{"id":37366,"date":"2024-10-04T10:00:49","date_gmt":"2024-10-04T17:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/?p=37366"},"modified":"2025-08-14T10:41:39","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T17:41:39","slug":"the-barcelona-chronicles-the-30-measure-and-others","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/2024\/10\/04\/the-barcelona-chronicles-the-30-measure-and-others\/","title":{"rendered":"The Barcelona Chronicles: The 30% Measure and Others"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

The intricacy and thoughtfulness of Barcelona\u2019s housing policies were clear in Eduard Cabr\u00e9 Romans<\/a>\u2019 presentation. <\/span>His patience shone as our BC planners asked question after question<\/span>. However, a few issues stood out, particularly Barcelona’s inclusionary zoning regulations and related measures. <\/span><\/p>\n

One notable policy is the \u201c30% Measure\u201d from the<\/span> Barcelona Housing Policy 2015-2023<\/i>, <\/span>which mandates that 30% of all new housing developments and major renovations in as-of-right projects must be allocated as affordable housing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another<\/span><\/p>\n

key policy focuses on <\/span>Green Fields and Brownfields<\/em> where developments must <\/span>reserve 40% of land for Officially Protected Housing <\/i>(HPO), with half of these units designated as rental<\/span>. In addition, the Municipality receives 10% of all development rights free of charge to further affordable housing projects. <\/span><\/p>\n

These measures wouldn\u2019t be possible without strong public-private partnerships, which sparked an interesting discussion. Finally, an innovative idea\u2014a rental registry to ensure compliance with rent regulations\u2014also gathered a lot of attention.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s <\/span>briefly explore each issue<\/span><\/p>\n

The \u201c30% Measure\u201d<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

The inclusionary zoning requirement clearly <\/span>mandates that new residential projects and major refurbishments<\/span>\u2014buildings over 600 square meters\/6,500 square feet\u2014must allocate 30% of units for affordable housing, following the City\u2019s strict definition and criteria<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

This pioneering instrument, enacted at the State level, aims to ensure a balanced mix of housing types and foster socio-economic diversity in Barcelona. It targets a broad range of housing projects in well-established and newly developed areas to evenly distribute affordable housing.<\/span><\/p>\n

The affordability criteria ensure that these units remain accessible to low- and moderate-income households, with r<\/span>ent and sale prices capped 60%-80% below market rates and permanent affordability guaranteed by law since 2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Barcelona government is responsible for monitoring compliance with the 30% Measure<\/em>, through organizations such as the <\/span>Barcelona Metropolitan Housing Observatory (O-HB)<\/span><\/a><\/em>, requiring that developers submit detailed plans demonstrating how their projects will meet this inclusionary housing obligation. <\/span><\/p>\n

The main goal is to increase affordable housing stock and reduce displacement caused by rising property prices and gentrification<\/span>. <\/span>However, the city must carefully balance market conditions and the financial viability of projects to ensure compliance with the 30% Measure<\/em> without halting development. As such, the city provides support to developers to facilitate the inclusion of affordable units while maintaining the overall feasibility of housing projects.<\/span><\/p>\n

Affordability Requirements in Green Fields and Brown Fields<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

This zoning is required at the Barcelona and the Metropolitan Area (AMB)<\/a><\/em> level, and focuses on increasing land reserves for Officially Protected Housing<\/a> (HPO)<\/em> and affordable housing.<\/span><\/p>\n

It requires that in designated urban transformation areas\u2014typically, large lot developments\u2014the developer must allocate 40% of land<\/i> for HPO<\/em>, with half of these units reserved for rent. For existing plots and buildings being retrofitted outside of these areas the 30% Measure<\/i> still applies. <\/span><\/p>\n

Additionally,  the municipality receives 10% of all development rights for free, in these areas. Due to the lower value of land zoned for affordable housing compared to market housing, the municipality often ends up with 20% to 25% of land <\/em><\/span>being designated for affordable housing through public-private partnerships<\/span>, leveraging their public-private partnerships. <\/span><\/p>\n

Public-Private Partnerships<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Barcelona\u2019s public-private partnerships play a crucial role in affordable housing. Unfortunately, a<\/span>n in-depth look at this complex system is beyond the scope of this article. Two elements are worth noting, however. <\/span>First, is the ESAL Framework Agreement<\/i><\/a> whereby the City leases land to cooperatives and social housing developers to build and manage over 1,000 units of permanently affordable housing.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is supplemented by Habitatge Metropolis Barcelona<\/i><\/a>\u2014a mixed-economy development company-owned 25% Barcelona City Council, 25% AMB, 50% private developers (NEINOR and CEVASA) selected through public procurement. This entity alone <\/span>has developed 4,500 rental units in Barcelona and nearby municipalities.<\/span><\/p>\n

Housing Purchases<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Since building new housing is a complex, expensive undertaking relying on land availability, Barcelona\u2019s multi-pronged approach includes a purchasing strategy<\/a>. Under the Right to Housing Plan<\/a><\/em>, t<\/span>he city declared itself a “pre-emptive purchase” area, giving the municipality the first right to buy any property entering the market.<\/span><\/p>\n

This allows for an even distribution of social and affordable housing and creates the unique condition where affordable units have been purchased within existing market developments. In certain circumstances, this was provided to allow households to age in place. In the words of Javier Bur\u00f3n<\/a>, this is \u201cprobably the most interesting new instrument\u201d developed out of their policy innovations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rent Regulations<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Barcelona has a unique registry that <\/span>ensures landlords cannot raise rents between tenants, effectively preventing renovictions<\/span>. This applies to all private rental contracts, and requires that all fees\u2014including 1- or 2-month deposits\u2014are submitted to Incasol<\/a> (Catalan Land Institute): an existing agency that has been managing rental contracts for a long time. Thus, previous rental prices are known to incoming renters and can be tracked over time. <\/span><\/p>\n

Additionally, landlords must specify previous rents in new contracts, highlighting increases based on the permitted annual indexed increase or due to improvements. As one can imagine, the British Columbian’s were left breathless. <\/span><\/p>\n

An hour beyond our scheduled time and with no end in sight, we felt we had pushed Eduard Cabr\u00e9 Romans\u2019 incredible generosity to its limit, despite his kind gestures otherwise. <\/span><\/p>\n

We covered a lot of ground\u2014from the complexity of managing affordable housing in a rapidly growing city to the challenges of maintaining a balance between historical preservation and modern development. Each question was answered with a blend of practical insights and strategic foresight, underscoring the nuanced approach required to navigate these multifaceted challenges.<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite the complexity, seven key lessons were learned through Eduard Cabr\u00e9 Romans\u2019 journey in affordable housing. These will play significant roles in the comparison between Vancouver and Barcelona policies in the articles to follow. They are briefly summarized here in no clear order of importance.<\/span><\/p>\n