https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-02-17/barcelona-buys-apartment-building-at-center-of-eviction-protests

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Housing

Why Barcelona Bought the Building That Symbolizes Its Housing Crisis

After months of protests, the city stepped in to buy an apartment
block where tenants faced eviction. But anger over high rents and
real estate speculation continues. 

Banners protest the potential conversion of Casa Orsola to
medium-term rentals on February 4, 2025 in Barcelona, Spain. 

Banners protest the potential conversion of Casa Orsola to
medium-term rentals on February 4, 2025 in Barcelona, Spain. 

Photographer: Cesc Maymo/Getty Images Europe
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By Feargus O'Sullivan
February 17, 2025 at 2:00 AM EST
Save

On Feb. 7, city leaders in Barcelona revealed their latest gambit to
prevent real estate speculators from snapping up affordable
apartments and converting them into medium-term rentals that escape
current rent controls: The city partnered with a local affordable
housing provider to purchase a landmark building and prevent its
tenants from being evicted.

That's a strategy that other European cities have also experimented
with in their efforts to rein in gentrification, most notably in
Berlin. So far, however, reactions to Barcelona's move have been
mixed; some housing activists celebrated the city's takeover as a
victory, while renters' associations and property owners alike have
expressed reservations. The buyout has focused attention on new
strains on Barcelona's housing market -- specifically the knock-on
effects of rent control regulations and the city's ban on short-term
rentals.

 
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