Conference Agenda

In the wake of the crisis that began in 2008, the issue of housing - especially evictions and, as a consequence, apartment occupations - has become a matter of growing social concern.

While eviction processes were a recurrent problem in the last decade, when the economy began to recover, difficulties in accessing affordable housing became a central issue in the political and social debate in Spain. The shortage of social housing due to the lack of public investment in housing construction, together with the pressure exerted on cities by the development of tourist housing platforms, which have expanded at an accelerated pace, contribute to stressing the residential market and are an exponent of social and economic inequalities.

In this context of serious difficulties associated with residential insecurity, this paper aims to approach the processes of marginalization and fragmentation in the city of Barcelona, one of the most affected by housing problems, based on a study of housing occupation in different neighborhoods of the city. The analysis of housing ads in the most important real estate portals, such as Idealista, allows us to identify the areas most affected by this problem and to characterize the housing typologies in the case of Barcelona. The results highlight the dissymmetries between different neighborhoods and show the geographies of the processes of residential exclusion.

In the current context of scarcity of affordable housing stock, local governments have regained the interest in neighbourhoods characterised by decaying mass housing estates at the margin of the metropolitan core. However, persistent issues of social exclusion among their residents, along with high degree of social stigmatisation, significantly hinder the success of long-term urban regeneration and redevelopment processes. This paper analyses whether urban fragmentation is being consolidated in this type of neighbourhoods even if significant metropolitan-scale interventions have been undertaken.

To this end, this contribution focuses on the urban sector between the Fòrum-Besòs and La Mina neighbourhood in the core of the metropolitan area of Barcelona. Since the 2000s, this area has been defined by traditional mass housing estates undergoing a long and complex transformation programme, as well as the extension of the Diagonal axis to the Mediterranean Sea. This last intervention has both included the development of high-profile cultural facilities and led to a redesign of the seafront.

Using a mixed-method approach—including socio-economic data analysis, formal analysis of urban fabric, semi-structured interviews, and guided walks with key stakeholders and residents of these neighbourhoods—this paper examines both the evolution of persistent forms of marginality and the physical and mental urban barriers that reshape these urban spaces. The findings from this case study in Barcelona encourage a discussion of how urban regeneration processes, which aim to transform consolidated urban fabrics and promote greater social integration of marginalised neighbourhoods, may paradoxically lead to the emergence of new forms of urban fragmentation. On the one hand, social marginality may be reproduced in certain parts of the stigmatised neighbourhoods; on the other, stakeholders and residents identify new barriers that delineate contrasting urban fragments.

Since the mid-2010s, the difficulties in accessing housing, whether through ownership or rental, have been increasing, to the point that the housing issue has now become the main social problem for Spaniards. This situation, in addition to fostering housing exclusion, is driving processes of segregation and residential fragmentation. In this context, several regulatory texts have been approved in recent years with the aim of reversing the situation. The recent 2023 Housing Law, passed by the Spanish Parliament, opens the possibility of declaring areas with regulated rents (zonas tensionadas) to control rental prices.
This contribution aims to highlight the housing emergency currently unfolding in Spain and to analyze one of the most controversial measures: the declaration of areas with regulated rents. Using secondary statistical sources, regulatory analysis, and the study of reports, the goal is to provide a concise overview of the severity of the problem and its causes, the principles and instruments involved in declaring these new areas, and the results that have been achieved so far.

The socioeconomic impacts of urban transformations driven by touristification in the central neighbourhoods of Lisbon on the elderly population are the focus of this study. Neoliberal policies, especially those aimed on housing and tourism, have fostered real estate appreciation and the proliferation of short-term rentals, resulting in deep changes to the city's social and urban fabric. These transformations disproportionately affect vulnerable groups, including individuals aged 65 and over, who face socio-territorial exclusion, the loss of commerce catering to their daily needs, increased difficulties in accessing housing, and the weakening of their social support networks. The research is based on in-depth semi-structured interviews conducted with elderly residents of Lisbon's historic central area. The testimonies reveal how their everyday lives and quality of life have been negatively impacted by gentrification and touristification. Accounts include financial difficulties in maintaining their housing, exposure to unethical property owner practices — such as intimidation and lack of building maintenance — as well as feelings of isolation and insecurity due to the disintegration of community life. The findings suggest that engagement in local associations increases the resilience of this population, but also highlight the need for more comprehensive and effective public policies. These policies must go beyond financial support, also offering social support, promoting affordable housing, regulating tourism, and ensuring socio-territorial equity. Furthermore, the adoption of community support practices by local authorities is essential to mitigate the negative effects of touristification and safeguard the right to the city for the elderly population.