Turning Tactics into Strategy: The Right to Stay Put and the Decommodification of Housing in Barcelona

The article "Turning Tactics into Strategy: The Right to Stay Put and the Decommodification of Housing in Barcelona" is published in Housing, Critical, a journal focused on critical discourse surrounding housing issues. The authors, Luisa Rossini from ICS University of Lisbon and Gabriele D'Adda from Politecnico di Torino, explore the repercussions of the 2007/2008 global financial crisis on housing in Spain, particularly in Barcelona. The crisis led to increased involvement of international financial actors in the real estate market, facilitating the financialization of housing and transforming it into a speculative asset.

In Spain, state measures supported the expansion of equity funds and Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), which significantly contributed to widespread mortgage repossessions and evictions. This situation has exacerbated housing precarity, with Spain having one of the lowest affordable housing rates in Europe, where only 1.6% of total housing is designated for social rental. In Barcelona, this figure is even lower at 1.5%, highlighting a chronic lack of affordable options in a city marked by rising housing costs.

In response to the housing crisis, grassroots movements have mobilized to defend housing rights and develop tactics aimed at preventing evictions and displacement. These tactics include the use of the right of "first refusal and pre-emption" (tanteo y retracto), which allows municipalities to acquire properties when they are put up for sale. This legal tool has been effective in countering evictions and expanding affordable housing stock, as demonstrated by various movements in Barcelona.

The article outlines how housing activists in Barcelona combine radical tactics, such as occupations, with institutional engagement through demonstrations and policy negotiations. This approach has led to a re-politicization of urban planning and a challenge to the dominant narrative of housing as a financial commodity. The authors argue that these grassroots movements not only resist financialization but also create space for alternative socio-economic governance.

The study examines significant cases, such as the ongoing resistance at "Casa Orsola," where tenants organized to prevent evictions by leveraging the tanteo y retracto mechanism. This case illustrates how grassroots tactics can transition into institutional strategies, allowing for the preservation of community ties and cultural continuity. The authors highlight the importance of sustained grassroots mobilization in advocating for legislative reforms aimed at securing housing rights.

The article concludes by emphasizing the potential of grassroots housing movements to influence policy and promote more equitable urban governance. By asserting the right to stay put and prioritizing housing as a social right rather than a financial asset, these movements envision alternative models that challenge speculative urbanism. The authors suggest that successful initiatives will require ongoing political will and integration into comprehensive housing strategies that address the systemic issues of financialization.

In summary, the article presents a thorough analysis of the housing crisis in Barcelona, the grassroots movements that have emerged in response, and the tactics they employ to resist financialization. Through the lens of specific case studies, it illustrates how these movements have transformed grassroots actions into strategic interventions that can shape policy and urban governance for a more sustainable and just housing future.