The third and final day of FHAR 2025 has focused on sharing experiences from different areas of the world of housing, but also from different geographical realities.
Thus, the Barcelona Housing and Rehabilitation Forum (FHAR) has emerged as an essential meeting point where to add knowledge, share experiences and, ultimately, discuss solutions that help to face the problem of housing, where the lack of supply and difficulty in access have been the most highlighted points throughout this fourth edition of the FHAR.
Access to housing: a problem that is repeated throughout Europe
During the third day, the attendees were able to see how this problem is not unique to the city of Barcelona, but is repeated in all large European cities. Specifically, they have been able to know in depth the case of Paris, presented by Beatriz García, head of programs at Paris Habitat.
Paris, as García explained, is the densest city in Europe, with neighborhoods reaching 39,000 inhabitants per square kilometre, so the provision of affordable housing is a great challenge that they face from different perspectives: setting a share of social housing in deficit or over deficit areas, reserving plots for the creation of social housing, regulating the price for the purchase of housing to promoters, enhancing the right of preferential purchase or promoting the transfer of commerciality.
The promotion of public and affordable housing addressed from different areas
After seeing the case of Paris, the debate at the FHAR has focused on analyzing the current situation of public housing promotion. Thus, in a table moderated by the manager of IMHAB, Gerard Capó, it has been possible to know how public entities from different autonomous communities address issues such as land generation, financing, construction systems and management.
The discussion table was made up of Hilda González, president of GHS; Yolanda Larrubia, head of the Promotion and Land Management service at IMPSOL; Susana Cayuelas, general director of the Housing and Rehabilitation Agency of Andalusia (AVRA) and Lorena Reula, managing director of the Zaragoza Housing Municipal Society.
All of them have explained the reality they live in their daily work, which includes different demographic particularities, but coinciding that the generation of soils is one of the most complex aspects, especially in the largest cities, and the importance of speeding up the processing of changes in uses or licenses.
Where they also agreed was to highlight the need to obtain funds in multiple ways (own, subsidized or with private financing), in the commitment to rehabilitation, in the promotion of new industrialized construction systems or in the management of the housing stock putting citizens at the center.
The last table of the FHAR 2025, has also served to debate on housing promotion, but in this case accessible, being able to know different experiences of the public and private sector to get to the market more flats at a price that citizens can assume.
Moderated by the president of the Spanish Association of Housing and Land (AVS), José María López; the debate was attended by Jerónimo Escalera, manager of EMVS Madrid; David Guàrdia, co-director of Civic Room SCCL; Donato Muñoz, CEO of CEVASA; Liliana Reyes, secretary of Barcelonès and Migrations CCOO Catalunya; and Manel Rodríguez, CEO of the SALAS Group.
Each has explained their formulas to provide affordable housing to the market, from the public model, to the cooperative or that of the foundations, but they have also put on the table the problems that the sector is facing and that prevent reaching a sufficient level of production to respond to the current demand for housing, especially in tensioned areas such as large cities.
The development of the land, the commitment from the public sphere to allocate funds, the taxation of the sector, access to more affordable financing or the need to promote public-private collaboration to continue providing housing that can be paid by citizens, especially the youngest or with lower incomes, are some of the aspects that have been put on the table.
Housing, a challenge for the city
Laia Bonet, first deputy mayor, was in charge of closing the fourth edition of the FHAR with an intervention where she recognized the importance of this forum to share horizons and establish strategies that allow to place housing as the fifth leg of the welfare state.
In addition, he has pointed out housing as a city challenge, both from the point of view of rehabilitation, which allows to improve the state of the public park, as well as urban regeneration, with special interest in the most vulnerable areas.
A challenge that, he has assured, needs the linkage of all sectors of society, from public administration to all levels, as well as the private sector and non-profit entities.