Barcelona asks the government for a boost to rehabilitate aging housing in Ciutat Vella.

BarcelonaOne of the objectives marked in red by Jaume Collboni's government when he took office was to improve the situation in the Ciutat Vella district. A mission in which the mayor now also seeks the help of the Generalitat (Catalan Government). Therefore, the proposal that the City Council is presenting to the Generalitat's Neighborhood Plan, which was made public this Monday, relates to the city's first district. Specifically, the council hopes the Catalan government will contribute up to €12.5 million to rehabilitate one of the oldest housing stocks in the Catalan capital.

The municipal government's hope is that this money from the Generalitat (Catalan Government) will reinforce the investment already planned by the City Council to correct inequality in the district. Through Fomento de Ciudad (City Development), the council has designed a proposal that includes 31 specific actions to be carried out in the district. He places particular emphasis on the renovation of older homes and the installation of elevators, as 75% of buildings with more than two floors do not have them and are often home to elderly people.

"Ciutat Vella has very significant problems and challenges from a housing perspective, with a very old housing stock that needs renovation," Collboni said at a press conference. The mayor argued that the City Council is transforming the district, ranging from large-scale interventions like Via Laietana or Rambla to more surgical actions aimed at improving social cohesion. In this regard, he recalled that the City Council's Barris plan already prioritizes the district and foresees an investment of 20 million euros.

The council is also awaiting a study from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC) on the exact state of the Ciutat Vella housing stock, with some 30,000 apartments. An analysis that will help you more accurately size and plan the interventions you will undertake in the coming years.

Highly complex properties

For now, Barcelona must now wait for the Generalitat (Generalitat) to decide before the end of the year which of the projects submitted by city councils across the country will benefit from its Barris Plan (Pla de Barris). If the Catalan capital receives the funds it expects, the Director General of City Development, Álex Montes, explained that the council is ready to move forward with the renovation of some thirty properties in the coming months. These properties are also often considered highly complex due to the precarious situation of the residents living there, and where it is often difficult to implement any work.

Among the projects the city hopes to fund with this money is the comprehensive renovation of the building at 20 Carrer de la Riereta, part of the Can Seixanta factory-house complex in the Raval neighborhood. With this project, the City Council estimates that ten social housing units could be created.

Collboni also emphasized the importance of installing elevators in the neighborhood, a project the council had planned to pursue later but will now be able to accelerate if funding from the Generalitat (Catalan government) becomes available. The mayor emphasized that not having an elevator impacts the daily lives of many elderly people who live alone at home.