ENHR in Barcelona

The struggle for the right to housing. The pressures of globalization and affordability in today’s cities.

The situation of the real estate market in cities like Barcelona expresses, with great clarity, the contradiction of the current globalization process. Different internal and external forces, combining like a perfect storm, are putting pressure on cities and highlighting the limited capacity of local governments to address the housing crisis. The right to housing is at stake.

One key aspect of this process is the financialization of the real estate market, which subjects housing to volatile financial cycles. The central question is: how do we break this feedback loop between housing prices and finance?

Moving from causes to consequences, an important issue is the current debate about rent control policies. The discussion focuses on their effectiveness in controlling the rental bubble. Another key political issue is the significant lack of affordable housing for low-income people affecting all global cities. Facing this gap, how can governments and the sector promote affordable housing?

It is also necessary to focus on touristification and gentrification, which are challenges for the urban landscape of our cities, as well as the design of sustainable and energy-efficient housing as a response to the climate crisis.

From August 30 to September 2, 2022, Barcelona will host a new edition of the ENHR Annual Conference where these issues will be discussed.