Mobilization for a decent housing
This Saturday, April 5, Barcelona is preparing to host a significant rally organized by unions and organizations that struggle to defend access to housing. Its main objective is to guarantee the reservation of 30% of protected housing in new projects, and even ask that this quota be expanded.
A fundamental right
The voices of the entities that promote this mobilization are clear: “To defend 30% is to defend the right to live in Barcelona”. In a press conference in front of the Orsola house, they called on the municipal government led by Jaume Collboni to implement this measure without cuts or hesitations.
The value of 30% in protected housing
The organizers believe that the 30% reserve is a “collective conquest” that has allowed to safeguard more than 60,000 flats for rent in the city. In addition, they have increased by 144 the number of protected homes in areas such as the Eixample, where no protected housing had been built since the Francoist period.
Proposals for extension
The entities go further and propose that the protected housing reserve expand to 40%. They argue that this measure could result in the addition of up to 18,827 protected homes in central areas such as Gràcia or Eixample.
Claims to the administration
To ensure the effectiveness of this policy, they ask that 30% be exclusively for rental housing and that modifications are prohibited that could weaken their application, such as the exclusion of large rehabilitation or the transfer of the reservation to public land areas.
Critics of current management
Organizations, such as the PAH and the Tenants’ Union, have also expressed concern about the lack of control in the implementation of 30%. They accuse the Collboni government of not acting with the necessary firmness, as they have paralyzed sanctions on the real estate agents who violate these regulations.
Dialogue with the authorities
Recently, the entities have transferred their proposals to the Housing Commissioner, Joan Ramón Riera, as well as the Manager of Urbanism, David Martínez García, and Carme Trilla, president of the Metropolitan Housing Observatory. They have also held meetings with representatives of the municipal groups of ERC and BComú.
The future of housing in Barcelona
The manifestation of April 5 is outlined as a key moment in the struggle to guarantee access to decent housing in Barcelona. The actions of these entities not only seek to defend current rights, but also to establish a precedent for future housing policies in the city.