The Barcelona City Council, through the Municipal Institute of Housing and Renovation, signed the deed of incorporation of the right of superficies on two properties located in the districts of Sants-Montjuïc and Sant Andreu. Specifically, the first one will be built on a municipal plot at Carrer Constitució, 43, in the neighborhood of La Bordeta, in favor of the housing cooperative Sotrac. On the other hand, the second plot is located at Passeig de Torras i Bages, 126-128, and is driven by the cooperative Sostre Cívic.
The plot granted on land rights to the cooperative Sotrac Habitatge Cooperatiu SCCL will host a building consisting of 38 officially protected rental housing units, distributed over six floors, including one in cluster format, as well as several communal spaces. Furthermore, the space is part of the Can Batlló complex and is located about a hundred meters from La Borda, one of the first cohousing projects carried out in the city.
On the other hand, the cooperative Sostre Cívic is responsible for promoting the development of up to 80 cooperative housing units at Passeig de Torras i Bages, 126-128. The transfer of the plot is carried out through the procedure indicated in the ESAL Agreement.
Beyond the number of housing units, the project stands out for including an inclusive community of up to 25 individuals, which will have collectively adapted spaces for people with intellectual disabilities. This will be made possible through the agreement signed between the Grup Cooperatiu TEB and Sostre Cívic.
Development of the ESAL Agreement
Signed in 2020 between the City Council and the main federations of cooperatives and social housing foundations, the ESAL Agreement is a pioneering mechanism for cooperation with the third sector, in which public land is assigned to non-profit organizations and the transfer of land. This promotes the construction and renovation of subsidized housing for rental and transfer of the right of use (cohousing) through the constitution of surface rights. This is a tool that boosts the growth of the public housing stock, while diversifying the range of agents involved.
The Agreement is therefore an alliance between the Barcelona City Council and the Federació de Cooperatives d’Habitatges de Catalunya (FCHC), the Coordinadora de Fundacions d’Habitatge Social (Cohabitac), the Associació Xarxa d’Economia Solidària (XES) and the Associació de Gestors de Polítiques Socials d’Habitatge de Catalunya (GHS).