Governing home: assessing a rights-based approach to tackling housing precariousness and inequality in the Barcelona metropolitan region

Abstract

The right to decent housing is under severe threat. In the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis (GFC), the landscape of housing affordability and accessibility has drastically worsened due to rising commodification and financialisation. Today, precarious housing conditions plague a significant segment of the population, with immigrants, youth, and precarious workers among the most vulnerable. Spain was one of the hardest-hit countries by the GFC. This precipitated a devastating wave of evictions, displacing thousands of families. Barcelona, epitomizing this crisis, witnessed approximately 50,000 evictions between 2007 and 2012. In response, 2015 saw the electoral triumph of "Barcelona en Comú," a civic platform that seized municipal power with the mission of tackling the housing crisis head-on. This policy report examines the evolution of housing precariousness in Barcelona and its metropolitan region. It identifies key measures adopted by the local government to promote the right to decent housing, as well as the main obstacles encountered in this endeavor. Our methodology integrates a policy analysis of the Barcelona Plan for the Right to Housing 2016-2025 with quantitative analysis of data from the Barcelona Metropolitan Survey of Living Conditions (EMCV 2017-2021), comparing the city’s status relative to its metropolitan surroundings. Our findings suggest that despite some progress, such as the expansion of social housing and a reduction in evictions, housing affordability remains a critical issue in Barcelona, particularly for households led by tenants, women, young people, and migrants. These challenges adhere to a metropolitan logic, underscoring the necessity for a coordinated metropolitan strategy. We propose a series of public policy recommendations rooted in academic literature to mitigate housing precariousness and affordability crisis. These include: reconsidering the negative impacts of housing allowances; abolishing pro-homeownership tax incentives; expanding the stock of permanent social housing; and rent controls.