Barcelona: Housing crisis and urban activism

Co-housing is an emerging housing form in Spain, where many pioneering initiatives are found in Catalonia and the Barcelona area. Using the La Borda project as a recurring illustration, but also drawing on other examples and developments, the chapter seeks to contextualize this nascent but noticeable interest in co-housing in and around Barcelona. Starting at the scale of the crisis-ridden Spanish housing system, the chapter gradually zooms in on co-housing at the scale of Catalonia, Barcelona, neighbourhoods and, eventually, the La Borda project. While still embryonic, co-housing activism in the Barcelona area is generally characterized by a high degree of urban-political commitment and organization, and the chapter suggests that emerging experiences in Barcelona can serve as inspiration for those who want co-housing to evolve into a more sustainable housing form. (Less)