Description
Access to housing is not only a right, but an essential condition for a city like Barcelona that must aspire to respond to the demands of its citizens and also be attractive to retain and attract talent to continue being a global city.
We have brought together more than 50 experts (architects, urban planners, tax experts, developers, building companies, asset-holders and investors, financial institutions, foundations and technology companies) to propose new approaches and promote new measures to resolve the lack of affordable housing in the medium term, without these proposals going through an increase in public spending (an unrealistic scenario in the current budgetary consolidation path).
Objectives
Generate a concrete, viable proposal, with detailed and realistic measures that allow a reasonable solution to access to affordable housing.
Conclusions
- Metropolitan management:
Any housing policy in Barcelona, to be effective, must be made from a metropolitan authority, with competences in planning, promotion and registration of supply and demand. A metropolitan authority similar to the one that already exists in transport or waste, without which it will be very difficult to resolve the challenge of responding to the need for an affordable housing stock that coexists with social housing and free market housing.
- Social housing only for rent:
A distinction must be made between social housing, which must be promoted and prioritised by the public authorities and is aimed at people with no income or a very limited income; and affordable housing, which must be the core of any effective housing policy. In the first case, we call for a social housing only for rent, as this is the only way to consolidate, over time, a sufficient inventory to solve housing emergency situations. In addition, we propose that access to this public park have to be periodically reviewed.
- Creation of affordable housing, rented with a controlled price:
We propose that the resources to create the stock of affordable housing have to be mobilized through public-private collaboration. This new offer should be maintained for rent and in the form of affordable housing for as long as necessary (20/30 years). It would be an offer of rented housing at a controlled price, which would be accessed after certification by a metropolitan register of users of affordable housing.
- Other recommendations to bear in mind:
4.1. Establish a stable regulatory framework that offers security to investors and renters.
4.2. Concrete tax proposals to improve and speed up the construction of affordable housing.
4.3. Introduction of rigour, transparency and metropolitan scope to the criteria for access to housing.
Developers
-Anna Gener (Newman Aguirre Savills)
-Jaume Oliu (Banc Sabadell)
-Joan Pla
Participants
Jordi Aguilera (Cuch-Aguilera Legal), Imma Amat (Amat Immobiliaris), Enric Batlle (Batlle i Roig), Wolfgang Beck (Testa), Albert Blanch (BCA Arquitectura), Albert Bosch (Housfy), Jaume Cabré (Habitatge Assequible - Fundació La Caixa), Alberto Caimi (Barcelona Housing Systems SA), Zulema Canosa Valero (Meridia Capital), Lluis Cases (Garrigues), Marc Chalamanch (Archikubik), Mamen Domingo (Domingo Ferre), Josep Donés Barcons (APCE), Arad Edrey-Lavie (NuvoBarcelona), Ramón Estrada Torrescano (ramonestradat.com), Beth Faus (Meridia Capital), Javier Framis (L35), Carmina Ganyet (Inmobiliaria Colonial), Jose García Montalvo (BGSE), Ramon Garcia-Bragado (MILINERS), Anna Gener (Savills Aguirre Newman), Antonio Gil (Cuatrecasas - BUC), Pau Guardans (Unico Hotels), Mateu Hernández (Barcelona Global), Guifré Homedes Amat (Amat Inmobiliaris), Jaime Lacasa (ELIX), Ferran Marsà (La Llave de Oro), Patrícia Martínez (Tarraco), Andreu Mas-Colell (BIST), Donato Muñoz (CEVASA), Joan Nogué (NOGUE ONZAIN LOPEZ ARQUITECTES SLP), Jaume Oliu (Banc Sabadell), Miguel Oñate (MerlinProp), Concha Osácar (Hispania/Azora), Pau Pérez de Acha (SOGEVISO), Felipe Pich Aguilera (Pich Arquitects), Montserrat Pinyol (Comas & Pinyol Advocats), Joan Pla (BUC i Orim), Marcel Prunera (Crea Inversión), Camino Quiroga (Notario), César Ramírez Martinell (BHS), Jose Manuel Rodriguez Murillo (Salas Plushabit SL), Javier Rodríguez-Heredia (Azora Europea), Ricard Santamaria (H.A.U.S. Healthy Buildings SL), Maria Sisternas (Mediaurban), Josep Lluís Sisternas (MSA+A), Marc Torrent (APCE), Carmen Tribó (L35), Carme Trilla (Fundació Habitat 3 i Observatori d'Habitatge), Juan Velayos (Neinor), Carlos Vergara (IESE), Lorenzo Vidal (CIDOB) and Rosa Villar (InmoCaixa).