Geography of the housing crisis in Catalonia: an overview from the point of view evictions due to foreclosures

Identifier:  PC:2963

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/PC2963

Authors:  Gutiérrez, A.; Delclòs, X.

Abstract:
The bursting of the real estate bubble and the onset of global financial crisis have allowed to unmask the consequences of the Spanish real estate model, which has been based on the conception of housing as an instrument for the creation and appropriation of urban rents, supported by a progressive financiarization of the built environment. Thus, the proliferation of vacant or unfinished housing together with a fast growth in evictions rates represents the main manifestation of a paradoxical situation. This paper develops a territorial analysis of the real estate crisis in Catalonia. For this purpose, one of the key variables is the study of evictions due to foreclosures. Given the lack of official data regarding the volume and distribution of this phenomenon on a scale lower than the provincial or the judicial party, this study proposes the use of second-hand dwellings owned by banks as an alternative secondary source. This allows for an approximation to this phenomenon at an infra-municipal level, through three case studies (Tarragona, Terrassa and Salt). Beyond confirming the usefulness of this source, results allow to demonstrate empirically how evictions due to foreclosures have tended to concentrate in the most disadvantaged neighborhoods, thus contributing to the deepening of inequality in cities.