746 new public housing units open in Barcelona 

Barcelona will have 746 new affordable public housing units spread out in the five Barcelona districts. Residents started moving into the new apartments in November of 2023 while the rest will move in during the first four months of 2024, according to the Barcelona City Council.

Around 80% of the new public housing units have affordable, below-market rent. Another 230 units will be in “areas that are undergoing large transformations,” according to the city council. They are earmarked for elderly people and offer special services.

The expansion of the Barcelona public housing stock is the result of a €111,4 million public investment. In total, Barcelona now has over 12,300 public housing units.

The new units are in the districts Sants-Montjuïc, Horta-Guinardó, Sant Andreu, Nou Barris, and Sant Martí. 40% of the new social housing units will be in the Sant Andreu district.

Part of government plan 

A collaboration between the Barcelona City Council and Catalan land agency, Incasòl, is working on constructing around 5.000 new public housing units in Barcelona, although no end date has yet been set.

This is part of the Catalan government’s plan to build 10,000 new public housing units by 2026, with an ambition that 7% of all housing on the market should be public by 2042.

Currently, social housing accounts for 2% of the total homes in Catalonia,  far from the European average of 15%.

For years, Barcelona has lacked affordable housing, and in 2023 the rent reached an all-time high with contracts averaging around €1,123.56 per month.