Most of the housing units acquired last year by the city council are concentrated in three entire buildings, including the 26 properties in Casa Orsola, purchased jointly with the Fundació Hàbitat 3 following neighborhood protests. Around forty flats were also acquired from the real estate company Building Center, owned by CaixaBank.
Regarding the plots, the City Council bought land from Sareb on Escolapi Càncer street, in Torre Baró, for 1.8 million euros. Additionally, a portion of a plot on Roc Boronat street in Poblenou was acquired, and land in Sants was expanded to triple the construction capacity for housing.
32% of citizens now say that housing is the main problem in the city.
This "record investment," according to the Collboni executive, comes at a crucial time when the housing crisis has become the main concern for Barcelonians, surpassing insecurity and cleaning. Currently, Barcelona's public housing stock comprises 13,000 flats.
Despite the acceleration in acquisitions, the mandate has been marked by the failure to revise the 30% protected housing ordinance, previously promoted by the Ada Colau executive. Mayor Collboni indicated that the rule "has not yielded the expected results," while the Comuns have accused him of trying to distort the original meaning of the regulation.
