The municipal public housing strategy adopted since 2015 has focused on redressing decades of policies where priority was given to the sale of new-build public housing. The promotion of a new housing model to offer affordable rents, leaseholds and co-housing guarantees control and the public ownership of property, which is fundamental for defending everybody’s right to housing.

More public housing than ever under construction

The 34 developments currently under construction represent a record figure, as there have never been so many new projects under way. The Municipal Institute for Housing and Renovation (IMHAB) will be offering 80% of the 2,329 flats with social and affordable rents, a percentage which must boost the public housing stock, based on combating gentrification and property speculation and guaranteeing the most vulnerable people access to a home.

The 2,329 homes are at the final stage in the production process and are due to be completed in 2024. The distribution of flats is:

• Affordable rents: 1,782 homes.
• People affected by urban changes: 154 homes.
• Leaseholds of 75 years: 304 homes.
• Co-housing: 89 flats.

By district, the homes are distributed thus:

• Ciutat Vella: 1 development, 8 homes
• L’Eixample: 2 developments, 285 homes
• Sants-Montjuïc: 4 developments, 446 homes
• Gràcia: 3 developments, 145 homes
• Nou Barris: 5 developments, 257 homes
• Sant Andreu: 9 developments, 675 homes
• Sant Martí: 10 developments, 513 homes

Besides the new-build homes, the public housing stock is also being increased through the purchase of flats on the private market, with 900 homes acquired to date. In parallel, the mixed operator Habitatge Metròpolis Barcelona, along with the Metropolitan Area, is to build up to 2,250 homes with affordable rents, while an agreement with social housing foundations and cooperatives will see a further 1,000 rental and co-housing homes built.

La Marina del Prat Vermell, the neighbourhood with the most housing under construction

The Municipal Institute for Housing and Renovation (IMHAB) has allocated 57 million euros for the construction of 446 homes in the neighbourhood of La Marina del Prat Vermell, 352 of which will be for rent, 62 with leaseholds and 32 for co-housing. Along with the 68 homes at Cal Cisó, a public development promoted by the City Council and the Zona Franca Consortium where tenants have already taken possession, nearly 1,200 people in this neighbourhood will be living in public housing.

Developments under construction include the one at C/ Ulldecona, 2, a project with 72 homes distributed on six floors, with 60 two-bedroom flats, 6 one-bedroom flats and 6 adapted flats for people with reduced mobility. In addition, the development will have communal areas, green rooftops, bike parking and communal garden spaces. The project involves an investment of 9.2 million euros and should be completed in the first quarter of 2024.

Goal for the public housing stock

To put the rhythm of construction into context, the 2,329 flats in progress in the city represent a volume equivalent to 30% of the 7,500 homes in the public housing stock in 2015, without counting the developments already finished and the acquisitions made in the last six years.

The investment of 316 million euros to build public housing will also generate over 3,350 jobs in the post-Covid scenario, helping meet a significant need in the construction sector. These jobs are also the result of the alliance between the public sector and professionals and companies.

The joint effort by the Municipal Institute for Housing and Renovation and Barcelona City Council is essential for achieving the goals in the Right to Housing Plan 2016-2025, doubling the public housing stock to reach the figure of 12,000 publicly owned homes in the city.