Residential exclusion is a growing issue in Spain, affecting thousands of people who cannot access decent and safe housing. This phenomenon has intensified in large cities, where gentrification and real estate speculation are displacing the most vulnerable populations. In neighborhoods in Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia, the disproportionate rise in rents is transforming not only the real estate market but also the social fabric of communities.

Gentrification is a process in which working-class neighborhoods, often deteriorated, are rehabilitated, attracting residents with higher purchasing power, which raises property prices and, consequently, displaces the original residents. In neighborhoods like Lavapiés and Malasaña, rents have increased by up to 40% in recent years, leaving working families, immigrants, and young people out of the market.

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Article by Raluca Budian, postdoctoral researcher at Esade’s Institute for Social Innovation and associate director of Esade’s Observatory of Dignified Housing, and Ignasi Martí, director of Esade’s Institute for Social Innovation, in Cinco Días.