The Catalan government has announced the biggest tender in recent years to build nearly two thousand affordable rental apartments. However, not a single new unit under this program will be built in the very heart of the housing crisis—Barcelona. The city, long seen as the epicenter of Spain’s housing woes, has surprisingly been left out, despite its urgent need for new apartments.
This decision has puzzled real estate experts. They believe that leaving out the capital’s plots shows the authorities’ inability to deliver real solutions for the region’s most troubled area. While the Catalan government presents the project as a breakthrough, Barcelona—where the situation is most dire—won’t get a single square meter of new housing through this scheme.
A puzzling logic
The reason for this unexpected omission lies in the fine print. Only plots that had been pre-listed in the special register—the Catalonia Public Land Reserve—were eligible for the tender. Despite having municipal land available, Barcelona didn’t submit a single plot for this mechanism. Instead, the city chose to focus on its own projects, bypassing the regional government’s broader initiative.
As a result, the capital of the autonomous region has been left out, with new apartments to be built in other municipalities. This approach raises questions: if the main goal is to relieve pressure on the rental market, why ignore the city where that pressure is felt most acutely?
Geographic distribution
The entire tender is divided into four major groups, each covering different parts of Catalonia. The first group includes the suburbs of Barcelona and towns in Vallès Occidental, such as Sant Adrià de Besòs, Santa Perpètua de Mogoda, and Terrassa. Hundreds of apartments are planned here, but Barcelona itself has been left off the list.
The second group covers Tarragona and Penedès, where new homes will be built in Cambrils, Tarragona, Vilafranca del Penedès, and L’Arboç. The third group includes towns in Girona and the Costa Brava: Figueres, Girona, Lloret de Mar, Tossa de Mar, and others.
Beyond the epicenter
The fourth group brings together central and western regions of Catalonia, as well as part of the metropolitan area. Here, new apartments will appear in Vilanova del Camí, Torelló, Centelles, Tàrrega, Vilagrassa, La Seu d’Urgell, Abrera, and Esplugues de Llobregat.
In total, 37 sites are distributed among 23 municipalities where demand for rentals is officially recognized as high. But the main player in the market—Barcelona—has not received a single project. This decision has already sparked a wave of criticism among experts, who argue that without the participation of the capital, the program’s impact will be limited.
The Paradox of the Approach
The essence of the new scheme is simple: municipalities provide land, while private or non-profit organizations build and manage housing at fixed prices under long-term concessions. The authorities hope this strategy will quickly boost the stock of affordable homes. However, Barcelona’s absence from this list raises doubts about the overall effectiveness of the initiative.
While the city pursues its own projects, the rest of Catalonia is getting a chance at new apartments. Yet where the housing crisis is most acute, the situation remains unchanged. Experts warn that without Barcelona’s large-scale involvement, any efforts to stabilize the market will remain only partial solutions.
Barcelona has long been considered the most problematic spot on Catalonia’s housing map. Rents and property prices here are out of reach for most residents, and demand for social housing consistently exceeds supply. Nevertheless, the city opted out of the general tender, focusing instead on its own initiatives and separate agreements with developers.
