The housing situation in Spain—and especially in cities like Valencia—has become a crisis that seems increasingly unlikely to end and has been the top concern for Spaniards and Valencians for several years now, according to data from the CIS. A solution seems a long way off, and the measures taken by the various levels of government are insufficient, but every now and then initiatives such as Casa 47—the Spanish government’s affordable rental platform— emerge, offering opportunities to a small number of people.
In this regard, the Valencia City Council announced in September several projects related to the construction of public housing complexes in the city. The most notable is the plan to build 390 public housing units intended for sale and affordable rent. So far, only the plan for the 59 apartments located in the Quatre Carreres neighborhood has been approved ; these will be designated for affordable rent.
Of the remaining 331 units, 161 will be newly built public housing units in the Patraix neighborhood, and the other 170 will be distributed among Ciutat Vella, Malvarrosa, and Torrefiel. Regarding the latter, neither the type of housing nor the process nor any other details of the project have been defined; for now, we only know that the City Council will “release land” so that these municipal plots can be converted into apartments intended to “facilitate the independence of young people.”
The 59 apartments in Quatre Carreres will be located in a 16-story tower on Calle del Pintor Sabater and will feature a terrace and two, three, or four bedrooms, depending on the size of the unit. The most surprising feature of this complex is that it will include a gym, a coworking space, a community room, landscaped areas, and underground parking.
The Transformation of the Casitas Rosas in Malvarrosa
In addition to the previous plan, the City Council has announced an urban development plan to revitalize the area around the Casitas Rosas in Malvarrosa, one of the city’s neighborhoods most affected by crime.
The project proposes demolishing the most dilapidated apartment buildings to construct 545 new units, 163 of which will be public housing. In addition, the plan includes the construction of a new school and more than 6,000 square meters of parks and playgrounds.
However, this measure has been met with opposition from residents in the area who, although they support regenerating the neighborhood, claim that City Hall did not consult them before making these decisions nor has it presented any technical studies. Furthermore, they fear that the relocations could negatively affect them—such as having to trade their owner-occupied apartments for public housing or being forced to take on debt to secure a similar property.
