Housing access problems affect half of the metropolitan population.

BarcelonaAlthough the housing crisis particularly affects certain social groups, such as young people, housing access problems have a direct impact far beyond this group, as they are not the only ones experiencing firsthand the rising prices of recent years. According to a study published this Monday, these problems directly affect half of the metropolitan population. The reason? These are people who plan to change or have already changed their home during the period 2018-2027.

This was reported by the Economic and Social Council of Barcelona in a study called The housing stock in the city of Barcelona and RMB and prepared by Daleph researcher Luis Fernández. It was presented this Monday in Barcelona at an event chaired by the president of the council, Eduardo Rojo, and also included a roundtable discussion with economic and social stakeholders. The report does not include the impact of rental regulations.

The reasons for moving are diverse, but the most notable are improvements in housing or surroundings, starting a household, or other family reasons, although more than 20% of the population has been displaced for economic reasons. Likewise, young people are the group that changes homes most frequently, so they are the ones most likely to suffer from rising prices. Regarding older people, however, only a minority will be affected.

Increased residential instability

The report also details the evolution of residential mobility, highlighting that in recent years, according to available data, it has tripled. Specifically, the number of people who have changed residence in the last five years has increased from 8.8% in 2017 to 28.3% in 2022, the highest figure in the entire historical series. "This could indicate a change in the trend in the reasons for the changes or that a portion of the population, especially in the Catalan capital, is being forced to change residence for reasons other than those anticipated or desired, such as economic or work-related reasons," Fernández noted. The report also includes other relevant data, such as the fact that the metropolitan region's housing stock totals 2,257,435 homes, of which 1,994,550 are primary residences (85%) and the remainder (15%) are non-primary residences.

The study also concludes that the solutions proposed will have to be "as complex" as the problem they seek to solve. This approach was endorsed by Barcelona's Housing Commissioner, Joan Ramon Riera, who argued during the event that the housing problem is neither a sectoral nor an emergency. "It is systemic; consensus is needed, and open debate is needed to fully understand the nature of the problem," he added.