointed out the possibility of residential exclusion, over the the authorities buying blocks last few years we have seen occupied by squatters in the a growth in the phenomenon hands of large-scale property Javier Burón, above; Javier of squatting, or occupancy owners. He recognises there Martín and Irene Peiró, journalist, in the middle, and Lucía Delgado, without legal tenure, which are ethical dilemmas with this the PAH spokesperson, below. Javier Burón reflected on. The option, because it means buying Municipal Manager for Housing houses from banks already and Renovation highlighted the bailed out with public funds but, efforts being made by Barcelona at the same time, he stressed City Council, despite being the urgency of seeking solutions the authority with the fewest for families who find themselves resources for and jurisdiction in very precarious situations and over this matter, through such why he is therefore in favour of services as the Barcelona at least studying this option. 29 How should rent hikes be tackled?4.3 Rent hikes over the last few years are due to numerous factors coming together, as explained by Javier Martín, the Director-General of Architecture, Housing and Land at the Spanish Ministry of Public Works. Among JUDITH GIFREU: these, he mentioned the “We have to adapt increase in rental demand, a rise in the number of tourist prices, not restrict apartments, the financial them”, with reference difficulties of families caused rent indexes. by the crisis and the reforms of the Leases Act of 2013, which, among other changes, shortened the minimum term for leases from five to three years. All that has led to a will be limited in the short term: “It is “perfect storm” which not only hinders impossible to deal with the problem of access to rented accommodation reducing prices efficiently on a local but made family over-indebtedness level in the short term”. worsened the over-indebtedness of Among the other measures he considers families. The current percentage of necessary, Marín stressed above all the families in debt need to increase rental supply, which because of rent JAVIER MARTÍN, he presently believes to be insufficient, (40%) is now “Rental offers need a diagnosis that both Judith Gifreu and above that for Javier Burón agree on. to be increased” accumulated mortgage Both Martín and Gifreu explicitly rule arrears (30%). out intervening in and limiting rental prices. The director of the Catalan In view of this situation, one of the Housing Agency argued: “We have to first steps taken by the Spanish adapt prices, not limit them [...], we government was to approve the Rent have to bear in mind that the right to Decree Act (7/2019) and restore the housing may be constitutional but so minimum term for leases to five years. too are the right to private property “Lengthening lease terms is now an and free enterprise. It is in the middle anti-inflationary measure”, asserted point that the satisfaction of general Martín. Nonetheless, he acknowledges interests lies”. that the effects of the decree act will be noted in the medium term and that the effects of this and other measures THE ROLE OF THE PUBLIC AUTHORITIES In the same vein, Martín justified the Spanish government’s ruling out of rent-price restrictions. It does not believe they would guarantee short-term reductions either, after The Spanish State and Catalan discussing the European government are opting to reward model used in countries such as Germany, where they owners who lower their rent prices have gone for this option. below reference indexes Martín is more in favour of regulating restrictions so as They also agree that linking and transparently inform not to transfer the authorities’ these price indexes to tax consumers, failing which an management deficits to credits could have anti- offence will be deemed to have individuals: “A high percentage inflationary effects. In other been committed. The same of dwellings are owned by words, property owners would would also have to apply to individuals, many of whom are have to be encouraged to keep rent offers. According to the not rolling in money and only their rent prices below this Director of the Catalan Housing survive on the income they index, through tax breaks. Agency, this “will indirectly receive from their properties”. As for the method of creating limit market prices through For the representatives of the the index, this still has to be the information that is given to Spanish State and the Catalan decided on a Spanish level as consumers”. government, the formula the process was interrupted For his part, Javier Burón, for adapting prices are the when the general election was the Manager for Housing reference rent price indexes. called for 28 April 2019. In the and Renovation at Barcelona Catalonia was a pioneer in case of Catalonia, which has City Council, is in favour of 2017 when it established a had its own price index since attempting to implement reference price index, and 2017, data from the rent finance mandatory rent price now the Spanish decree register and the Catalan Land restrictions in Catalonia and extends that index to the rest Institute (Incasòl), geolocated the Spanish State, following of the State and makes its by area, are being used to the example of other European scales compatible with those set an average value of the countries. Also in favour of the autonomous regions dwellings per area. Gifreu is Irene Escorihuela, the which already had their own explained how the average Director of the Observatori (such as Catalonia and the prices are set by the Catalan DESC (Economic, Social and Basque Country). Housing Agency: “We take Cultural Rights Observatory). Martín and Gifreu share the account of the street, locality, She believes to set the scales view that such types of indexes useful floor area... We also ask for these price restrictions it helped to bring transparency about energy efficiency, how would be necessary to take to the rental market, because old the building is, its height, its social and economic criteria consumers can find out what accessibility, whether it's got into account, so rental costs the average prices is at any parking spaces...”. Depending really are adapted to household time and whether what they are on that, maximum and disposable incomes. being offered is consistent with minimum reference price limits The Manager for Housing at this reference or well above are set according to the various Barcelona City Council also it. This helps to put an end to criteria. linked resolving rent problems the “opaqueness” currently The Catalan government's to promoting structural policies occurring in this market, aim is to make it mandatory for expanding the affordable according to the Spain’s for all leases to highlight housing stock, which would director-general of housing. these reference indexes mostly have to be for leases. 31 movements in defence of the right to housing. For her part, Judith Gifreu JAVIER BURÓN: explained that the Catalan government “Despite the housing crisis’ was working with Ofideute to promote current focus on rent, out-of-court mediation between owners or creditors and debtors, in we cannot leave aside mortgage cases and rent cases alike. the problem of mortgage In short, taking on the housing crisis in indebtedness” cities required numerous and complex responses. As Javier Burón remarked, there were no “magic thoughts” for tackling it or, to put it another way, On the other hand, he warned that, the simple solutions defended by the despite the housing crisis’ current focus various groups involved, depending on on rent, the problems of mortgage their interests or points of view: “Public indebtedness still plaguing many developers say: ‘you give me land and families and which could grow again in money and I’ll make protected housing’; the future could not be left aside. We urban planners, that it only involves have to bear in mind that property sales classifying land, because then we’ll and the mortgage market are showing build housing, that will increase supply signs of a recovery. and prices will come down; and private And in that regard, he stressed that developers, that there is a problem with many of our neighbouring countries supply so more has to be produced... already have “a manual of instructions Social movements say large property against indebtedness and have owners have to be pursued and some done things we are not doing”. For politicians say that tax incentives have example, he explained how it has been to be given to owners, and both these established in Portugal that families things have to be done, although in cannot have financial obligations in themselves they will not change things”. excess of 30% of their regular income. In contrast to this magic thinking, He also pointed out that this could be Burón supports implementing several achieved by giving credits to those measures simultaneously: “Building able to return them or by not granting or buying public housing, mobilising mortgages in excess of 80% of their empty dwellings, looking for solutions property's cost, because otherwise that for affordable renting, imposing would jeopardise the financial situation fines on those who fail to respect the of families and the entire economy. social function of their properties, It was on this issue that Javier Martín simplifying administrative procedures underlined the importance of the and procedures for obtaining building recent mortgage reform approved by permits...”. There is, therefore, a wide the Congreso de Diputados, the lower range of possibilities for rolling out chamber of the Spanish Parliament, this public housing policies. February: “It improves the measures for transparency in mortgage contracts and limits abusive practices, thereby giving consumers greater legal security”. Spain is therefore adapting its mortgage regulations to the European Directive in defence of consumers, despite a three-year delay and failure to satisfy all the demands made by social THE ROLE OF THE PUBLIC AUTHORITIES 05 Taking on the housing emergency This section summaries the contributions from several speakers at the forum on how to tackle the chronic housing emergency in Barcelona and many other cities in Catalonia and the Spanish State. These contributions deal with this issue from the perspective of the social movements, third sector and public authorities. 33 Social movements: the PAH's experience during a 10-year fi5ght .1 SeSSIon Responses to the emergency: preventing, halting and accommodating If we are to deal with the housing Empowering the emergency and evictions, it will be people affected and crucial for us to take account of the experience and perspective of acting in different the Platform for People Affected by fields, the keys to the LUCÍA DELGADO Mortgages (PAH), the social movement PAH's success BARCELONA championing the right to housing The Barcelona with a longer history behind it in the PAH's current For Delgado, one of the keys to the spokesperson. Spanish State and which reached its PAH’s success is to have overcome tenth anniversary this year 2019. Lucía the welfare approach and managed to Delgado, the current spokesperson empower the people affected to take for the Barcelona PAH, had the task the step towards activism. of contributing this perspective to the Another essential element in her Housing Forum. opinion is the PAH’s capacity to act in Delgado reminded her audience of the different fields: “At the PAH we provide origins of the PAH in 2009: “It came collective advice, empower people about to support people affected by with information and tools to fight mortgage foreclosure processes and for their case. We defend the right to who had lost everything, often with a peaceful civil disobedience... we don’t debt for life”. Since then, the PAH has just stop evictions”. She puts particular multiplied its presence throughout emphasis on the need for information Catalonia, especially after the 15-M for the people affected, who often do movement burst on the scene in 2011. not get any guidance or advice from the There are currently two hundred PAH institutions on the steps they have to groups throughout the Spanish State. follow in their cases. TAKING ON THE HOUSING EMERGENCY The PAH's demands have gradually with banks and persuade them to changed over time, depending on offer a social rent to the families, the change in the social, political the eviction ends up going ahead and economic context, although the anyway. She added that not all the essence is still the same. It began alternatives offered by the authorities in 2009 by putting three minimum for housing evicted families could be demands on the table: retroactive regarded as decent dwellings, meaning dation in payment, a moratorium on referrals to hotels or pensions. The evictions for vulnerable families and PAH understands that this might be a the creation of a public stock of social temporary option for one or two days, rented housing. but warns that there are individuals and Later on, in 2010, the “Stop evictions” families in Barcelona, as in other cities, campaign was launched. The same year who can end up spending six months in it managed to stop its first eviction, those types of accommodation. involving a resident of La Bisbal del Other PAH initiatives and campaigns Penedès (Tarragona). Since then many are aimed at having an effect on other cases have followed and to date structural measures and changing the the PAH has stopped over 2000 evictions housing regulations it considers unfair. throughout the Spanish State. After that A first step was to submit motions to first experience in 2010, the PAH also local councils, for example, calling on produced a guide as a protocol that all them to change and fine vacant flats. activists have to take into account when Delgado highlighted the case of the city proposing to stop an eviction. council in Terrassa, the first council to fine a bank for having a vacant flat and a city where this measure has had a LUCÍA DELGADO, the PAH's spokesperson: greater impact. “The banks have been rescued with everyone’s LUCÍA DELGADO: money and have to comply “While we lost the legal with a series of obligations”. battle (over the ILP at the Congreso de Diputados in 2013) we did win the social battle, the A year later, having reflected on what to do in the face of evictions that communication battle”. could not be halted to provide housing She also recalled the case of the popular alternatives for the families affected, legislative initiative (ILP) for dations in the PAH launched the “PAH Social payment and social rent discussed in Work” campaign. Still in operation today, 2013 at the Congreso de Diputados but it involves the occupation of vacant which ultimately failed to get through buildings owned by banks or vulture the first hurdle, under a Partido Popular funds to house families that have been government with an absolute majority. made homeless. Referring to this, Nevertheless, Delgado noted: “While Delgado remarked: “The banks have been we lost the legal battle we did win the rescued with everyone’s money and have social battle, the communication battle”. to comply with a series of obligations”. The debate over the ILP held at the In her opinion occupation, or squatting, Congreso de Diputados raised the profile is the last remaining option when the of the PAH's demands through the authorities offer no alternative or when, mass media, which had a big impact on despite the PAH’s efforts to negotiate public opinion. 35 Lucía Delgado's talk at the FHAR, where she called for more co-responsibility from the private sector in guaranteeing the right to housing. Having lost the legal batter at (Decree Act 7/2019 of 1 March) bans this the Congreso de Diputados, the procedure, although it will be necessary PAH, accompanied by other social to verify that it is stopped in practice. movements such as the Alliance against Delgado also warned of the collapse Energy Poverty (APE), among others, afflicting emergency boards tasked attempted it in the Catalan Parliament. with assisting and assigning social Act 24/2015 against Evictions and housing to people evicted at this time. Energy Poverty was unanimously There are 443 families on the waiting approved in the Catalan chamber list in Barcelona, according to the PAH. in July 2015, the result of the ILP presented by several social movements, Delgado believes more effort and a large part of whose contents were commitment is needed from the blocked by Spain’s Constitutional Court authorities and the rules of the game towards the start of this year (2019). have to be changed so they impose The PAH was also mobilised to get the more obligations on the private sector. Spanish government to withdraw the For example, she is for legally obliging appeal against unconstitutionality, large property owners to regularise especially after PSOE’s motion to the situations of families without censure the PP government in June security of tenure, as many of them 2018. Now it is celebrating having are victims of mortgage foreclosures recovered it, warning that it will be that the banks carried out years ago. monitoring its compliance. She is also in favour of compelling the asset management company Sareb to Finally, she highlighted the validity assign the use of all its properties to of the PAH’s demands today, given the public housing stock. “It’s not right the chronic nature of the housing that Sareb is selling its assets to other emergency. In 2018 there were nearly banks, if they’re ours! How can the 59,700 evictions throughout the State possibly allow that?”. In short, she Spanish State, mostly for rent defaults. calls for more co-responsibility from the She also warned of the modus operandi private sector in guaranteeing the right represented by open evictions, where to housing. families do not know when an eviction will go ahead and which makes it hard to organise the social movements to stop it. The new State decree on rent TAKING ON THE HOUSING EMERGENCY 5.So2cial organisations in the face of residential exclusion:the Càritas housing diagnosis and programme preSentatIon R esidential exclusion and social inter- vention in Barcelona Along with the protest actions of social Foundation, which collaborates with movements, the third sector's organi- the Càritas’s studies. The survey was sations have also doubled their efforts based on a sample of 29,952 people, of FERNANDO in the face of the housing emergency whom 4,883 were from Catalonia and DÍAZ afflicting above all the groups at risk 1,694 from the diocese of Barcelona. BARCELONA of social exclusion assisted by social Dioceses are also the territorial form A Càritas organisations. Càritas launched a of the Càritas organisation, a social representative. programme to assist the homeless organisation answerable to the Catholic and people with difficulties accessing Church. The Barcelona Diocese, which housing four years ago that attended to Fernando Díaz represents, covers many 3,000 people in 2018 alone. In addition, of the municipalities of the Barcelonès, residential exclusion has become a Maresme and Baix Llobregat counties. subject for analysis in the organisation’s Here, Càritas assists some 20,000 studies on vulnerability. people a year. During the Housing Forum, the Càritas Fernando Díaz explained that the representative, Fernando Díaz, gave results of the report show we have advance notice of some of the main an “increasingly dual” society, where conclusions from the report La llar és severe social exclusion has increased clar(Households are the key). The full by 40% around the Spanish State, results will be presented during the since the start of the economic crisis. second half of 2019. The report consists Half (50.5%) of the people at risk of of a qualitative analysis, based on exclusion also suffer from employment interviews with people in situations of and housing exclusion. residential exclusion situations assisted by Càritas, and quantitative data, from the Survey on Integration and Social Needs (2018) conducted by the Foessa 37 The four categories of The Càritas housing residential exclusion: mediation service rooflessness, achieves 50% homelessness, insecure reductions in mortgage housing and inadequate and rental debts housing Díaz highlighted above all the housing Residential exclusion situations can be mediation service that Càritas uses to divided into four categories, according negotiate with the banks to reduce the to the ETHOS classification proposed mortgage debts of the people it assists by the European Federation of National and with lessors, to reduce the amount Associations Working with the Homeless of rent they pay. At present, in many (FEANTSA). These are people without a cases they are managing to reduce the dwelling living out on the street; people amount of mortgage and rent debts by without a dwelling residing in institu- nearly 50%. tional spaces; people living in insecure Besides the mediation service, accommodation or in situations of family Fernando Díaz also referred to many violence and people with inadequate other Càritas projects and services accommodation, owing to its unhealthy for dealing with residential exclusion, state, overcrowding or unconventional such as 25 shared flats with social and structures. educational support, 6 day shelters with a dining room, 2 residential centres FERNANDO DÍAZ (Càritas Barcelona): for prison inmates (1 for men and 1 for women) and 348 single-family “36% of the diocese’s flats. These are flats for families with population experience temporary housing problems, but where residential exclusion” the turnover was increasingly less, given lengthier precarious situations. Càritas has a total of 1,321 places at its Díaz asserted that, throughout the disposal in single-family and shared Barcelona Diocese, 36% of the popu- flats and in residential centres. In lation suffers from one or more of these addition, it offers a rights help service four situations and that, in Càritas’s which, among other things, supports experience, they are all interconnected. roofless persons facing disciplinary In other words, those suffering from a measures for living on the street. specific residential exclusion situation The Càritas representative stressed (for example, an insecure dwelling) the priority nature of the housing could be suffering from another type programme given the importance of (e.g. homelessness). a home for ensuring people's well- Given the worsening of the housing being. In that regard, he referred to problems, Càritas has also intensified the following definition of home: “It is its work to tackle them in recent years. the place that gives you security and “During the crisis, we were providing stability, where you build your identity; more onsite assistance but now we are it is the communal area for socialising turning towards more community care”, he and developing the family project; it is explained, highlighting the social workers the place where you can rest, watch the organisation has in the area, a total of and plan your life and dream... It is 150 in the Barcelona Diocese alone. through the home that we can establish ties with our environment”. TAKING ON THE HOUSING EMERGENCY 5T.he BandHousi3arcelona Intervention Mediation Service in ng-Loss and Occupation Situations (SIPHO) preSentatIon Responses to the emergency: preventing, halting, accommodating, mediating and accompanying Faced with the housing emergency Nearly seven evictions caused by evictions, in 2015 a day in Barcelona Barcelona City Council launched JUDITH the new Barcelona Intervention and Judith Cobacho firmly advocates the COBACHO Mediation Service in Housing-Loss and importance of a service such as this in BARCELONA Occupation Situations (SIPHO). The the present context: “While it's true that SIPHO’s service was originally set up in a few the number of evictions has dropped Manager. districts as pilot test and then extended overall, this isn't the case everywhere”. to the entire city in 2016. During the She emphasised that several of Housing and Renovation Forum, Judith Barcelona’s districts still present a high Cobacho, head of SIPHO and the risk of evictions, notably Nou Barris, Vincle Association, explained how this Sants-Montjuïc and Ciutat Vella. And service works. she reminded the audience that eviction The SIPHO intervenes to prevent people figures are still very high. There were losing their homes, by accompanying 2,519 evictions in Barcelona in 2017 the families affected and helping alone, the equivalent of seven a day. them to mediate and talk with the In this situation, the SIPHO acts in owners of the property and the other coordination with Barcelona City parties involved. Council's other units, mainly the 10 housing offices and the 40 social services centres spread around the city which also assist people in residential risk situations. Also part of this circuit is the Barcelona Social Emergencies Centres (CUESB), which attends to people in emergency situations and 39 where most cases dealt with by “Most of the people we attend the SIPHO are referred from. to are below the poverty To show how the SIPHO worked threshold”, explained Judith JUDITH COBACHO within this circuit, Cobacho Cobacho. The incomes of the (SIPHO): said: “This service acts as a last families attended to by the “Evictions were resort, prior to the fortnight SIPHO are less than 1,200 euros halted in 87% leading up to the date of an a month (for a household of of the cases at- eviction”. Before that point is 4 members). In other words, they do not amount to 1.5 times tended to by the reached, many cases are dealt service in 2018” with by the housing offices, the Catalan adequate income which offer information, index  (IRSC). guidance and legal advice, as The functions of this service well as support in securing also include attending to financial help for accessing or especially vulnerable cases. preventive protocols with the maintaining housing, mediation We are talking about family Catalan High Court of Justice, services and so on. units at risk of losing their to detect whether evictions The SIPHO has two techniques home or job made up of people without a fixed date were in the larger districts and one over the age of 65, children, occurring – despite their being in the smaller districts to carry pregnant women, people with illegal – and to help to prevent out its intermediation and a disability, serious illness or them, as well as coordinating mediation work. Practically all mental disorders or affected by new strategies for temporarily the staff are women. gender or intra-family violence keeping the people who were or by serious social and affected by eviction processes economic problems. in their homes. The cases assisted by SIPHO is more Bearing in mind the complexity In conclusion, Cobacho spoke of the cases attended to, about a new avenue they are than double that Cobacho emphasised the starting to work on in 2019: of 2015 results obtained by the buildings occupied by people SIPHO. Of the cases attended in vulnerable situations. The The number of cases to in 2018, evictions were number of blocks this year attended to by the service has postponed in 66% of cases is 27. Several lines of action continued to grow since it was and halted by a court in 4%. are being pursued in this set up, from 1,020 in 2015, to On the other hand, 17% of the area, among others reaching 1,674 in 2016, 2,351 in 2017 and families helped by the SIPHO agreements with owners, 2,270 in 2018. As regards the decided to hand over the keys relocating families to other eviction orders the SIPHO has to their flat after securing dwellings and exploring the been involved in, the figure alternative housing. The public authorities’ preemtive is even higher, reaching 3,114 remaining 13% were unable to rights over these buildings. cases in 2018. escape eviction. Over half (56%) of the cases Besides assessing these attended to last year were results, Cobacho also listed related to evictions for rent several challenges they face defaults, 34% to squatting and the future. She pointed out the 5% to mortgage foreclosures. SIPHO was still a young service There was no information that had to establish itself and on the remaining 5%. As for continue making progress in the claimants, 51% were big its cross-cutting work with housing owners and 49% were the social services. She also small owners. insisted on improving the TAKING ON THE HOUSING EMERGENCY 06 Planning housing policies: the Basque Country’s experience 41 SeSSIon M easuring for planning. Creating indicators and presenting the state of play MARIO YOLDI BASQUE COUNTRY Director of Housing Planning and Operational Processes for the Basque government. IntervIew Mario Yoldi preSentatIon ’ How to use data to make housing policies’ The Basque Country is a benchmark A pioneering public for housing policies in Spain. Despite housing service in the not being one of the most populated autonomous regions – it has 2.1 million Spanish State, created inhabitants – it is the second largest in 1997 in producing protected housing, only behind Madrid, according to data from The Basque Country has had a public the Spanish Ministry of Public Works. housing service, the first of its kind in The Basque government currently has the Spanish State, since 1997. Yoldi 13,600 public rented dwellings, while explained that one of the cornerstones municipal public companies have a of this service is the register of officially further 22,700. Also worth noting is the protected housing (HPO) applicants, considerable public investment made Etxebide. Everyone who wishes to opt by the Basque government in this area: for an HPO, whether to purchase or 267 million euros in 2019, with a further rent it, has to register with the register 80 million euros in housing benefits. to apply for housing through a specific municipality, thereby enabling the Basque Mario Yoldi, the Director of Planning government to continuously monitor and Operational Housing Processes the level of demand in every part of the at the Basque government, addressed region. Subsequently, everyone who is the Forum to explain how public listed in the register receives information policies in the Basque Country are on the available HPO developments and planned and assessed. To understand applicants have to sign up for the ones and contextualise this planning and they are interested in. assessment model, Yoldi also went over the Basque Country’s public housing By means of the Etxebide register the policy model and the progress made authorities then award all the officially since the 1990s. protected dwellings, whether they are built directly by the public sector or through private developers. The Basque PLANNING HOUSING POLICIES government also monitors the system for awarding private developments, which is based on the lists of awardees defined The Basque Country, a by the authorities on the basis pioneer in making officially of public scales. The Etxebide protected housing a register, which can be accessed permanent classification online, has a million annual hits. and in the subjective right to Until 2001, public rental housing in the Basque Country housing – as in many other parts of the It should also be noted that Spanish State – was practically Basque Country was the first non-existent. Since then the autonomous regions in Spain – number of dwellings in the public and so far the only one, as early rental housing stock had risen as 2003 – to make the officially to 13,600 and the target number protected housing classification that the Basque government has permanent. set itself is now 35,000. Two years later, in 2005, the Department of Planning, currently run by Yoldi, was created. This is a unit made up of permanent and independent civil servants, so their work continues irrespective of who heads the Basque government. “We do strategical planning” as in the private sector, stressed Yoldi. Another very important leap in Basque housing policies was the Act approved in 2015 by the Basque Parliament. The new Housing Act recognised One of Yoldi's areas of work is assessing housing policies. for the first time the subjective right to housing, a pioneering measure throughout Spain compelling the public authorities to guarantee a dwelling for people meeting certain income criteria and registered with Etxebide for at least three years. Yoldi acknowledged that it was not easy to comply with this right because of the high demand. Since the law came into force in January 2016, there have been 5,600 applications and 4,000 dwellings were awarded. 43 MARIO YOLDI, the director of Housing Planning and Operational Processes for the Basque government: Gaztelagun youth housing plan arose “Planning is essential from citizen participation. Many social players are involved in these processes for designing long-term and they have the support of a digital housing policies” participatory platform: Etxebizitza. Once the strategic housing policy plan has been designed, the Basque government then has a mechanism, made up of several programmes and Yoldi highlighted the importance of inter-connected units, to implement data for designing housing policies, in it. There are currently 200 people, particular with a long-term approach, all civil servants, working on the and for their subsequent assessment. housing programme and a further 200 The Basque Country is also a pioneer in in three public housing companies. assessing housing policies, which on the Yoldi believes the essential thing is State level was “is non-existent”, despite “coordination” between the parties the multitude of technological and digital involved, “the use of shared work tools there are at present for in-depth systems” and “a model based on analysis, in Mario Yoldi's opinion. business processes”, which faces the challenge of constantly updating, He explained that strategic housing depending on how social needs policies in the Basque Country are set and new digital and technological out by the government and approved media  develop. by Parliament, and that they are presently incorporated in the Master Housing Plan for 2018-2020. For the For YOLDI purposes of elaborating these strategic the Department plans, citizen participation processes of Planning is the are held to enrich their contents, with contributions that can end up being brains behind the very significant. For example, he entire system. explained the proposal to make the HPO classification permanent and the current PLANNING HOUSING POLICIES For Yoldi, the Department of Planning Big data applied to is the brains behind the entire system. housing policy planning Currently, some 2.5 million euros are being allocated every year to planning Another tool that has begun to be used and assessment systems, and a further more recently is big data, with much 250,000 euros a year to statistical more advanced processing systems operations, a public investment that allowing much more to be extracted Yoldi considers essential for staying on from the data as regards forecasts, track and managing housing policies: assessments and so on. In the case of “Otherwise, we wouldn’t know what housing the Basque government has we were doing well and what we were implemented big-data processes with doing badly”. He also stressed that technical building inspections (ITEs). the planning and assessment system An analysis of the state of dwellings, and the civil servants involved are for example, revealed the need for periodically evaluated by standard more thorough improvements in their quality management systems such as accessibility, after years of emphasis on ISO, and that they are managed under energy sustainability issues, and these efficiency criteria. changes have been applied. Housing Besides the data that the management inspections have been speeded up over system itself is contributing, based on the last few years, with 30,000 carried cross-referencing data from the various out in 2017 alone. They all feature in the parties involved, the Basque Country Euskoregite register. has a Housing Observatory to prepare Big data has also been applied to more in-depth research. analysing and assessing the trend Another central analysis feature is the in purchase and rent prices and for Housing Use Survey conducted by the making forecasts over the number of Basque government every two years people who will have the subjective (the last one was carried out in 2017 and right to housing in each part of the the one for 2019 is presently under way). region and for building developments This survey examines dwellings that wherever there is more demand. have been left vacant for over two years The Basque government estimates without any justified reason because, that there will be 18,000 up to 2025, where that is the case, they can be although the number is currently below mobilised for social housing under those forecasts. The analysis tools also the Basque Housing Act of 2015. In enable the causes to be discovered. collaboration with the Basque Institute They have detected that there are of Statistics, it has been possible people with limited financial resources to detect 20,800 vacant dwellings who are receiving supplementary so far, two thirds of which required housing benefit (to pay for their flats) renovations (and a third on a large scale), and the guaranteed income, amounting the overwhelming majority (96%) of to nearly 1,000 euros a month, benefits which are in the hands of individuals. they would lose if they were awarded a So far 5,300 vacant dwellings have flat. So they do not apply for one. been mobilised for social rent. The use The large availability of information also of officially protected housing is also makes it possible to assess whether being monitored and, where its social the planned targets are being met function is being not carried out – for and, if not, to analyse the causes. Yoldi example, if the successful applicant is gave the following example: “We had not using it as a first residence – then proposed starting 850 rented dwellings the corresponding disciplinary measures in 2018, but we’ve only started 652. are applied. Why? Municipal initiative has failed.” 45 Of course, “we’re keeping to Another future challenge is to the target of creating nearly reverse the service's current 1,000 public rented dwellings a saturation of the service, year and combining that with which had speeded up above renovations, which has always all since the approval of the been our primary policy, more Act of 2015 recognising the than promotion”, he insisted. subjective right to housing. Information and objective The last three years have seen data were likewise an tool his department move from a for combating rumours. Civil certain normality to very high servants monitoring citizens’ levels of stress, cannot meet comments on social networks all the existing demand at an about housing also reply to optimum rate. That in turn has some of them sometimes led to a rise in the number of to debunk false information people off work, which is why such as the myth that most of the Department of Planning is those receiving supplementary putting more emphasis on the housing benefit are emotional management of its immigrants. The reality is that staff. Yoldi also considers it a 60% of the people receiving priority to expand the number supplementary housing benefit of staff and apply urgent are Spanish nationals and only reforms so they can deal with 40% are from abroad. the demand. Thus this pioneering system in housing policy planning MARIO YOLDI and assessment is presently going through a growth crisis insists that personal but efforts are being made to data protection is one of the main resolve it, so they can continue concerns of the Department of providing their citizens with a good service. Housing Planning. The volume of information that the Department of Housing Policy Planning has at its disposal is so large that one of the main concerns of its director at present is to ensure that it is used correctly, that it does not infringe data protection regulations. “We have access to all the information on people, properties, incomes, assets... It worries me because it’s very easy to misuse this information”. That is why he believes one of the main challenges of his department is to look more deeply into the safeguarding of this data. PLANNING HOUSING POLICIES 07 Regulating the rental market: putting a halt to gentrification 47 What is gentrification? Causes and conseque7nces.1 SeSSIon Fight against gentrification The term gentrification is used on a As regards population profiles, David recurring basis to describe the social Bravo provides evidence that we and urban transformation processes are a long way from what this urban that many cities are experiencing, mix would represent: “If we take the although the architect and consultant population and divide it into upper, DAVID at Barcelona City Council, David middle and lower classes, in an ideal BRAVO Bravo, warns that this concept is situation, we'd have to have all three BARCELONA Architect. used in an ambiguous and vague way represented in every space, but instead at times. of that, we see how the working class is forced out to less central areas”. To give a more precise meaning, he links this term to the phenomena of The same could be said regarding the “spatial segregation”, which threaten use of buildings. In Bravo’s opinion, we the urban mix, in other words, the mix find ourselves in a “hyperactive city”, of buildings (residential, workplaces, for example, Ciutat Vella in Barcelona's tourist attractions, cultural facilities case, with a surplus of metropolitan and so on) and the profile of the people and global facilities, in contrast to “an living in the different parts of a city. outlying dormitory city”, where there is no economic activity, jobs, work and so on. Therefore he insists on doing some “re-balancing work”. To exemplify the tension that the DAVID BRAVO, architect: distribution of building uses in urban “Gentrification threatens centres implies, he pointed out the the ‘urban mix’ of building case of the Capella de la Misericòrdia, a space disputed by the Museu d’Art uses and population Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA) profiles” and the neighbourhood’s primary healthcare centre (CAP) for their respective expansions. The expansion of the healthcare centre is a demand REGULATING THE RENTAL MARKET establish neighbourhood Bravo commented that it was targets for expanding the now time to reclaim the urban affordable housing stock, centres for their residents and an implementation and re-humanise cities, as schedule capable of being championed by Jane Jacobs, transparently monitored. the urban-planning activist With these goals, Bravo insisted and theorist. In that regard, he on the need to promote a highlighted the important role “cross-cutting approach” played by social and residents’ between authorities (and movements in countering between the departments of power of the financial lobbies, the same authority) in order to although at the same time he get a “coordinated view” that warned that they could not be would, for example, enable the regarded as a single subject. cross-referencing of data or He also mentioned “two big managing policies that coordi- enemies” of the urban mix of a large part of the social nated the points of view of the within the residential fabric: and residential fabric of the urban planning and housing “green populism”, whose neighbourhood that clashes policy areas. supporters can prefer a park to with the expansion projects officially protected buildings of the MACBA, one of the opposite their homes, and city’s most important cultural DAVID BRAVO: the “Nimbies”, who reject any facilities, planned by the ”We need a facility close to their home public authorities. paradigm which they consider could To tackle the phenomenon cause a nuisance, despite it change in the of gentrification, David Bravo being necessary for the running argues we need to examine city and urban of the city or the inclusion of its causes and consequences groups at risk of exclusion.planning model” rigorously and scientifically, and Finally, Bravo mentioned avoid ambivalence. Therefore he other challenges in building believes it is crucial for the public Finally, he pointed out the the city model: making the authorities to have data at their main challenge posed by the most of spaces that are not disposal on its consequences gentrification process we are yet completely developed to in their city or region and he experiencing is “a paradigm promote the urban mix (the criticised the authorities’ slow change in the city and urban seafront, França station, response on this issue compared planning model”. To reflect Fira de Montjuïc, etc.) and to the private sector, which on the city model, Bravo deciding which economic presently enjoys “hegemony offered a historical view of the activities are to be given over data” and use of the most construction of urban centres: priority. In that respect, he modern big data systems for “In the 1950s, rich people warned of the issue that many exploiting it. He also highlighted began moving to the outskirts cities face after experiencing the need for a taxonomic of cities and the historical de-industrialisation processes: approach to the various types centres gradually became social “What are we going to dedicate of affordable housing, where ghettoes in Barcelona, Madrid, ourselves to now, to attract big he sees a certain terminological Paris, New York and so on. events, businesses...?”. confusion (between terms such However, from the end of the last In short, Barcelona has to as public, social and protected) century, this has been steadily decide where it is going and, in and for quantifying what changing and historical centres Bravo's opinion, architecture percentage of housing of this are no longer social ghettoes and urban planning could also type there is in each of the city’s but, as the example of El Raval play a fundamental role in neighbourhoods. Subsequently shows, they have numerous combating inequalities. it would be necessary to cultural and tourist facilities”. 49 The perspective of social movements: the Te7nants’. Uni2on SeSSIon Generating affordable rental housing A recent addition to the movements in defence of the right to housing is JAIME PALOMERA the Tenants’ Union, which was set up in May 2017 in Barcelona. Faced “Barcelona is a city in with rising rent prices, people decided the vanguard of civil JAIME to organise themselves following disobedience. There are PALOMERA experiences from other countries such BARCELONA already 1,200 people who as Germany and Austria. Spokesperson have disobeyed the LAU”.Jaime Palomera, a Barcelona Tenants’ for the Barcelona Union spokesperson and a PhD in Tenants’ Union. Social Anthropology, points out: “It has are already 1,200 people who have been organised civil society that has disobeyed the LAU”. put the rent bubble at the centre of the The Union is working to get these acts public debate”. Having raised awareness of civil disobedience and negotiations of the problem, he says it has to be the with owners done in an organised and tenants who ensure de facto that rent collective way. Palomera explains: prices do not rise, because “changes “There are many tenants with the same will not happen on their own”. owners. We are dedicated to organising To start applying pressure in that sense, tenants by neighbourhood and owner; the union’s first campaign, entitled “Ens we aim to build tenants’ communities”. quedem” (We’re staying put), called on For example, he says they intend to tenants to disobey the Urban Rent Act force negotiations with Goldman Sachs, (LAU), by refusing to accept abusive the owner of a large number of flats price increases and staying in the in the metropolitan area, because, same flat paying the same as before or according to Palomera, the investment even a little bit more, in an act of civil fund could have received preferential disobedience. “Barcelona is a city in the treatment from the authorities to vanguard of civil disobedience. There acquire dwellings at knock-down prices. REGULATING THE RENTAL MARKET Just like the PAH, the Tenants’ Union in that regard, although price regulation believes it is crucial to celebrate does indeed help to provide tenants “small victories”, not just for the self- with security and stability. On the other motivation of those involved in the hand, he notes “if we observe what struggle, but also to encourage others has been happening in Europe and the to do the same, on seeing others United States since the 1980s when achieving their goals. housing prices were deregulated, we Of course, the ultimate aim of the can see that this was the prelude to Tenants’ Union is not civil disobedience Europe’s biggest price boom”. but rather to bring about the change That’s why he insists on implementing of a piece of legislation they consider price controls in Spain: “It’s no panacea, unjust. Their legislative proposals as it will have to be accompanied by include the regulation of rent prices, many other measures, but it’s not the a measure shared by eight out of ten apocalypse either”. people in our country, according to He argues that regulating prices “is not Palomera. Even so, it was not included about eliminating profit, but limiting it, in the Spanish government’s recent because the rent will still be profitable Executive Decree on Rent. for the owner”. What is more, landlords enjoy tax advantages: “In Spain, an owner who rents out a dwelling only pays JAIME PALOMERA: tax on 40% of the gains it “There is no study that generates, receiving the says price regulation remaining 60% free of taxes. By contrast, a worker has reduced the number has to pay tax on 100% of of offers or increased their salary”. the black market” He also believes a cultural change is necessary, not just for big property owners but for small ones too: “The latter think of their dwelling as an asset; they are imitating investors. We have a In Palomera’s view, some members of cultural problem”. the financial and property sector, as well as certain political forces, discredit price regulations, dismissing them as ineffective, with few arguments. “Have they given us any empirical evidence For JAIME PALOMERA, that not limiting prices works, that tax the index for deductions for buying really guarantee the right to housing or that the tax regulating rent privileges of Real Estate Investment has to be based Trusts have done this?”, he asks. on accessibility Arguing against such unfounded criteria and not criticism, Palomera asserts: “There is no study that says price regulation has on current market reduced supply or increased the black prices market [...]”. He explained that scientific articles on price control show that no categorical conclusions can be drawn 51 The Tenants’ Union has also thought and mandatory transfers of the use of about how to build the index that would their flats to the public housing stock. serve to regulate and limit prices. “We are falling into the trap of bringing He explained that it could not be an price regulation into the technical index based on market prices, such arena, but it’s not a technical problem. as the one created by the Catalan It’s a question political will”, he government in 2017 and the one maintains. The root problem is that proposed by the Spanish State under housing is not regarded as a right, the recent executive decree, but rather in contrast to healthcare, education on accessibility criteria. In his opinion and pensions. He argues that housing the Catalan government’s current has “to be seen as another pillar of reference price index “equated... [it] our system”. with a property portal” and “legitimise market prices”. The Tenants’ Union is therefore opting for a price index determined by social and economic variables, relating to rent, each area's rate of unemployment and so on. They say that the index has to be binding and that, in the event of non-compliance, it would lead to fines for repeat-offender property owners During his talk at the FHAR, Jaime Palomera championed the implementation of rent price controls REGULATING THE RENTAL MARKET 7.3European benchmarks in housing and letting SeSSIon Generating affordable rental housing ELGA MOLINA TARRAGONA Manager of the Tarragonès County Council’s Social Rental Housing Pool. REINER WILD BERLIN Executive Director of the Mieterverein Berlin (tenants’ association). preSentatIon The German system of rent control – odds and deficits IntervIew RUI NEVES BOCHMANN FRANCO LISBON Lisbon City Councillor for Housing. 53 7.3.1 Analysing successful models in Europe to import them into the Spanish State Compared to several other EU according to Elga Molina. By contrast, in countries, Spain’s rent policies lag far the countries with higher levels, renting behind. That can be deduced from the is perceived more as a desired option presentation given by Elga Molina, the for maintaining a stable life, among the Manager of the Tarragonès County middle classes too. Council’s Social Rental Housing Pool, That is also closely related to the preSentatIon a PhD in Law and adjunct lecturer in ‘New rent lengths of leases. In countries with a Civil Law at the Universitat Rovira i regulations in line higher renting level, there are normally with EU law’ Virgili, who called for an analysis of two types of lease: short fixed-term successful models in Europe in order ones for temporary needs and periodic to evaluate implementing them in the tenancies for meeting long-term needs. Spanish State. Periodic tenancies enable tenants While the last few years have seen an to continue staying in their flats increase in the percentage of tenants in indefinitely, provided they meet their Spain – where the culture of ownership obligations, and can only be terminated has prevailed historically – it still by landlords for justifiable (personal, remains a minority option, especially financial) requirements, but not for when compared with neighbouring merely speculative aims. European countries. The renting level in Spain is 16.9%, well below the European Ten EU countries have average of 30.7% and even further periodic tenancies below the percentages for countries with higher levels of renting, such as Periodic tenancies are currently found Switzerland (57.5%), Germany (48.3%) in the following ten EU countries: The and Austria (45%). In fact, the renting Netherlands, Portugal, Italy, Greece, level in Spain is even lower than that Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Switzerland, found in other southern European Germany and Austria. In France's countries, such as Malta (19.2%), case, this type does not exist as such Portugal (24.8%), Greece (26.1%) and but “when a lease’s term expires, it is Italy (27.7%). automatically renewed, unless there is In countries where this level is lower, some justifiable reason to the contrary, “letting continues to be perceived as a so in practice it is open-ended”, temporary option for people unable to explained Elga Molina. By contrast, buy a flat, but not as a voluntary choice leases for individuals in Spain used to for maintaining a stable life project”, terminate every three years, although REGULATING THE RENTAL MARKET the recent Executive Decree 7/2019 Improving tenants’ terms and extends that period to five. conditions: affordability among Molina warned of many other the top priorities problems in the Spanish rental market. Particularly serious is the fact that It is worth recalling, in the current rent bubble 41.4% of the activity is carried out on in many Spanish cities, that many European the black market, or that only 20% of countries are establishing regulations on rental tenants declare themselves satisfied incomes to limit rental prices, including Austria, with their rent. Germany, Switzerland, France, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands To improve the situation in the Spanish and Sweden. rental market, she pointed out the factors that need addressing, in order In France's case, an Act was passed in Paris to improve the rights of tenants and in 2014 that banned exceeding the price per landlords alike, providing examples of square metre set by legislation by 30% (or good practices already being carried reducing it by more than 20%). It was initially out in other European countries. In her suspended by the law courts, which considered opinion, those factors in the case of that it could not refer exclusively to the city of tenants are affordability, stability and Paris but also had to refer to 400 areas around flexibility, while in the case of owners the country with a strained rental market. The they are profitability, obtaining sufficient Act was subsequently extended to cover the guarantees and above all the possibility whole country and has been back in force since of quickly recovering their flat. the end of 2018 (ELAN Act). In Germany's case, there has been a system for regulating rents since the 1970s, which was voluntary until 2015. This system is based on the Mietspiegel index, which sets a price per square metre according to the dwelling's features, year of construction and location. Molina pointed out that the establishment of prices responds to a “consensual system, as they are negotiated between owners’ and tenants’ associations and the authorities, and are updated every two years with the CPI and every four years a new study is conducted to assess the market situation”. Besides the Mietspiegel, a limit was ELGA MOLINA, an expert in approved in 2015 on updating rental European legislation on letting: incomes (Mietpreisbremse), which does ”In Switzerland, not allow rent prices to be increased by tenants can go to more than 10% of the previous index. This system was approved in 2015, “despite court where they having been criticised for having too consider their many exceptions in its application”, according to Molina. dwelling’s owner In Switzerland’s case, the lecturer in is making them Civil Law pointed out that tenants can pay abusive rent” “turn to the courts where they consider their dwelling's owner is making them pay an abusive rent”, for example, because of a disproportionately high rent increase compared to the previous year or because 55 the landlord’s profit margin is excessive. In France, it is the other way around. There it is the owner who can turn to the courts where they consider the rental price of their dwelling was too low, to apply for the courts to set a suitable price, bearing in mind market prices. Some countries establish limits on security deposits or systems to facilitate payment of such deposits and other expenses associated with entering a rented flat (insurance, first monthly instalment, property manager fees, taxes and so on). For example, for years now countries such as Germany, Switzerland and Italy have been limiting security deposits to Molina highlighted periodic tenancies as a measure an amount equivalent to three months’ rent, for bringing stability to tenants. a maximum that Spain ended up adopting too under the recent Decree 7/2019 on rents. Both Germany and Switzerland establish mechanisms that enable a rented flat’s entry costs to be paid in instalments. Furthermore, mechanisms have been mechanism that can help a tenant to meet their established in both Germany and Switzerland monthly payments without any detriment to the to enable a rented flat’s entry costs to be paid owner, because ultimately the tenant will have to in instalments. In Germany's case, this is done answer to the landlord. by apportioning three monthly instalments, She also believes that tenants ought to be while in Switzerland’s case, it is an insurer who allowed to terminate their lease unilaterally in pays everything at once from the beginning, certain situations, for example, where they have with the tenant subsequently paying back this to move owing to a change of job, or to carry out outlay in instalments. “Paying in instalments necessary work on their flat – should the owner does no harm to the owner, because the purpose wash their hands of the matter – at the owner's of deposits is to do repairs necessary for the expense or by withholding their rent payments dwelling, deal with possible rent default... and is until the owner has the work done (for example, therefore not an amount that is needed in the with a deposit in a court-controlled account). short term”, in Molina’s view. Apart from rental costs, she insisted on the need for rent stability, which is why Spain could adopt the periodic tenancy model that already exists in many European countries, as mentioned previously. On the other hand, she is in favour of making tenants’ terms and conditions, enabling them, for example, to sublet their dwelling, wholly or partially, without the need for authorisation, as already happens in Germany and Switzerland in justified cases, for personal or financial reasons. Molina believes this is a REGULATING THE RENTAL MARKET Improving guarantees for owners: the balance between affordability and profitability In Molina’s opinion creating an efficient and secure rental market also depends on guaranteeing owners’ rights. Therefore In Northern Ireland and she thinks a balance needs to be found England, mediation between between affordability of prices for tenants owners and tenants is free and profitability for owners. In that regard, and mandatory before she recalled how the European Court of going to court Human Rights, just as it establishes the obligation for guaranteeing a housing Another area of concern for owners alternative for families in situations of is being able to recover their dwelling residential exclusion, stipulates that quickly in the event of rent defaults. In owners were entitled to sufficient that respect she warned that, in Spain’s profits too. case, while eviction deadlines have gradually been getting shorter in the last Molina believes this condition will be few years and that they currently range met if prices are adapted to the market from three to six months, in some cases context – as the supply would otherwise they stretch out to a year in practice. She be too low – and if the owner receives explained a few measures that could help sufficient income to compensate for the to speed up this process, by freeing up real expenses incurred by the dwelling or the courts in charge of such cases. For to assume the renovation costs whenever example, creating more ad hoc courts necessary. She qualified this by saying specialising in the issue, creating a that these conditions are important when rent arbitration court such as the ones referring to periodic tenancies such as Austria has, or free mandatory mediation the ones found in many EU countries. processes, such as the ones found in Over long periods of time buildings might Northern Ireland and England, where the require considerable investment for aim is to resolve disputes between owners maintenance not foreseen at the start of a and tenants without the need for going tenant’s lease. By contrast, she recognises to court. Mediation in these countries is that the situation is very different in Spain: usually carried out by hone or remotely, “The problem does not arise under the with both parties receiving advice. short-term leases we have here”. Molina also referred to other measures for providing owners with security, such as the possibility of terminating leases for extraordinary reasons – such as the landlord’s financial difficulties, but never for speculative purposes – as stipulated in Germany, Switzerland and Austria; or the need to produce a mandatory inventory of all the dwelling’s assets, something that is beneficial to owner and tenant alike, to know what the real situation is at any given time. On the other hand, she believes that owners also have to have the flexibility to be able to enter their dwelling 57 when necessary, to carry out essential work and repairs or demand more co-responsibility ELGA MOLINA: for the flat's maintenance from their tenants, in the case of “Spain needs to have concise periodic tenancies. functional regulations, by analysing Finally, Molina referred to successful European models, the importance of creating to protect tenants with periodic registers of leases, not just tenancies, referenced rental for statistical purposes but systems [...]” also to monitor the terms and conditions of the leases, prevent abusive practices and so on. She highlighted the fact that there already is one To sum up, in order to establish in Catalonia, through Incasòl, a balanced rental system in although many other regions Spain that would be a genuine lack one and a State-level one alternative to ownership and needs to be established. She bring us to up the average also believes it would be useful European renting levels, Elga to create a register of bad lease Molina concluded: “Spain needs practices, to enable landlords to have concise functional responsible for illegal evictions regulations, by analysing or property mobbing or tenants successful European models, responsible for rent defaults to protect tenants with to be identified. Registers of periodic tenancies, referenced owners such as the ones set rental systems and by being up in Northern Ireland and flexible over the termination Scotland as well. In those of leases and the possibility countries it is compulsory to of subletting. And to protect register a flat for letting and, to landlords at the same time be able to do that, no offences, too, so that they can include discriminatory practices, genuine housing expenses in regulatory infringements or the rent, quickly repossess their anti-social acts must have dwelling when they need it and been committed. enjoy sufficient guarantees”. REGULATING THE RENTAL MARKET 7.3.2 Good practices in Europe in defence of affordable rent and housing This section summarises the talks from speakers representing other countries who attended the Barcelona Housing and Renovation Forum to explain their experiences in the area of affordable rent and REINER WILD, the Director of the Berlin Mieterverein tenants’ union: housing policies. “We need an effective A) TENANTS’ UNIONS rent ceiling, because IN BERLIN this one doesn’t work” In contrast to Spain, where historically the prevailing culture has been one of ownership, Germany has a long tradition of letting and public housing policies developed Reiner Wild, the Executive Director especially after the end of the Second of the Mieterverein Berlin (tenants’ World War given the destruction of association), told the Housing Forum preSentatIon‘The German properties as a result of that conflict, that the association he represented system of rent although there have been highs and currently has 170,000 members, whose control – odds lows since then, under governments of subscription fees guaranteed the and deficits’ different persuasions. organisation was self-sufficient and did IntervIew Reiner Wild not depend on public subsidies. In 2018, The first civil rent acts go back more the association advised Berlin tenants than a century, while the first tenants’ on over 90,000 occasions. unions, through which civil society organised itself to defend tenants’ It need to be borne in mind that rights, come from an even earlier between 70% and 85% of the population period. The first tenants’ associations live in rented housing in Germany's big were created between 1868 and 1905 cities. At 85%, Berlin is the European – in Berlin’s case, in 1888 – when the city with the highest percentage of industrialisation process attracte tenants. The national average falls to people from the countryside and made 55%, because in rural areas more people the big cities grow. are home owners. 59 At 85%, Berlin is the European city with the highest percentage of tenants The Rent Act has been part warned of various loopholes in people a year, well above the of the German Civil Code the regulations, which in his pace of housing construction. since 2001. The country opinion need correcting, such Hence he believes the city has also been a pioneer in as the fact that price limits needs more affordable housing. limiting rent prices and in have not been introduced There is an ambitious measure periodic tenancies, with a to halt the letting of new currently on the table. On few exceptions, for example, flats or flats subject to major the initiative of residents’ when owners need their flat renovations. Nor can the rent association, Berlin City Council for themselves or a family limit apply if the previous has announced that it is member. In such cases they tenant was paying a price prepared to hold a referendum can terminate the lease, but above the 10% limit. where city residents would under terms and conditions Mieterverein Berlin’s executive have to decide on whether to safeguarding the rights of director warned that limiting ban big property owners and the tenants. rents “has not yet had the place compulsory purchase Nevertheless, Reiner Wild expected effects”: “Rents have orders on as many as 200,000 warned that limiting prices risen by an average of 100% dwellings to allocate them is not mandatory throughout in 10 years”. He attributes the to social rental housing. A the country. “The government limit’s lack of effectiveness process is presently under way allowed federal states to above all to the fact that most to collect at least the 20,000 restrict the Rent Act if they owners ignore the ceiling signatures necessary for were not interested in this and do not face prosecution. applying to hold a referendum. ceiling”. In Berlin's case, Hence: “We need an effective Wild is convince there is mandatory rent price limits rent ceiling, because this one widespread popular support have been in force since 2015 doesn’t work. We are aiming to for the measure, but expressed and that means leases cannot close loopholes, so penalties doubts over whether the be raised more than 10% of need to be applied to owners political authorities would allow reference price established in who exceed the limits and it to see the light of day. the city. compensation needs to be However, there are exceptions given to tenants who have to this general rule. Where paid more”. owners invest in modernising Besides improving the their dwellings with measures effectiveness of price limits, for improving their energy Wild emphasised other efficiency, they can charge housing-related challenges 8% of the investment costs in the German capital. He to tenants annually, with warned that the number of city certain restrictions applying residents has grown rapidly as of January 2019. He also recently, by nearly 40,000 REGULATING THE RENTAL MARKET B) LISBON’S EXPERIENCE IN THE FACE OF GENTRIFICATION: REGULATING TOURIST FLATS The situation in Lisbon today contrasts average salary in Portugal is very low, strongly with that of four decades ago. half that of Spain’s, and that the social SeSSIon In 1974, following Portugal’s Carnation protection system is meagre. Faced Fight against gentrification Revolution, the city took in hundreds of with that situation, the Portuguese thousands of immigrants and refugees capital has opted to maximise its and its population rose to a million. investment in housing policies. So Four decades later, the population has much so that the city's economic dropped to half a million, though in development also depends to a large a metropolitan area of three million, extent on the housing sector. but the city has been facing growing Even so, the Lisbon city councillor pressure from tourism, especially explained that this is still “not over the last ten years. So much so enough” to halt the phenomenon of that in 2018 it played host to some 20 gentrification and rise in prices flat million visitors. prices: “During the last 3 years, the property sector's annual inflation has been 30%”. That means more and more RUI NEVES BOCHMANN FRANCO, people are having problems paying for Lisbon City Councillor for Housing: their housing with their income. He ”20% of Lisbon’s added that the city’s touristification housing is municipal, is causing “a loss of intangible culture”, in other words, of the social but even that is ‘not fabric and physiognomy traditionally enough’ to halt the characterising its neighbourhoods. phenomenon of So he considers it a paradox that this gentrification” is happening both in Lisbon and in Barcelona as well as many other cities with a rise in investment in material culture (historical heritage, cultural The policies implemented in the 1990s facilities, etc.) which in turn is a in the city to put an end to shanty tourist attraction. towns, where people from the former Like many other places, Lisbon had colonies were still living, established seen an exponential growth of tourist good foundations for housing policies accommodation over the last few years in the city. At present, 20% of the city’s and the presence of international housing stock is in the hands of the platforms such as Airbnb, which is City Council, which awards dwellings to putting upward pressure on rent prices. people who need them the most, based on income criteria. Most of the costs of these dwellings are borne by the City Council, which allocates a total of 100 million euros to them every month. Rui Neves Bochmann Franco, the Lisbon City Councillor for Local Housing and Development, explained that the 61 Rui Neves Bochmann, the Lisbon city councillor, during his talk at FHAR. Lisbon’s proposal for tackling the crux of the problem: the higher profitability that owners receive for renting their properties to tourists rather than residents For the Lisbon city councillor, the crux of the problem lies in the higher profitability that tourist apartments give owners compared to residential letting. This difference can range from 500 euros a month for letting a flat long-term to residents, to 3,000 euros a month for renting a flat out to tourists, with 90% occupancy throughout Lisbon City Council sets rules the year. for platforms such as Airbnb Given that, Lisbon City Council has come on how to operate in the city forward with a pioneering proposal to regulate the activity of these platforms. In their Consequently, in the middle of 2018, Lisbon City mediation work between owners and tenants, Council took the first step towards fighting this they will have to operate with 50% long-term phenomenon, just after the central government accommodation for residents and 50% had given local councils responsibility for short-term accommodation for tourist uses. regulating tourist accommodation. Lisbon Subsequently, the earnings obtained with the established a moratorium on this kind of two types of accommodation will be weighted accommodation in the city centre, as Barcelona and owners using the platform will receive the has done too, which has led to a higher number of income corresponding to that weighting for tourist apartments moving to the city outskirts. renting out their dwellings. “So it is irrelevant This was later supplemented with rules for whether you opt for one type of renting or the international platforms such as Airbnb for other”, the councillor explained. operating in the Portuguese capital. The He rounded off his talk by adding that thanks platforms will have to pay taxes in Lisbon and to the taxes the platforms will pay Lisbon, they short-term rents for tourist uses will have will also have more resources for expanding to follow the same rules as long-term leases the public housing stock, which remains a for residents. priority goal. REGULATING THE RENTAL MARKET 08 Renovating the housing stock 63 Renovation policies in Barcelona: towards a sustainable renovatio8n model.1 SeSSIon Collaboration and monitoring to ensure the proper use of housing preSentatIon Núria Pedrals’ presentation on renovation policies in Barcelona Renovation has to be a basic pillar necessary credits without having to of housing policies, in the opinion of mortgage their homes. the architect Núria Pedrals, Chair of Pedrals reminded her audience that AuS (Architecture and Sustainability renovations can be on three levels: flat NÚRIA Group of the Catalan Architects’ interiors, buildings or neighbourhood, PEDRALS Association). Besides recovering the and that their complexity grows “the BARCELONA heritage value of some buildings and Architect and bigger the extension and the more improving the existent housing stock, Chair of AuS people involved”. She is convinced (Architecture she said today it would have to be used that public authority leadership is and for improving building sustainability Sustainability crucial for renovations to prosper, and energy efficiency, emphasising Group of especially in renovations involving the Catalan their “multiplying effects”: “When a euro entire neighbourhoods or extensive Architects’ is allocated to the renovation sinking Association).areas of a neighbourhood. For example, fund, it can be turned into three or four. she explained that Barcelona City It creates more heritage value, more Council had developed several pilot urban planning permits, more IBI... even experiences over the last four years in if indirectly”. neighbourhoods such as Can Peguera She therefore bemoaned the fact that and Canyelles to include efficiency renovation policies have historically criteria in buildings and improve been neglected, mainly due to two their insulation. obstacles: the complexity of managing She believes Barcelona City Council renovation processes, because they has stepped up its efforts in renovation can affect many people with different policies during this last municipal term interests living in the same space; and of office. So, for example, she explained because of funding difficulties, for that subsidies for housing renovations enabling communities to opt for the RENOVATING THE HOUSING STOCK have increased by 27.16% from 2016 to 2018 and example, the latter call also links the receipt of reached 32.3 million euros. At the same time, the aid to two conditions: extending lease terms to number of dwellings benefiting from renovations at least five years (the Spanish government's has also grown, by 15.24% from 12,337 to 14,217. recent Executive Decree 7/2019 has now set the She remarked that no only had minimum period at five years expenditure on renovation NÚRIA PEDRALS, architect: but, until its approval, increased but “the target of the it had been three) and “Barcelona City grants has been focused” too. maintaining rent prices While several years ago they Council has within the bracket started “from a more generalist concentrated established by the rent conception”, targeting grants price index. Another at renovation in any community the allocation of example of a call with that met the requirements, renovation grants a social purpose is the now there are specific calls one aimed at renovating on the most for the most vulnerable areas vacant dwellings so and groups. This is because: vulnerable groups they can be added “For many years, these and areas” to Barcelona's Rental grants went mostly to Housing Pool. communities that had In 2019, Pedrals explained, someone with the capacity to Barcelona City Council has follow the procedures for it, which is complex, kept its commitment to renovation policies and that did not mean they were the ones who and diversifying subsidies with that aim, to needed them most, because precisely such attend to the needs of the most vulnerable people don’t usually have that profile and stay groups, as well as applying social and anti- on the sidelines”. speculative measures linked to the receipt of To focus renovation grants on these groups, the those subsidies. City Council first commissioned a study from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, through which the city’s most vulnerable properties were detected. Thanks to this information, the Council has been able to design a plan for promoting the renovation of these buildings. That led to a call for grants specifically for renovating highly complex properties, which was published for the first time towards the end of 2017, with a budget of 12,184,500 euros. That same year (2017) also saw the launch, for the first time, of a call for flat interior renovations aimed at the most vulnerable groups, budgeted at 5 million euros. Renovation grants in exchange for providing dwellings with social and non-speculative uses Besides these two types of subsidies aimed at the most vulnerable groups, the application of social and anti-speculative criteria has recently been added to other calls for subsidies, such as the one for communal parts of buildings. For 65 A revived Barcelona Observatory for Architectural Renovation, a space for debating, agreeing on and innovating policies in the field She also added that an observatory had recently been revived to promote renovation in Barcelona, in which various city political, social and economic players were taking part, to discuss and seek consensual solutions in this matter. This is the Barcelona Observatory for Architectural Renovations (OBRA) which, besides Barcelona City Council, comprises various professional organisations, associations and guilds from the property sector, the world of architecture, engineering and property management, as well as public and private land and housing developers, representatives of the residents movement and the universities. More recently they have been joined by players from the financial world, the third sector and the energy-saving sector. Besides working to improve several aspects linked to renovation policies (calls for grant applications, funding for renovation work, tax systems for subsidies and so on), Pedrals explained the observatory will also be working on strategies to revitalise and innovate renovation in several areas. She believes that one of the top priorities for the future has to be strengthening sustainability and energy-efficiency criteria in renovation processes. She sees that as a natural development, as a stage beyond “Barcelona, posa’t guapa” (make yourself beautiful) the famous slogan under which the city had promoted the improvement and renovation of various buildings and architectural features, from the 1990s to the start of the 21st century. In the opinion of Núria Pedrals, now it is necessary to take another step and promote the city's “energy renovation”. Above, renovation of the Canyelles neighbourhood. Below, Núria Pedrals during her talk at the FHAR. RENOVATING THE HOUSING STOCK 8. Santa Coloma de Gramenet’s experience in cr2eating a conservation and renovation area preSentatIon The “Santa Coloma Renovem els Barris” Municipal Renovation Plan The Catalan Act of 2007 on the Right Gonzalez gave the reasons that led to Housing gives local authorities Santa Coloma de Gramenet City the capacity to declare and delimit Council to take this step forward. On JOAN MANEL conservation and renovation areas the one hand, the city’s housing stock, GONZÁLEZ (ACRs) within their municipal consisting of 6,069 residential buildings SANTA COLOMA boundaries. The aim is to promote with 51,710 dwellings, is “very old”. DE GRAMENET building renovation in especially According to municipal data, 81.51% of Santa Coloma run-down areas to prevent situations the buildings were built before 1980, de Gramenet municipal of risk for social cohesion. Few and 60.95% of the blocks with more architect. local authorities have made use than three floors have no lift, added to of this faculty since then. Santa which are insulation problems in many Coloma de Gramenet, together with cases. Furthermore, Santa Coloma, Barcelona, is one of them, as the with 120,000 residents, is reaching municipal architect,Joan Manel the limit of its possibilities for growth. González explained. Renovation is therefore the only way to modernise the housing stock. With such a high number of buildings JOAN MANEL GONZÁLEZ, Santa Coloma to be renovated, Santa Coloma City municipal architect: Council has decided to start the “We need to promote renovation processes in the most renovation, because Santa vulnerable areas, until now the ones requesting fewer subsidies for that Coloma’s buildings are very old purpose in many cases, owing to a and we don’t have any more lack of knowledge or resources for space in the city to grow in” processing them. The City Council has delimited several neighbourhoods in the south of the city – Fondo, Santa Rosa, 67 Raval and Can Mariner – as priority renovation sectors for the next 20 JOAN MANEL GONZÁLEZ believes years. With this aim in mind, it has “community mediation” delimited several conservation and renovation areas (ACRs) that each is crucial for carrying out group together between 350 and property renovations in 400 dwellings. collaboration with property Having done that, the City Council owners. can start its renovation work in the area and the first step is to establish a system for collaborating with the corresponding communities of his emphasis of the importance of owners, by signing an agreement with “community mediation”. each of them. Under that agreement, This preliminary work with the the owners authorise the City Council communities allowed the Council to find to apply for subsidies or sign contracts out the social, economic and cultural on their behalf for technical plans, situation of each household and any work plans and technical assistance problems between neighbours, as well for the renovations. The City Council as detect situations of energy poverty subsequently takes charge of these or the need for improved technical procedures, initially bearing the costs comfort . The Council also identified the but later passing those onto the dwellings involved in eviction processes owners. Each of them has to pay the or subject to other conveyances through City Council an interest-free portion sale or inheritance and with incidences of the costs of the work proportional over their ownership. to their ownership coefficient. To make payment conditions easier for All that enabled the renovation process owners, the City Council offers them priorities to be established and different alternatives: payments in determine what could or not be done 60 monthly instalments over 5 years, in agreement with the communities. which most owners opt for, or paying The result of all that was a renovation 50% of the corresponding amount process “combining the features of at the start of the work and 50% at public procurement with property the end. Those experiencing greater management work and everyday life in financial difficulties can also register the community”. to apply for help in paying their González warned that these processes renovation expenses. are long and that implementing each The City Council has so far carried ACR requires a period of six years, out renovation work in one of the from the start of the initial studies to delimited ACRs, on Carrer de Pirineus completion of the work, and between in the Santa Rosa neighbourhood of eight and twelve years if we consider Santa Coloma de Gramenet, with 32 the final payment instalments. He properties and 386 dwellings. The also warned of the current difficulties municipal architect pointed out that and limitations, such as the lack of during this process preliminary work financial resources for improving the and meetings with the communities energy efficiency of buildings that need served to identify intermediaries renovating in several areas of the city, to help get the renovations off the when communities cannot afford them, ground and to diagnose the situation and the fact that the accessibility code of buildings and their tenants. Hence does not reflect the reality of numerous RENOVATING THE HOUSING STOCK existing buildings, because it does not allow lifts to be installed in some properties with little available space. Santa Coloma City Council calls for more renovation funding from the supra-municipal authorities He is in favour of simplifying various administrative procedures because they are long and bureaucratic, making the most of the advantages of the technological means, while warning of the digital gap in the most vulnerable neighbourhoods. Furthermore, he believes specific applications would have to be created for the administrative and financial management behind receiving instalments, requiring a big effort on the part of the local authority, and that technical profiles would have to be broadened to include community management capacities, which have to be distinguished from those of property managers. He also called for funding renovation work to be made easier. First, he pointed out that most renovation subsidies do not provide for the authorities acting on behalf of the owners and aggregating the demand. Second, he warned that VAT regulations do not provide for such initiatives among those with the lower VAT rate, thereby penalising the most vulnerable groups. Finally, he called for the promotion of subsidies and plans that provide for comprehensive urban regeneration initiatives, and appealed to the supra-municipal authorities to make a bigger financial effort in renovation processes which, in his opinion, exceed the economic capacities of local authorities. 69 Joan Manel González and Núria Pedrals, at the FHAR. The FHAR audience in the MACBA auditorium. Architect Josep Casas moderated the FHAR session on collaboration and monitoring for ensuring the proper use of housing. RENOVATING THE HOUSING STOCK 09 Public-private collaboration in promoting affordable housing 71 Collaboration between the public authorities, the9 private sector and the third sector to. 1 expand affordable housing SeSSIon Co-production with non-profit or limited-profit enterprises preSentatIon ‘ Co-production with non-profit or limited-profit enterprises’ According to various experts, making players. In that regard, he pointed out the private sector co-responsible is that the City Council has promoted essential for ensuring the expansion the Citizen Agreement for an Inclusive of the affordable housing stock in Barcelona, made up of 167 organisations RICARD Catalonia and approaching European and organisation networks dedicated FERNÀNDEZ levels. Ricard Fernández, the Social to promoting social inclusion and BARCELONA Rights manager at Barcelona City reducing inequalities Under this Manager for Council, also stressed this idea in his agreement, a city strategy has been Social Rights at Barcelona City talk on the co-production of housing approved which considers it a priority Council. by the Council and non-profit or to reduce the burden that the cost of limited-profit enterprises. He gave housing represents for families. More several reasons for co-production: specifically, it provides for reducing by to acquire the necessary land and one third the number of households funding, all the more so in a context of that have to allocate more than 40% restricting public budgets and public of their annual income to housing borrowing capacity; to reach certain expenses. In 2016, 19.3% of Barcelona’s social sectors outside the authorities’ families (127,959 in total) allocated close reach; to promote innovation or greater to half of their income to housing. efficiency, and even as a constitutional One of the mechanisms for achieving requirement, given that the Carta this goal is the co-production of Magna establishes the social function housing policy. This was established of private property. under Barcelona City Council’s Right For Ricard Fernández, collaboration to Housing Plan for 2016-2025, which with the private sector reflects the considers collaboration between public, same aim to network and reach private and third-sector players to agreements that the City Council be crucial. maintains with many other social PUBLIC-PRIVATE COLLABORATION The tool for achieving this would be an affordable housing metropolitan operator, made up of Barcelona City Council and the Barcelona Metropolitan Authority (BMA), with the aim of promoting and managing affordable rental flats in the metropolitan area. That way it would become the main public- private operator for this type of housing. At the same time, the operator Since the start of the current This is crucial, in his opinion, would convey the production municipal term of office, for tackling the challenge of of these flats through the joint the municipal manager of housing co-production from a venture company Habitatge Social Rights has believed metropolitan perspective: “The Metròpolis Barcelona, SA. This that affordable-housing real city is the metropolitan city. company was incorporated at co-production “is modest There are limits within Barcelona the start of 2019 by Barcelona in number, but important in proper which make it impossible City Council and the BMA, concept”, to get the idea across to solve the housing problem”. pending the incorporation that enterprises and the third In addition, he thinks Barcelona of a private partner with sector have to take a share has “to show solidarity with the considerable knowledge of the responsibility. Among new centres” being created in of the sector. That partner, the actions carried out, he other municipalities, and that besides being a shareholder, mentioned competitions for the various metropolitan cities will manage the housing stock land and building leases for have to tackle the problems they and have an initial five-year cooperative and foundation have in this area, as in others, commitment to the venture. cohousing, agreements with together, by overcoming the Fernández believes that will Hàbitat 3 (from the Catalan resistance to cooperation that not undermine public control, Third Social Sector Institutions exists today. as the authorities will be able Committee), API and property Out of this double perspective to intervene in the company's managers for mobilising – in defence of co-production corporate bodies, where vacant housing for social with a metropolitan view – necessary. He also asserted that and affordable rent, the 30% came the Habitatge Metròpolis the company will maintain a measure, agreements with big Barcelona project. This project balance between the public and property owners and housing aims to deal with the scarcity of private presence. In addition, projects for groups at risk of affordable housing in Barcelona the profits will be limited to social exclusion, among others. and bring us closer to the dividends of around 4%. 15% affordable housing set So far, the project has still by European standards. More RICARD FERNÀNDEZ, no got off the ground. The the municipal manager specifically, there is a target deadline for submitting offers for Social Rights: of building 4,500 dwellings for incorporating a private “The Barcelona allocated to affordable rental housing partner has been Metropolis Housing housing in several stages up postponed until 31 July. But to 2028, each with a floor area project stems from Fernández remains hopeful of 70 m2. These will be under the need to co- and highlighted the importance the general officially protected of starting affordable housing produce housing with system (7.28 euros/m2) or co-production between public the private sector and the state-assisted system and private players as soon with a metropolitan (8.89 euros/m2) and below the as possible. vision” market price, which is currently around 12 euros/m2. 73 Housing alternative9s from the social and cooperative economy: public support for cohousin.g 2 9.2.1 The cohousing model in Barcelona Faced with the increase in property market prices, the social, solidarity and SeSSIon: cooperative economy is also promoting Community co-production: affordable housing alternatives, assigned-use something which needs increasing cooperatives and attention. Vanesa Valiño, the chief Community Land Trusts of staff at the Councillor’s Office for Housing and Renovation at Barcelona City Council, explained how the local authority is promoting these cohousing alternatives in the city, as part of a more comprehensive strategy to revitalise the cooperative movement. Since 2015, the City Council has given its support to over 800 cooperative projects in Barcelona, promoted by the city’s social network and the community. As an example of public sector collaboration with the community, Valiño cites the case of Can Batlló, the former factory complex in the Sants neighbourhood of La Bordeta, which now combines spaces for local community activities with public facilities and affordable housing. At the Interior of La Borda, the cooperative housing beginning of March 2019, Barcelona City building in Can Batlló. Council’s Economy Committee approved the assigned use of Can Batlló to neighbourhood associations so that they PUBLIC-PRIVATE COLLABORATION could manage the activities they do there for a had to amend it so that the cooperatives were not period of 30 years, extendible to a further twenty. obliged to make parking spaces. When we came And it is precisely the Can Batlló complex that to power, you could build sustainable housing houses the first cooperative housing block to but urban-planning regulations forced you to have been built on municipal land in Barcelona. build parking spaces”. This amendment exempts That was the aim behind which Barcelona City protected dwellings as well as those with an Council handed over the building lease of a accredited environmental-efficiency rating from plot of land in this complex to the La Borda having to meet this obligation. Such is the case cooperative. The building, consisting of 28 with La Borda, a building constructed mainly out dwellings, has been a reality since the end of last of wood, where special account has been taken of year and its tenants, besides having their own energy-efficiency criteria and the aim has been home, share a communal laundry, kitchen and to do away with the need for parking spaces. dining-room, among other things. To give continuity to the cohousing model, To boost these types of experiences even Valiño underscored above all the need to more, Valiño explained that the first step at the achieve political consensus around this issue, start of this municipal term involved setting and warned: “It's not clear among the Left. up a cohousing board comprising a number of There are groups that say all public housing has stakeholders who help to promote this model in to be rental. Our plan says that public renting the city: cooperatives, ethical banks offering loans has to represent 80%, but that we need to for this purpose and other social players in the city. combine it with other methods. But there is no According to Ms Valiño, “the aim behind the board political agreement here”. On the other hand, was to be capable of co-producing assigned-use she explained that there were several views on cooperative housing in the city”. Under this model, opting for cohousing in the world of the social a cooperative is the owner of a block of flats and and solidarity economy. its members, by paying an affordable monthly sum Another very important obstacle was – in the case of La Borda, ranging from 400 to 680 “institutional machinery”, because “anything new euros – can live in their flat indefinitely. In other to the authority is very difficult”, she pointed out. words, they have an exclusive She believes the City Council right to it even though they are VANESSA VALIÑO, the Chief of has a long history of not its owners. Staff of the Councillor's Office for promoting public housing Housing at Barcelona City Council: Following the establishment and that it is hard to vary ”A political consensus of this board, the City Council this model, although a way made its first invitation to is required for has to be found to make tender for a plot of land for cohousing to be the institution “believe in cooperative housing in 2016 promoted and for the the model and adopt it”. and is currently working on a model to be believed As with any change of second invitation to tender for paradigm, it is not an three plots of land, according in and adopted by easy challenge, but the to the chief of staff at the the institutional municipal manager called Councillor's Office for machinery” for every effort to be made Housing and Renovation. in this direction: “Faced This process, warned with the commercialisation Valiño, has given rise to scenarios that had not of housing, land and our lives, this model been envisaged, for instance, “the introduction builds more individualised ties with the of the logic of competition in a sector that did neighbourhoods and cities”. She concluded by not compete” in the face of a call for public quoting Ivan Miró, recalling that, for this leading competitions for awarding land, something that figure in the cooperative movement, “what is at was making the City Council rethink several stake in this model is the idea of modernity, so, aspects of the invitation-to-tender process. She if we manage to establish the notion that this is also explained that they were compelled to make modern, this housing alternative will grow”. a change to the General Metropolitan Plan: “We 75 9.2.2 Assigned-use housing: the experience of the Balearic Islands The government of the Balearic Islands has also been committed to the alternative of cohousing since 2015, MARIA ANTÒNIA with a model that has some particular GARCÍAS ROIG features. Thus explained Maria Antònia PALMA DE MALLORCA Garcías Roig, the Managing Director of Managing Director of the Balearic the Balearic Institute of Housing. Institute of Housing. The Balearic government has held preSentatIon Cohabita a competition for assigning five IntervIew plots of public land to assigned-use housing cooperatives, granting them building leases for a term of 75 years, extendible to 99 years. The Director of the Housing Institute explained that they had opted for submitting already defined cohousing projects to public competition, so that several cooperatives could opt to implement them: “This does not allow cooperative MARIA ANTÒNIA GARCÍAS ROIG, members to start work on their own Balearic Institute of Housing: project from the beginning, although ”Assigned-use it does represent a financial saving for cooperative them, as they no longer have to allocate resources to designing it”. housing ‘creates a neighbourhood’, The public competition awarded extra points to aspects such as the project's thereby promoting contribution to communal life and relations among local building ties with the neighbourhood, residents” sustainability and energy impact (reducing water expenses, opting for solar energy, etc.), use of local products in construction, quality control and ethical funding. PUBLIC-PRIVATE COLLABORATION Garcías Roig defined assigned-use housing as a model “straddling the line between buying and renting”, allowing members to access housing at an affordable price, with monthly payments below market rent prices. She also pointed out that cohousing helps to “create a neighbourhood”, thereby promoting relations between the tenants in common spaces and with the community. Finally, she highlighted its flexibility, as any member can leave the cooperative and others can join it. Social and economic criteria are taken into account in the requirements for becoming a cooperative member, thereby encouraging families on low incomes to join. The Director of the Balearic Institute of Housing highlighted the implementation of this innovative model, in an autonomous region where the culture of ownership as a form of access to housing remains deeply ingrained and was even prevalent until very recently in officially protected housing developments. “We did not start making officially protected rental housing until this term of office; we believe that public investment has to be maintained”, she concluded. In short, promoting public rental housing combined with assigned-use dwellings are two of the main commitments pledged by the Balearic Islands’ government. From top to bottom: Maria Antònia Garcías Roig, Vanesa Valiño and the session moderator, Mara Ferreri, a post-doctorate researcher at the IGOP (UAB). 77 9.2.3 The Austrian benchmark: combining public action and limited-profit housing associations In Austria, there has been a very strong public commitment to social and affordable housing on several levels (political, legal, etc.). Cooperation SeSSIon C o-production with non-profit or between public and private players limited-profit enterprises has also been crucial. One out of every four people around the country lives in public flats (17%), or in housing promoted by the limited profit housing associations (LPHAs) (7%). These GERALD are private organisations, mostly KOESSL cooperatives but public companies as AUSTRIA well that build and, to a lesser extent, Representative of the Federation of Limited-Profit Housing Associations in renovate housing. Austria. Gerald Koessl, a representative of preSentatIon of the Austrian Federation of LPHAs, ‘The Austrian Model of Limited Profit Housing Associations’ explained the features of this model IntervIew during the Housing and Renovation Forum, to put the framework in which these associations work into context. He emphasised that by combining this double system (public housing and housing associations), Austria has the GERALD KOESSL, of the Federation of Limited- second highest proportion of social Profit Housing Associations in Austria: and affordable housing in the European Union, just behind the “In Austria, loans are Netherlands, adding that, while provided for building it might seem paradoxical, this has been achieved by allocating housing and, in exchange, 0.3% of its GNP to housing, four we ask that its price be decimal points below the EU average. An apparent contradiction affordable” explained by the particular system for funding the country’s housing policies. Austrian institutions focus most of their PUBLIC-PRIVATE COLLABORATION spending on housing (90%) in the form of returnable loans so they “are entries that do not represent any increase in public debt under the criteria set out by the EU”, he explained. In addition, there is also another difference between More than a quarter of dwellings in the Austrian system and the Austria are built by limited-profit housing general trend in Europe: most associations of the loans are for building and not for housing subsidies. Within the framework of the Overall, they have considerable Austrian housing system, weight when it comes to In his opinion, one of the most Koessl explained the features housing construction. They are important features in this and running of these building between 12,000 and loans system lies in including associations in more detail. He 15,000 dwellings, between 25% restrictions on house prices started off by recalling their and 30% of the total number of among its award criteria. That origins, which date back to the flats being constructed around way the loans system helps end of the 19th century and the country. The extent of their to guarantee prices people start of the 20th, coinciding housing stock enables them can afford. with the industrialisation of the to provide housing solutions These building subsidies are large cities, which many people not just for families on low open not just to LPHAs but moved to in search of work and, incomes but also to the middle also to other private providers. consequently, housing too. class. There is a strong social Building is funded mainly with Promoted by the cooperative mix among these dwellings’ long-term loans awarded by movement, the first housing tenants. The high quality of the regional governments – with associations created at that flats built and the application systems that are different in time to meet these new needs, of technological innovation each region – at a reduced although their growth did to building more sustainable interest of around 1%. LPHAs not accelerate until after the houses, better adapted to combine this system of funding Second World War. people’s needs, should also with others (non-refundable Today, there are 185 LPHAs be noted. subsidies, bank mortgages, throughout Austria (98 etc.) to go ahead with their cooperatives and 77 public housing developments. companies of various types), GERALD KOESSL: all grouped under the Austrian “The associations’ Federation of Housing main goal is to Associations. They have a stock of 923,000 dwellings, 71% of provide affordable which are for renting, and on dwellings, not average each LPHA manages financial gain” 5,000, although there are associations of various sizes, from small ones managing 8 flats to the largest, in charge of 40,000. 79 Koessl remarked that, The average price of the even though the housing flats is 6.8 euros per m2 (23% associations are private below the market price). Given organisations, their profits are their social contribution, they limited under the legislation are exempt from paying the regulating them, which equivalent to corporation tax dates back to the start of the in Austria. It needs to be borne 20th century. Shareholders’ in mind that they are currently dividends are limited and facing rising land prices and that most of their profits building costs. are reinvested in building or In addition, Koessl pointed renovating affordable housing out that the LPHAs help to (mostly building), the only stabilise the housing market activity they are allowed to do. and the labour market – by It also needs to be pointed out creating jobs – as they act that they are subject to special as a countercyclical force. audit and monitoring rules. In other words, they building Their main goal is to provide more housing when the private long-term continuity in the sector makes less. provision of affordable housing Proof of the social contribution and the rent prices of their flats housing associations make is are strongly regulated: “They their high rate of acceptance may not receive anything more among the population: 92% or less than what it costs to believe they are important and build and maintain the homes”. 70% think they will be even more so in the future. In that regard, Koessl said one of their future challenges would be to meet the high demand for affordable housing in urban areas. Gerald Koessl and Ricard Fernández during their talks at the FHAR, moderated by Anna Gener, the Chair of Aguirre Newman. PUBLIC-PRIVATE COLLABORATION Vienna's experience: a city housing model with political consensus In a later talk Bojan Schnabl, a member Public land management is another of Vienna City Council’s Housing pillar of this model. Schnabl considers SeSSIon Research Unit, explained the model it a very positive development that Generating affordable specifically followed by Austria’s capital a new category of land use, for rental housing in this area. The total number of public subsidised housing, has recently been flats and flats promoted by limited incorporated into the Vienna Building profit housing associations in Vienna Code. Finally, he highlighted the need represents 45% of the total stock of for a sustainable funding system in dwellings (25% public and a further housing policies. The Austrian capital 20% from LPHAs), 21 points above the allocates close to 600 million euros a national average. The capital currently year to housing policies, combining the has 220,000 public dwellings and a loans system for building or renovating further 182,000 from LPHAs. dwellings applied all around the country Within the framework of a well- with subsidies to a sinking fund or help structured system of housing policies with housing payments for groups with BOJAN SCHNABL around the country, Vienna City Council more difficulties. wanted to take a further step. So it has Nearly half (45%) of the municipal VIENNA Vienna City established a city model for housing housing stock is for letting. “In Vienna Council's policies and urban planning based on it is just as profitable to let out a flat Housing a wide political consensus between than to sell it”, Schnabl explained. He Research Unit public and private players. also highlighted the strict protection Schnabl remarked that this political of tenants’ rights and pointed out p reSentatIon ‘Social resp. consensus is not strictly confined that leases are periodic with prices Subsidized to housing policies but reflects the set at 5.58 euros per m 2 in the case of Housing in development of a more sustainable municipal flats. He believes this also Vienna’ IntervIew city model from a social, economic puts pressure on the free market to and environmental perspective, in drop its housing prices. line with the United Nations’ goals If this model is to function, the against climate change. He explained involvement public and private players that Vienna's housing policies and is crucial. Schnabl explained public urban planning promote sustainable players such as municipal enterprises, development, for example, by taking private companies competing in public into account tenders and limited profit housing BOJAN SCHNABL: energy associations are involved in managing, efficiency building and renovating land and ”Vienna’s housing criteria in dwellings. Integrating all of these into policies are enshrined constructing a single model promoted by the public in more comprehensive and authorities is essential for guaranteeing sustainable renovating the right to housing, according to buildings, Bojan Schnabl, who concluded by development goals” another saying: “If the private market in the priority area current circumstances is incapable of of action in the city. Likewise, they are meeting the housing needs of 75% of being implemented under urban-mix the population, it's obvious that public criteria, to keep gentrification intervention is necessary”. processes at a minimum, and they are also regarded as a source of jobs. 81 9.2.4 The experience of community land trusts in Brussels Brussels’ social and community fabric both urban and rural environments as has embarked on another affordable well as to various sizes, from a block housing alternative, promoted from of houses to an entire province. It is the bottom up. This is the community estimated that in all there are more land trust (CLT), a model that Brussels than 500 CLTs worldwide. JOAQUÍN has exported for the first time to In the case of the Brussels Community DE SANTOS continental Europe from the United Land Trust (BCLT), Joaquín de BELGIUM States and which is based, to a certain Santos, the head of the BCLT's Head of the extent, on inverse criteria to those of Brussels Sustainable Housing for Inclusive Community Land assigned-use housing. Whereas under and Cohesive Cities (SHICC) Trust’s Sustainable the latter it is the authorities that own Housing for European project, explained the the land and the cooperative that Inclusive and main goal is to “guarantee that city Cohesive Cities owns the block of dwellings built on residents, especially those in more (SHICC) European that assigned-use land, in the CLTs, project. vulnerable situations, can have a it is the collective that owns the land, suitable dwelling”, and thereby help preSentatIon and the flats themselves belong to ‘The them to enjoy full social integration.different individuals (or entities). Community Land Trust According to the international model’ organisation Word Habitat, a I JOAQUÍN DE SANTOS ntervIew community land trust is a non-profit (Brussels Community Land Trust): organisation, controlled by a community that possesses, deploys “The land belongs and manages local assets at the to the community service of the common good. Its goal is to acquire land and assets in and the dwellings perpetuity for the benefit of a specific to eachof the locality or community. owners, who Community land trusts are currently buy them at found in several countries throughout the world (the United States, Canada, an affordable the UK, France, Kenya and so on) price with the and present considerable diversity. Apart from developing the social, undertaking they commercial or community fabric, will respect profit the collective ownership of the land restrictions if they may only be used to enable access to housing. CLTs may be adapted to sell them” PUBLIC-PRIVATE COLLABORATION Despite their considerable diversity, both in Brussels and in the various parts of the world where they have been introduced, CLTs share certain features. First, their model of ownership is hybrid, that is, the land is collectively owned while the dwellings belong to individual owners, in some cases cooperatives or associations. Second, the affordability of the dwellings is guaranteed, given that a condition for owners to be able to acquire them at an affordable price is precisely that, if they to sell them later on, they have to respect certain profit restrictions. It should also be added that all CLTs are open to citizen participation and have a community management model. Normally a third of their administrators represent the residents, a third residents and civil society in the area and a third the public sector. In that regard Joaquín de Santos pointed out that the BCLT also aims to promote the “integration in the neighbourhood” of the community’s residents, as well as their “empowerment”. They work with future residents, organising workshops on architecture, energy management, positive community life, non-violent communication and so on. The future residents are also involved in the process of the project's design and construction. Finally, he pointed out the responsibility of the CLT’s board of De Santos during his intervention directors in ensuring the project’s at the FHAR. continuity and permanence over time. For that, permanent contact with the community’s residents is essential, as is having a good knowledge of their situation and needs, to prevent possible socio-economic problems or problems in the community. 83 Brussels has imported the United States’ CLT experience to continental Europe Joaquín de Santos says that the idea of export used in continental Europe. He also believes it this model to Brussels came about as a result is necessary to strengthen the political support of the severe housing crisis that affected for these initiative, to continue improving the city during the first decade of the 21st participation and internal life of the communities century. In that context, a group of people from and to diversify the funding sources to avoid Brussels attending an international conference exclusive dependence on public aid. on housing cooperatives in France in 2008 In his view, there has to be a commitment to discovered the experience of the CLTs in the extending CLTs in Europe and he explained that United States, where these communities have a research group at the University of Cordoba been in existence for over 50 years. The same was investigating how to implement CLTs in year, the world's biggest CLT, the Champlain the Spanish State. According to Joaquín de Housing Trust in Burlington, set up in 1983 and Santos, there are many reasons for doing that, promoted by Bernie Sanders, the city’s then because community land trusts are “a flexible mayor, received the UN’s World Habitat Award. tool for providing access to housing and urban A small delegation from Brussels subsequently renovation”, which creates communities to the took the opportunity to travel to Burlington to benefit of the common good “in perpetuity” study its model and, just one year later, and the and which, moreover, help to coordinate Brussels Community Land Trust was established. collective and individual interests and After intense awareness-raising work with the citizen empowerment. city’s various political and social players, at the end of 2012 the platform managed to get the Brussels regional government to officially recognise the CLT and start providing public funding to get it off the ground. The BCLT is currently implementing ten projects of this type in the city, including L’Arc-en-Ciel, a community of 32 dwellings that is in the process of being completed and where the first residents will arrive in September 2019. It will also house a local branch of a feminist association. The BCLT had received various recognitions and awards since its inception, though its representative warned of the difficulties that they have encountered and of the many challenges they still face in the future. Those challenges included finding an appropriate legal model, given that it was the first time this model had been PUBLIC-PRIVATE COLLABORATION 10 Housing for new models of living together 85 The Netherl1ands, a model country in social and intergenerational c0ohousing .1 SeSSIon Intergenerational housing. Approaches to the various living needs With over 30 years’ experience behind cooperatives promotingcohousing her as an architect, Ana Fernández alternatives have strong roots. This has spent most of her career in the has been particularly true since the Netherlands, promoting housing mid-twentieth century. ANA projects with social purposes, including Fernández explained that the FERNÁNDEZ many intergenerational or social Dutch government supports these BARCELONA cohousing projects. She is currently a Architect.associations to promote affordable partner at Cohousing_LAB, a services dwellings for people, for example, by firm working to pass on this experience providing them with land at low prices to Catalonia. or cutting their work-permit costs. She highlighted that the essential thing Housing associations currently enjoy about cohousing projects is the central special importance in the country's role of the people who will be living in property market, given that 60% of the them and that her firm is dedicated social rental housing stock is in the to revitalising the design process for hands of these cooperatives. each of these housing blocks and Cooperative housing also include to contributing their expertise. This several intergenerational housing process had to be participatory and to experiences. Ana Fernández involve the community members. outlined some of those she has been Intergenerational cohousing is a type professionally involved in during her of cooperative housing conceived stay in the Netherlands. for groups with different ages and needs living together. This is still a new experience in Catalonia, as are the cooperative housing initiatives as a whole. However, it is not the case in the Netherlands, where housing HOUSING FOR NEW MODELS OF LIVING TOGETHER A project initially for young people which is turning into an intergenerational one by decision of the Young people and community itself dependent old people with reduced mobility She began by talking of an living together in a experience dating back to 1976 cohousing project in the city of Groningen, in the north of the country, which Later, in 1990, an involved alterations to a building intergenerational cohousing listed as a monument. It was project was launched in initially promoted by a group of Bedum, in the north-east of young people, most of whom still the Netherlands. In this case live in the building and are now the project was conceived for a approaching their 70s. As time community of elderly people, with passed, the project “became an reduced mobility and a high level intergenerational one by decision of dependency, living with young of the community itself”. As young people (in-family or not, and people have joined, they have seen whether students or working). As the benefits that intergenerational the young people have no mobility communal life brings the problems, they occupy the top community: diversity, learning, flats, although the ground floors exchanges, mutual support, etc. have common spaces for the Fernández also emphasises the building’s residents to socialise high adaptability of the project in with one another and with local response to residents’ concerns. area residents, as there is a For example, there are people in courtyard open to the community. this community who wanted to do the work of a luthier and a model maker, so some old stables were A building for a community turned into a workshop for doing of young people with those types of work. functional diversity and independent elderly people Fernández highlighted how each example “shows that the typological diversity in intergenerational projects is very high” and then outlined a third case, with very different profiles to those of the experience above. In the city of Hengelo, in the east of the country, some young people with physical and learning disabilities live with elderly Ana Fernández explained several people who still enjoy a certain intergenerational housing experiences. independence For the architect, 87 the key thing in this project has been A cohousing model for to guarantee accessibility, seek flexible encouraging informal care solutions – for example, it has been predicted that the number of elderly The Cohousing_LAB member also people could grow and that of young highlighted a more recent cohousing people could drop in the future, and experience to encourage “informal the buildings could be adapted to this caring”, in other words, that care a new scenario – and look for “connection dependent person receives from points” through initiatives that could someone in their family or social circle be of mutual benefit to the various without having to turn to an external members of the community. The main professional service. She made it clear connection point that they had found that informal care “is institutionalised is a restaurant, which is being run by in the Netherlands, because the young people with a disability and State has realised this model is more provides a catering service for elderly advantageous to it than spending money people, who can go there when they on a professional for this purpose”. do not feel up to cooking. In addition, One way of encouraging this care the restaurant provides a relaxing and model is to design cohousing that pleasant atmosphere that encourages takes into account the needs of both mutual relations between members the dependent persons and their of the community and local residents, carers, as the one up and running in because it is a service open to the Dutch city of Groningen since the everyone. 2016. When it came to designing this ANA FERNÁNDEZ, architect: building, they took into account the ”In intergenerational and fact that dependent persons would need continuous care, while carers social housing experiences it is also had to be able to keep their essential ‘to create collaboration own sphere of personal life and spaces’ with communities in enjoy their own breathing space. order to understand ‘how they The key to achieving that was the two interconnected-dwellings want to live’” model, where each of these people HOUSING FOR NEW MODELS OF LIVING TOGETHER live in a separate flat and is A pilot experience in independent, but are close Badalona adapted to to one another at the same time and the carer can quickly the needs of people attend to any need the with multiple sclerosis: dependent person might have. the aflorEM cooperative Each flat has an independent access point and a door that After outlining some of the connects them internally, many experiences there which can be closed or opened, are the Netherlands, Ana depending on the time of Fernández explained that her the day. firm, Cohousing-LAB, is taking part in the implementation of In that same building, besides a social cohousing project in 22 flats for informal care Catalonia. It is being promoted such as these (11 pairs of 2 by the aflorEM cooperative, independent flats), there are made up of ten people who 24 flats for families and 10 for have multiple sclerosis and young people who have just have suggested creating a become independent. This also block of flats that meet their allows carers and dependent specific needs in Badalona, the residents to have other, city that the various members more plural and enriching of the community had ties spaces for interaction and with. It should be noted that community life. they have chosen a completely flat plot of land and that the A time bank between elderly people building will have a gym with who devoted their lives to farming, a physiotherapy service and a heated swimming pool for and young people with a slight exercising in. disability: the former teach the latter There are numerous social how to cultivate the land and the latter needs this cohousing model offer the former their support and could meet, according to Ana accompaniment Fernández, who underscored the importance of architecture being capable of anticipating Ana Fernández rounded off people who have opted for this new trends and emerging her talk with an example from project, as there is no residence challenges. She believes that the town of Opende, in the in the town that could attend it will be important to create north-east of the Netherlands, to their needs, and they believe adaptable spaces in the future, which is currently being that the elderly people can spaces flexible enough to be developed. The aim is to bring teach the young people how adapted to people of different together young people with to work the land. It will operate ages and circumstances and, a slight disability and elderly on the basis of a “time-bank above all, “train more and more people who have dedicated system”, where the elderly in participatory processes”. To their lives to farming, but can people will teach the young bring about intergenerational no longer live in the house people how to cultivate the and social housing experiences, where they had their land land and, in exchange, the it is essential “to create because they can no longer latter will offer them support collaboration spaces” with work that land and need a or accompaniment (to go communities to detect what more accessible home. It has shopping, go to the doctor, their concerns are and “how been the families of the young clean the house and so on). they want to live”. 89 A success1ful cas0e in the Spanish State: intergenerational housing in Alicante .2 preSentatIon ‘Intergenerational housing’ In contrast to the Netherlands, points in the system of scales and intergenerational housing experiences mandatory quotas for elderly people in in Spain are only just beginning. access to public rental housing. They One of the most notable of these is also considered creating exclusive GASPAR the one promoted by the Alicante residential resources. MAYOR Municipal Housing Trust, a block of ALICANTEBut they soon realised that this did dwellings where elderly people and not ultimately meet the specific needs Manager of young people live together in Alicante’s the Alicante of elderly people, who often “suffer Municipal Plaça d’Amèrica. The trust's manager, defective housing conditions, for Housing Trust Gaspar Mayor, told the forum about the example, as regards accessibility; who process that led them to promote this suffer from unwanted loneliness and a new housing model in the city. sense of defencelessness, or can find Given their long history in public rental themselves pressurised by the people management, the trust detected that round them to abandon their house elderly people presented specific against their will”, Mayor explained. needs. They are a “low-visibility” group, though they frequently suffer “a high level of vulnerability” affecting their GASPAR MAYOR, the Manager of the Alicante access to decent housing, explained Municipal Housing Trust: Gaspar Mayor. ”Housing for the elderly has The trust's manager explained that to be able to adapt to the they initially intended to address such discrimination by establishing specific speed of changes that occur conditions for elderly people in public at this stage of life” assigned-use housing criteria. For example, they established additional HOUSING FOR NEW MODELS OF LIVING TOGETHER Once these needs had been diagnosed, the Alicante Municipal Housing Trust came to the following conclusions: first, housing-solution waiting times had to be cut; second, community housing programmes had to be promoted where the elderly gave one another mutual support, and third, dwellings had to be designed that were capable of being quickly adapted to the changes that occur at this stage of life. Referring to that, Gaspar Mayor argued: “From the age of 65, everything happens much faster and changes occur at a giddy pace (retirement, widowhood, illness, temporary incapacity and so on), so it is necessary to take account of this factor when designing housing policies for this group”. The Alicante Municipal Trust’s first step down this road was to develop an initial block of 18 dwellings for elderly people in the old city centre, in the “Lonja de Caballeros”. Despite this initial experience not working at all, it did represent an important lesson. “Two residents died a few months after the building – where only elderly people were living – had gone into service. That forced us to do something, to raise people's moral, and we decided a few young people should come to the building to try it out, without any further commitment. By chance, a young man and an elderly woman established a very close relationship and the results of their mutual support showed us the path we had to follow”. Thus Gaspar Mayor explained how they decided to embark on the initiative, ten years ago now, of an intergenerational block of flats. It is a block of 72 rental flats with some communal services, where 56 elderly people and 16 young people are currently living. It has mostly been financed with public funding and a mortgage loan that was paid back in instalments by its tenants. These are affordable instalments of 150 euros a month, added to which are another 50 euros for current expenses. So far no one has defaulted. Gaspar Mayor's talk at the FHAR, The building has a health centre and a day centre, moderated by the architect Carles Baiges. plus parking spaces on a concessionary basis and a porter’s service. Gaspar Mayor explained that it is located on municipal land in a working-class Alicante neighbourhood, for which block of flats has become an “icon”. 91 The Housing Trust's manager detailed the requirements that the tenants GASPAR MAYOR: have to satisfy. Elderly people had to be over the age of 65 and can ”Intergenerational housing live there indefinitely provided they enables elderly people to feel continue to meet the conditions for less lonely and to make their living there independently, whereas young people have to be under the independent lives last longer, age of 35 and cannot live there and it helps young people to longer than 7 years or after they have turned 35. Young people are improve their self-esteem and also asked to make a commitment to feel useful” the community and show solidarity with the elderly people they live with, something that was especially valued in the award system for the flats. Family activities, allotments, gym equipment members of elderly people residing in and so on) and each floor has separate the block are also required to show a uses, so that all the tenants who wish to commitment to their care. do the same activity have to coincide. To be eligible for one of these dwellings, In the case of elderly people, Mayor potential occupants cannot be the believes that intergenerational housing owner of a flat and, where elderly helps to “protect against isolation, people had a flat in poor conditions or loneliness and fear, to improve their which was inaccessible, they would quality of life and state of mind and to have to assign it to the municipal make their independence last longer”. As affordable rental housing programme. for young people, it also improves “their Rent criteria are also set: tenants’ self-esteem and sense of being useful”. income may not exceed 2.5 times the Although the young people help to IPREM (currently 7,519 euros a year). In liven up the community, Mayor pointed addition to income, other vulnerability out that they have found the elderly factors are taken in account in the case people have a greater capacity for of elderly people in the award process self-organisation than they expected: (loneliness, accessibility or habitability “We created the project thinking that it of the flat where they were before) as would be the young people who would well as the suitability of this resource get the work committees going. But for the personal situation of each one. we find that many elderly people are Gaspar Mayor stressed the advantages active in the groups. They’ve organised of this model, which has become an themselves. For example, they have intergenerational housing benchmark organised a committee for cases of in Spain and other countries and has illness: they receive the person, look received several awards In his opinion after the neighbour who needs help for it helps to “solve housing problems a period...”. with affordable rent prices” for elderly For the Alicante Housing Trust’s people and young people, to “promote manager, the success of this project the exchange of experiences and lies in having managed “to transform values and improve mutual respect and a building of flats into an active and appreciation”. To encourage community participatory community, which life, the block has common spaces practically doesn’t need municipal (for reading, computers, television, supervision and where people can live music, workshops and festive or social together almost like a family”. HOUSING FOR NEW MODELS OF LIVING TOGETHER 10How can dwellings be adapt.ed to the development of socia3l changes from a gender perspective? preSentatIon ‘ Dwellings for long and diverse lives: intergenerationality and equality’ Lifestyles change over time and supported moderate growth for cities designing housing has to take that into and a balance between the developed account to adapt buildings to the needs part and the green spaces to maintain ZAIDA of the people in each era and historical a healthy model for life and work, to MUXÍ context. We must not lose sight of the Athens Charter, an urban-planning BARCELONA “why and for who we build houses for”, manifesto championing the functional Architect. insisted the architect Zaida Muxí. separation of residential, leisure and IntervIew Reflections on this issue come from working spaces and a reasonable urban way back and there were many centre density (published in 1942 by authors who had theorise about that. Le Sert and Le Corbusier). Added to Around the Industrial Revolution, these models were the contributions of between the beginning of the 19th and feminist theory on how to better adapt 20th centuries, many thinkers who housing to the needs of domestic and championed improved living conditions care work. for the working class also reflected on how to ensure decent housing for the population. From Flora Tristán, ZAIDA MUXÍ, architect: who fought in particular against the exploitation of women in industry, to “The right to Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, not to housing cannot mention Octavia Hill. be disconnected In addition, during the first half of from the right the 20th century, several theories were advanced on how to organise to the city” urban centres, ranging from Ebenezer Howard's Garden City Theory, which 93 Muxí bemoaned the fact that, from the second half of the 20th century on, a large ZAIDA MUXÍ: variety of theoretical contributions on ”Dwellings have how to adapt housing to people’s needs were left on the sidelines. She pointed to be thought out that, following the Second World War of for longer life and the decrease in the housing stock it cycles, taking into caused in several countries, “the notion of quantity over quality” began to prevail. account the ageing This explains the subsequent spread of of the population highly densified outlying neighbourhoods in different European and Latin American and diversity of cities, with numerous small-sized, household models” low-quality dwellings and without services, facilities, infrastructures and so on. A process began “which disconnected the right to housing from the right to the found by renovating and reforming city, two concepts that ought to be closely the existing urban fabric. Second, she linked”, according to Muxí. pointed out that, given the increase in She believed there is an urgent need to life expectancies, dwellings will have reflect once more on what social housing to be conceived for longer life cycles means today. While theories on housing and be capable of being adapted to solutions for the working classes had the changing needs of people as they been developing from the end of the 19th age. Population ageing, caused by the century to the start of the 20th century, inversion of the population pyramid, today we needed to reflect on how to also requires housing to be increasingly ensure the right to housing in the light of adapted to the needs of the elderly, “job insecurity”. Muxí identified this group while taking into account improved with the individuals who, despite having quality of life and independence to jobs, had difficulties in paying or were increasingly older ages. unable to pay for a flat and who found Other challenges have to do with the no effective answer in public policies or diversification of family and household aid for access to housing. “Housing is no models. Muxí highlighted the paradox longer a problem for the classes with less that even today most of the housing access to resources, but it is a widespread being built are four- or five-room flats problem. We therefore need to think up for families with two adults and two housing solutions for all social classes”, children, when the traditional family she emphasised and for whom the model is losing out to other household commercialisation of housing and lack of models (people living alone, single- regulation on the part of States had made parent families and so on.) the problem even worse over the last few decades. Muxí pointed out several present and future challenges for planning public housing policies and providing architectural solutions adapted to social needs. First, she warned, in contrast to the start of the 20th century, many cities no longer had any space left to grow in, so housing solutions would have to be HOUSING FOR NEW MODELS OF LIVING TOGETHER The gender A neighbourhood of women workers perspective in in Vienna, a pioneering experience urban planning and architecture Just like Col·lectiu Punt 6, allow mixed uses in projects which works on architecture such as this social housing one. from a feminist perspective, Muxí, the author of the book In Muxí's opinion it is essential Muxí called for rethinking Mujeres, casas y ciudades, for housing designs to dwellings by taking more also insisted that the gender take account of the gender account of women’s point perspective has to be taken perspective and, in general, the of view and the needs of into account when designing diversity of needs that people child-rearing and carer dwellings and their changes might present throughout responsibilities. In that regard, over time. In that regard she their lives. She believes that she mentioned Vienna’s first referred to the comparison dwellings have to be versatile housing project “Frauen-Werk- made by the architect and and adaptable to several Stadt”, the first neighbourhood reference figure of feminist functions and needs: “We for the city’s women workers, urban planning, Franziska cannot think of dwellings launched in 1996. Ullmann, on women’s and men’s merely as a domestic and lifestyles in the 1950s and Designed exclusively by private place of rest... but today. During the 1950s, the life women architects and urban also as a space for sharing, model was much more linear planners, the project took for carrying out productive and presented pronounced mixed uses into account in and reproductive work in differences between the particular, in other words, too... which is adapted to life’s sexes: men's studies lasted for the neighbourhood to various stages”. longer than women's, with incorporate buildings with In a society where people’s men subsequently dedicating various functions (dwellings, living circumstances are more themselves to gainful shops, facilities, health centres, flexible than decades ago, employment; women studied schools, nursery schools, Muxí also supports “flexible less and later dedicated less neighbourhood meeting spaces types of housing tenure” that time to gainful employment, and so on). This reflects the help with people’s mobility because they practically perspective of people carrying and do not oblige them to exclusively took on all the out domestic and care work, stay put in the same place, child-rearing and carer looking after children and “without that having a negative responsibilities. Today's life elderly people or people with connotation while responding model is not so linear and the reduced mobility, for whom to people's aims”. various functions (training, having various services and centres in the same She concluded by saying: “We paid and unpaid work etc.) are gradually being superimposed neighbourhood can make a big need to rethink the purpose to a greater extent throughout difference to their daily lives. and people our housing is for and think of it as a social life, although women continued This perspective is contrary to bear the brunt of most of to the functional segregation infrastructure – not as a of neighbourhoods, which market commodity – which we the child-rearing and carer can change according to our responsibilities. In the specific still prevails in many cities case of Catalonia, even today today. A good example of living needs”. 70% of these responsibilities how gender views had been are being borne by women. disparaged in architecture and urban planning until recent times is that legislation had to be changed before this first project could be launched. Until then, the regulations did not 95 Muxí highlighted the importance of thinking of housing from a feminist point of view. HOUSING FOR NEW MODELS OF LIVING TOGETHER 11 New-build and renovation projects promoted by Barcelona City Council 97 New-build p1rojects1 .1 SeSSIon Presentation of six new-build projects and public housing renovation projects in Barcelona preSentatIon Compilation of the new-build and renovation projects presented Gràcia district FLATS FOR ELDERLY PEOPLE AND NEIGHBOURHOOD FACILITIES ON THE SITE OF THE OLD QUIRÓN CLINIC dIStrIct For years the residents’ movement in the Gràcia La Salut neighbourhood of Barcelona's Gràcia district, had been calling for the site archItectS TJV set up by of the old Quirón clinic, covering an area Espinet Ubach of over 12,000 m2, to be used for facilities and Bajet and, pending a definitive solution, it had Giramé already appropriated the site for use as an Surface area urban allotment or outdoor film activities. 12,000 m2 The municipal project for this site had programme already been announced during the 86 dwellings 2011-2015 municipal term of office, but with special services for during this latest term of office has elderly people, been redefined, also on the basis of a facilities and a Household Unit. participatory process for local residents, and its design and construction awarded to a group of architects under a Temporary Joint Venture (TJV) formed by Espinet Ubach and Bajet Giramé. The project preSentatIon ultimately provides for a block of facilities, by Pau Bajet incorporating 86 dwellings with services of the old Quirón project for elderly people, as well as a youth centre, an old people's centre and a neighbourhood centre, facilities that will occupy close to 3,000 m2 of the ground floor. It also provides for a pilot test of the PROJECTS PROMOTED BY BARCELONA CITY COUNCIL Cohabitation Unit, a space similar to current urban allotments will be a dependent old people’s home with moved to the terrace area and a space 10 bedrooms, community spaces and for film screenings relaxation will be 24-hour-a-day continuous support. located there. There will be a street- Besides affordable rented flats for level bar and a 1,500 m 2 auditorium in elderly people, with an average the basement, plus a car park with 39 floor area of 45 m2, there will also places. The building is also designed be community areas and services with efficiency criteria. (kitchen, dining room, etc.) The Plans and summary images of the old Quirón. 99 Sant Martí district SOCIAL RENTAL DWELLINGS, ELDERLY PEOPLE AND GROUP SHELTERS IN CARRER DE VENEÇUELA The team of architects in charge of the dIStrIct Sant Martí project have called it “Fòrum Veïnal”. Construction work is expected to start in archItectS 2019 and last for two years. Marta Peris and José Toral The Marta Peris and José Toral team of architects have won the public programme 80 social competition to carry out a new-build rental flats project on Carrer de Veneçuela in 60 shelters for Barcelona’s Sant Martí district. This senior citizens project, now in progress, includes 80 social rental dwellings with services, 60 dwellings for elderly people with services and group accommodation to temporarily meet special accommodation needs. So, a large diversity of profiles will live together in the future housing complex: elderly people, nuclear or single-parent families, people who are single, couples without children and so on. A particular feature of the project is that it is located on a plot of land in a passage way for which the team of architects has sought a solution to maintain it. The various parts of the housing complex will remain in line with the passage's surroundings. The architectural project takes into account social and intergenerational criteria – hence the creation of common spaces promoting community life among the site’s future residents – as well as energy efficiency criteria. A system has been designed that enables the opening and closing of the building’s central atrium, depending on the time of year, so that in winter it is more watertight and maintains the temperature better, while in summer it is open more for better ventilation. It is planned to install fans that circulate air to regulate the building’s temperature. PROJECTS PROMOTED BY BARCELONA CITY COUNCIL Nou Barris district AFFORDABLE RENTAL HOUSING IN TORRE BARÓ As part of a series of Barcelona City dIStrIct Nou Barris Council actions to promote affordable rental housing in the Torre Baró archItectS neighbourhood (Nou Barris district), Jesús Arcos and Francisco a new-build housing block is being Burgos built between Carrer Castelldefels and Avinguda de l’Escolapi Càncer. The programme architectural project has been awarded 32 affordable rental to the architects Jesús Arcos (from dwellings. Aldayjover Arquitectura y Paisaje) and Francisco Burgos (from Burgos & Garrido Arquitectos). It is the block called Torre Baró E Block. preSentatIon One of the project’s main features is that by Jesús Arcos the structure of the buildings is adapted and Francisco to the area’s terrain. The housing complex Burgos, of the Escolapi Càncer stands on a steep slope so the height project of the building is reduced as you go up the slope. At its maximum height, on the lowest point of the slope, it has five storeys, plus a terrace and a ground floor. “This is about turning a slope into an opportunity”, explain the architects. Each of the dwellings will have between two and three bedrooms as well as a courtyard in the central part of the building that is not only intended to allow in light and natural ventilation but also to offer a communal area for local residents. The block also straddles the line between two unequal environments: a suburban development of small dwellings, many in poor condition, and a more modern and completely urban area. The architects also highlight the social mix that the project represents, as well as the urban regeneration that new-build projects such as this bring to the Torre Baró neighbourhood. 101 Sants-Montjuïc district “PLEN SOLEIL” NEW-BUILD PROJECT IN MARINA DEL PRAT VERMELL In the middle of La Marina del Prat Vermell, dIStrIct Sants a new neighbourhood under development - Montjuïc between La Marina de Port and the Zona Franca industrial area, various blocks of archItectS Jaume Coll flats are being built. The neighbourhood owes its name to the lower part of La programme Marina de Sants, where a printed-calico 83 dwellings textile factory operated for many years. Once the clothes had been dyed, they were put out to dry in the fields, which took on a reddish colour. Hence the name of the new neighbourhood, which could accommodate close to 30,000 residents in the future. One of the housing blocks being built there is designed by the architect Jaume Coll. It will have a total of 83 flats and be located in the Carrer d’Ulldecona vicinity. The building is noted for the originality of its shape, as the housing block will be triangular, with sides parallel to Gran Via and the Ronda del Litoral. Another essential feature will be the strong exposure to sunlight, in other words, natural light, that all the flats will enjoy. So much so that the project is called “Plein soleil”. Bearing in mind its proximity to the sea, the architectural project is also designed to exploit the sea breeze as natural ventilation for the building. Natural ventilation and light would be two of the features helping to ensure the sustainability, comfort and interior health of the flats. PROJECTS PROMOTED BY BARCELONA CITY COUNCIL 11.Re2novation projects Sants-Montjuïc district RENOVATION OF CASA CONSEGAL A renovation process begun in 2013 and dIStrIct Sants-Montjuïc now completed has been carried out in the Modernista Casa Consegal, a house on archItect Carrer de Galileu in the Barcelona’s Sants- Domènec Boada i Piera (1903) Montjuïc district. This was a listed property designed and built by the architect renovatIon Domènec Boada i Piera in 1903, where Santiago Herrero (2013) numerous architectural features bearing masonic symbols have been detected. budget €117,602.67 Initially, the renovation project, promoted by the same family that own the building year and designed by the architect Santiago 2013 Herrero, provided for the installation CASA CONSEGAL of a lift in the courtyard next to the stairs and the removal of the existing architectural barriers. Inicialment, el projecte de rehabilitació contempHlaovwaever, following a technical la instal·lació d’un ascensor i l’eliminació deaslessessment, the scope of the reforms was traves arquitectòniques existents. extended to the building’s entire staircase and lobby, to reclaim ornamental features Després de la visita tècnica i una vegada valorwatitehl a heritage value (sgraffiti, ceiling projecte es va plantejar a la propietat la necessitfartedsc’ os, railings, chequered floor surface, ampliar les actuacions a la totalitat de l’escala i vestíbul de l’edifici per recuperar els elemgeansts lamps etc.) That represented an ornamentals existents: increase in the initial budget, from roughly 80,000 euros to 117,602.67 euros. So the owners applied for an extra subsidy that Els esgrafiats dels paraments verticals del vestwíbouul,ld defray up to 50% of the cost of the l’enteixinat amb un fresc de l’al·legoria de la primavera del sostre, el paviment d’escacs,weolrsk, which was granted. The subsidised arrambadors, la porta d’entrada a l’edifici, etc. amount was, therefore, 58,801.34 euros. 103 Ciutat Vella District RENOVATION OF THE DWELLINGS AT CARRER DE LANCASTER 7, 9 AND 11 The residents of numbers 7, 9 and 11 Carrer dIStrIct Ciutat Vella de Lancaster struggled for months against the prospect of losing their home as well archItectS as the deterioration of the buildings for TJV made up of Batllori want of maintenance. As in the buildings & Trepat next door, some property companies Arquitectes and investment funds had already been SLP; Crespiera Simó Diagonal interested in purchasing these blocks Arquitectura witEhol upt rporojveidcinteg any guarantees to their SLP; Marta tenants that the could stay by paying an Urbiola Domènech and affordable rent, as they had been doing Pau Vendrell up to then. In view of their situation, Sarroca Barcelona City Council decided to buy around 40 of the flats in these blocks in programme Renovation of the middle of 2017 for a total amount of 42 dwellings 5.6 million euros. year of Because of the poor state of these contract award dwellings, the next stEepl wpars otoj eprcomteote 2019 their renovation, awarded under an invitation to tender at the start of 2019 to a group of four teams of architects belonging to the same TJV: Batllori & Trepat Arquitectes SLP; Crespiera Simó preSentatIon Diagonal Arquitectura SLP; Marta Urbiola by Eduard Simó and Marta Domènech and Pau Vendrell Sarroca Urbiola about the renovation of On behalf of this team, Eduard Simó three properties explained that it is a project for renovating with 42 dwellings a total of 42 very old and very dilapidated at numbers 7, 9 and 11 Carrer flats. The renovation project is designed Lancaster to be compatible with the residents living in the block, so they will would not have to abandEonl pthaetiri hinomteer wiohrile the renovation work goes ahead. A minimal intervention is planned in the building’s structure to ensure suitable living conditions. PROJECTS PROMOTED BY BARCELONA CITY COUNCIL 12 Innovation, ICTs and housing: finalist proposals in the BCN-NYC Housing Challenge 105 SeSSIon Presentation of the BCN-NYC Challenge projects preSentatIon Presentation of the BCN-NYC Affordable Housing Challenge Find technological advances and The challenge is organised by the i.lab innovative solutions that might programme of Barcelona City Council's help to reduce the time and cost of Commissioner for Technology and building and renovating housing in Digital Innovation and Councillor for dense urban areas, to make housing Housing and Renovation in conjunction more affordable for everyone. This with New York City Council. The winning is the goal of the BCN-NYC Housing project and the other two finalists are Challenge, an international competition described below. where innovative housing proposals The winning proposal received a cash can be submitted for their possible prize of $40,000 to carry out two pilot implementation in Barcelona or projects, one in Barcelona and the other New York. in New York City. The two cities planned this competition together, as they currently shared a) CAH + ATRI: many challenges in this field, such as a scarcity of land for building on and a the densification lack of suitable and affordable housing, of the city which has a negative impact on social inclusion, equality, health, people’s This proposal is the result of the well-being and sustainability. It should sum of two similar projects launched be remembered that both cities led the by two different teams: Straddle3 drafting of the "Declaration of Local Barcelona’s “Innovation for Excitement” Governments for the Right to Housing and the National University of and the Right to the City". Colombia's “Building System for Affordable Housing”. The winner of this year’s BCN-NYC Housing Challenge, announced on 14 In view of the scarcity of land for May 2019 at the Smart Cities New York building on both in Barcelona and Conference, was the CAH and ATRI New York, the idea is to increase city project, and the other two finalists were densification, not just by making the Elastic Living and Everyday Life Housing most of empty spaces still available Networks. Chosen by a multidisciplinary by giving them new uses, but also committee of experts from among the by growing vertically. In other words, 54 bids submitted from as many as 16 it is proposed to put more storeys countries, the three finalist projects on existing buildings or annexe new were presented at the Barcelona buildings in infrastructure spaces Housing and Renovation Forum. (roads, main roads, railway tracks etc.). INNOVATION, ICTS AND HOUSING: BCN-NYC HOUSING CHALLENGE This is a renovation and new-build model based on light, adaptable, quick-to-install housing modules which use recycled materials and require little support on the ground. Because these new constructions meet social needs, the project argues for them to be accompanied by participatory processes involving the communities concerned, which could be speeded up with technological applications such as apps. CAH + ATRI b) Elastic Living: flexible and multi-purpose spaces in dwellings This is a system that enables both It a system for making space the size and uses of household more flexible with numerous spaces to be adapted. The same advantages. These include saving space can be turned into an time and money on construction office, kitchen, bedroom, living as it is based on prefabricated room and so on, depending on modules, spatial efficiency – every the needs of the people living kind of household use could fit there at any time of the day. This into a 40 m2 space – flexibility is possible thanks to a system and the possibility of tenants of mobile modules that can be customising the space according separated from or attached to one to their tastes and needs. another by means of a variety of In addition, the system could have combinations, providing several multiple applications in several functions for the same space. fields, from public housing to tourist accommodation. It also offers accessible solutions to elderly people and people with mobility problems and, in general, it can be adapted to the situation of people with different profiles and in different stages of life. It is a system invented and patented by the Austrian architect Angelo Roventa. ArqEstructura also collaborated in the project. Elastic Living 107 c) Everyday Life Housing Networks: dwellings with a gender perspective This is a proposal from Col·lectiu Punt 6, a of profiles of the people concerned. Each Barcelona architects’ cooperative with a community will have to decide which aspects of feminist perspective. The collective housing their life they want to share or keep private, on project submitted to the competition aims for which basis the common spaces will be decided. the people involved, despite living in different The main contributions of the project are to dwellings, to share common spaces as a highlight child-rearing and care tasks, putting means for collectivising domestic and care them on the same level as paid work; break work (laundry, kitchen, meeting spaces etc.) down the barriers between public and private on the understanding that this has to be a in everyday life; promote an urban design that joint responsibility for all the members of the contributes to health and well-being, and make community and not fall mainly on the shoulders women more visible. of the women. Sharing certain spaces also means fewer expenses and therefore helps to make housing more affordable. So, the aim is to organise an accessible and affordable housing network with people’s everyday life at its heart, also including sustainability criteria and making the most of the advantages of digital media for sharing out child-rearing and care tasks. The idea is to extend this task-sharing to the neighbourhood level, beyond the community directly involved in the project. Participation also takes on a special importance in designing the project. Hence the suggested creation of work groups with residents from the neighbourhood involved, to reflect the diversity Col·lectiu Punt 6 SCCL INNOVATION, ICTS AND HOUSING: BCN-NYC HOUSING CHALLENGE Conclusions Thanks to the forum’s various speakers, we can confirm, on the one hand, the great complexity of the housing challenge in cities and, on the other, the numerous measures and possibilities for tackling it. The roots of the problem can be found in the dynamics of the global capitalist system, which sees housing as an investment and financial-speculation commodity, as explained by the lecturer in architecture and urban planning, Raquel Rolnik, who highlighted the following paradox: capital without ties to the region is what is restructuring cities, changing our lives and unleashing the gentrification chain. We are currently witnessing the second wave of dispossession that has led to the entry of housing into the financial markets. The first began in 2007, with the mortgage crises, with effects on an international scale, although especially severe in the case of the Spanish State. The second, which has brought about a hike in rent prices, making rental housing increasingly inaccessible to many people, has worsened, especially since 2013. In Spain’s case, this is due to a series of factors: the financial hardships of families and difficulties accessing mortgage credit following the outbreak of the crisis, causing a rise in demand for rental housing, with scarce supply; changes to the Urban Leases Act of 2013, which, according to social movements, have contributed to the price hikes, and the proliferation of tourist accommodation. 109 Spain, a far cry The authorities are from Europe's most overwhelmed by the advanced housing housing emergency policies Owing to the lack of social and public housing, The housing crisis in cities is not an exclusively many authorities have been overwhelmed by Catalan or Spanish phenomenon, although the housing emergency in Spain. City councils we are seeing the worst of it here. Why? The experiencing this problem on the front line reason is none other than the Spanish State's are demanding greater involvement in and historical backwardness in housing policies in funding for housing from the supra-municipal the European context. authorities, the Catalan regional government and the Spanish State. This backwardness has a historical context to it. While many countries had already begun implementing policies at the start of the 20th century, and especially after the Second World War, to ensure affordable housing for their citizens, this never happened in Spain. Some of the housing problems we continue to face today stem from Franco’s dictatorship. These include encouraging mass access to flat ownership through borrowing and the considering the property sector as the country’s economic powerhouse. This historical legacy, and our incapacity to reverse it, explains to a large extent many of the differences that separate us from the rest of Europe, countless examples of which we can find today. The EU states are currently allocating 1% of their respective GDPs to housing, whereas Spain only allocates around 0.1% to it. While 16.9% of the population in Spain live in rented property, 48.3% do in Germany. Whereas over 30% of the housing stock in the Netherlands is social and affordable, in Spain it is under 2%. CONCLUSIONS Social movements are combining acts of civil disobedience and emergency initiatives with demands for structural Changes in the policies existing housing stock In view of this situation, social movements A) RENOVATING DWELLINGS championing the right to housing have taken on a crucial role. First, it was the Platform for People This is one of the priority policies, especially in Affected by Mortgages (PAH), which was set up cities such as Barcelona, which have little land in 2009 to support and empower people affected available for growing and where solutions will by eviction processes. More recently the Tenants’ therefore have to be sought in already existing Union, created in 2017 and inspired by the buildings to take on the housing challenge. tenants’ unions that have been in existence in Hence the need to link public renovation grants countries such as Germany and Austria for over to social and anti-speculation clauses, for a hundred years. example, by making owners who receive them Both the PAH and the Tenants’ Union combine to rent out their flats at an affordable price. In acts of civil disobedience (halting an eviction, addition, it is a priority for renovation processes occupying a vacant flat to provide shelter for to be increasingly geared towards improving families in a situation of exclusion, refusing to building energy efficiency and accessibility. accept an abusive rent price hike, remaining in the same flat paying the same rent and so on) B) GUARANTEEING THE SOCIAL with demands for changing the policies and legislation they consider unjust on local, Catalan FUNCTION OF PROPERTY regional and State levels. In addition to the social It is essential for vacant dwellings to be detected movements, we should note the support being so they can be mobilised for social renting, lent by third-sector organisations to people in with grants being provided as well for their situations of residential exclusion. renovation. With this goal in mind, during this As confirmed by the social movements last term of office Barcelona City Council has and officials of various authorities, we are drawn up its first exhaustive census of vacant facing the twofold challenge of meeting a flats in the city, detecting a total of 10,052, housing emergency without abandoning the which represents 1.2% of the total housing stock. implementation of structural measures. Without In the case of big property owners, we need to those, we shall never emerge from the chronic take account the recently recovered articles of crisis we are immersed in. Act 24/2015 compel them to assign the use of Structural measures can either be implemented dwellings that are vacant to social renting. The on the existing housing stock or by promoting Act likewise establishes that such owners have new affordable housing, as explained below. to offer a social rent to families with financial If they are to be implemented, it is crucial for difficulties before proceeding to evict them. there to be better collaboration between the Of course, we need to bear in mind that the public and private sectors and between the ownership of dwellings in Spain is extremely authorities themselves. fragmented and mainly in the hands of 111 individuals. So mobilising vacant flats belonging mandatory since 2015, although the Berlin to big property owners is a necessary measure Tenants’ Union believes that so far it has not but it is not sufficient. worked as effectively as it was intended to. In The public authorities may also acquire housing addition, there are different criteria on how the to ensure its social function through preemptive scales for these price restrictions ought to be rights, that is, their preferential right to buy defined, whether they should be based on dwellings for sale, although that is subject to socio-economic and income criteria, as the their budgetary availability. social movements maintain, or on market prices. In the case of the Basque Country the If affordable rental housing is to be guaranteed, regional government, in a pioneering measure tourist accommodation will have to be regulated. throughout the Spanish State, implemented Barcelona City Council has adopted several another measure to ensure continuity of the measures since 2015 with this goal in mind social function of dwellings: the permanent (identifying, fining and closing tourist flats, classification of protected housing. limiting such accommodation in areas with more tourist pressure, etc.) but, despite all that, the problem is very hard to reverse. Many owners are C) MEASURES TO HALT attracted to the higher profitability that tourist RENTAL PRICE RISES apartments can yield. Lisbon has come up with a pioneering measure During the forum, various positions were for fighting against the root problem: compelling expressed regarding this issue. First, platforms such as Airbnb to ensure half of the spokespersons of the Spanish and Catalan leases they act in as intermediaries are long governments expressed their support for term (for residents) and that only the other half reference price indexes, which provide guidance can be short term (for tourists). Subsequently, on what the average cost of a dwelling is, without a weighted average would be worked out with this being binding. In their opinion, indexes have the income obtained from both types of lease, to accompanied with tax incentives for owners as the amount that the owner would receive, who rent out their dwellings for rents below the thereby ending incentives for owners to dedicate reference prices. In fact, the Catalan government themselves solely to tourist renting. has already had a reference index since 2017, while the Spanish State’s Rent Decree provides In addition to affordable prices, the lecturer for the creation of such an index. in civil law, Elga Molina, a specialist in rent legislation in Europe, also recommends Second, there are some who are in favour of applying the periodic-lease model in Spain, mandatory rent price restrictions, supported a model that already exists in over a dozen by Jaime Palomera, from the Tenants’ Union, European countries. and Javier Burón, the Manager for Housing and Renovation at Barcelona City Council. This is a measure already adopted in countries such as Germany, where price restrictions have been CONCLUSIONS Promoting a new stock of affordable dwellings A) PUBLIC HOUSING CONSTRUCTION B) PROMOTING COHOUSING AND IN COLLABORATION WITH THE COOPERATIVE HOUSING PRIVATE SECTOR The social, solidarity and cooperative economy Provided there is land available – it is scarce has started to promote alternatives for in Barcelona but a higher proportion can be guaranteeing access to affordable housing, found in other metropolitan municipalities – especially the assigned-use housing model in and budgetary availability, the construction the case of Catalonia. City councils such as of affordable public housing can be promoted Barcelona’s are assigning the use of more and directly. The social movements insist that these more public plots of land to cooperatives for properties be exclusively for renting out, so they this purpose. These types of dwellings have cannot be deregulated after a few years. also been promoted in other autonomous regions such as the Basque Country and the The authorities warn of a lack of resources for Balearic Islands, but this is still a very new building public housing, so promoting private experience in the rest of Spain. We are still a sector collaboration and co-responsibility in long way off countries such as the Netherlands, this area is regarded as increasingly important. where 60% of the housing stock is in the hands This is the perspective behind the Barcelona of cooperatives. Metropolis Housing project to build 4,500 affordable rented dwellings through an operator Cohousing may not just be a formula for making set up by Barcelona City Council and the house prices affordable but also for giving a Barcelona Metropolitan Area that will organise boost to other models of living together. This the construction of flats through a joint venture can be clearly seen from the intergenerational company that would have to incorporate a experiences (or experiences of different private partner. collectives living together in the same building) promoted by cooperatives. There are numerous Barcelona City Council has also called for such experiences throughout the Netherlands co-responsibility from the private sector in and a few cases in Spain, driven by cooperatives guaranteeing the right to housing, under a or the public sector. For example, the Alicante pioneering measure in the Spanish State Municipal Housing Trust has promoted driven by the social movements: that 30% of intergenerational housing between young new private housing developments and large- and elderly people, a benchmark in Spain and scale renovations have to be allocated to other countries. affordable housing. For its part, the Catalan government is focusing one of its credit lines for officially protected rental housing developments on public and private developers. As for the property sector players, among other things they are demanding more public-private collaboration in housing and greater speed in granting building permits, which would also help to produce HPOs more quickly. 113 Planning housing policies: where are we heading? If measures such as the above are to be There are therefore many aspects that have to effectively implemented, strategic planning be taken into account when it comes to planning with a long-term approach will be crucial, as housing policies, deciding which ones will be explained by Mario Yoldi, the Director of Planning implemented and how that will be done. As and Operational Processes for the Basque Raquel Rolnik explained, the root of the problem government, which is a pioneer in this area. That is the conversion of housing into a commodity unit plans housing policies based on an analysis of financial speculation. The difficulties in of the data it gets from the other departments accessing housing will continue so long as we involved, with which it networks in a coordinated find ourselves stuck in these capitalist dynamics. fashion. They also make use of the potential of But this cannot be an excuse for doing nothing. digital media for planning and assessing housing There is margin for action and there are policies and adapting them to the needs of numerous possibilities for that, as highlighted by the public. the Barcelona Housing and Renovation Forum. Planning also requires keeping sight of “why Rolnik is sceptical about the capacity of states to and who” we are building for, as pointed out by act in the context of global capitalism and pins the architect Zaida Muxí, for whom attending her hopes on the local world, on the alternatives to demographic and social changes is essential that may come from citizen initiatives and the when thinking about the dwellings of the social, solidarity and cooperative economy, future. Both Zaida Muxí and the Director of the which may help to give an impetus to Metropolitan Housing Observatory, Carme Trilla, local authorities. warned of population ageing and stressed the In short, citizens and municipalities have and importance of adapting housing to the needs will continue to have a key role in promoting of the elderly. In addition, Muxí believes that we solutions to the challenge of guaranteeing the need to rethink the structure of dwellings by right to housing. attending to changes in household models, for example, the growth in the number of people living alone or in childless couples, and the gender perspective. As with Col·lectiu Punt 6, which works on architecture from a gender perspective, she believes that the composition of blocks of flats and neighbourhoods in general have to help with distributing domestic and care work. CONCLUSIONS Credits Diàlegs d’Habitatge Nº 1. October 2019 Collection Diàlegs d’Habitatge Coordination Department of Communication at the Barcelona Municipal Institute of Housing and Renovation Author Irene Peiró Editorial Board Lucía Martín, Javier Burón, Àngels Mira, Vanesa Valiño, Carlos Macías, Anna Ganuza, Gemma Font, Jordi Palay and Núria Ventura. Photographs Barcelona Municipal Institute of Housing and Renovation Published Barcelona City Council Municipal Institute of Housing and Renovation All publishing rights reserved. Graphic design and modelling Maria Beltran Edited by Image and Editorial Services Department ISSN 2696-1741 habitatge.barcelona/en