Housing is crucial for quality of life and socio-economic development. Access to decent housing is a fundamental right that public administrations must ensure through availability, affordability and quality policies. Urban rehabilitation, affordable rents and public housing construction are essential. The EU is facing a housing crisis, especially in big and intermediary cites within metropolitan regions, requiring urgent resource mobilisation. Rising prices, lack of public housing and increased vulnerability call for structural policy changes. Barcelona and Rome (from Mayors for Housing) and Sabadell (from Arc Metropolità) will address these challenges and solutions in this workshop.
- Cohesion | Housing | Local and regional | Social inclusion and Equality | Urban
- Code: 14WS252238
- Jacques Delors building, JDE 62
Moderator
Practical information
- When
-
Tue 14/10/2025, 16:30 - 18:00 CET
- Where
- Jacques Delors building, JDE 62
- Type of partnership
- Regional partnership
- Format
- Workshop
- Theme
-
Cities building tomorrow
- Languages
- English, Spanish, Italian
Partners
Diputació de Barcelona
Sabadell City Council
Barcelona City Coucil
Municipality of Rome
CITY OF ZAGREB
Reporting
Session summary
1. Housing as a Fundamental Right and Policy Priority
Access to decent, affordable housing was reaffirmed as a basic human right and a pillar of social and economic development. Cities emphasized that housing policy must be treated as a structural component of welfare and territorial cohesion, not just a market issue.
2. A Shared European Crisis Requiring Urgent Action
Participants recognized a widespread housing emergency across Europe, especially in metropolitan regions. Rising rents and purchase prices, insufficient public housing, and growing vulnerability have made access to housing a major barrier to equality and opportunity.
There was consensus on the need for urgent resource mobilization and a structural shift in public housing policies.
3. The Role of Cities and Local Governments
Cities are on the front line of the crisis but lack adequate financial and legislative tools. Local administrations called for:
• More funding and flexible financial rules (e.g. lifting debt restrictions for municipalities).
• Better coordination between government levels and access to European funds.
• An expanded and sustainable public housing stock to meet growing needs.
4. City Contributions and Experiences
• Barcelona highlighted the combined pressures of financialization, tourism, and population growth, describing its situation as a “perfect storm.” The city presented its Mayors for Housing action plan, advocating intervention in “stressed areas,” new EU funds beyond the MFF 2021–27, and linking housing policy to the success of the European Green Deal.
• Rome presented its approach of treating housing as a right, focusing on expanding supply through public building renovation, property acquisition, and public-private partnerships. The city also called for unused NextGenEU funds to be redirected toward housing projects.
• Sabadell denounced local debt restrictions in Spain that limit investment capacity. The city argued for housing as a long-term, stable investment, not a speculative asset, and urged reforms to allow greater municipal action.
• Zagreb discussed how institutional and governance reforms are essential to improve policy coordination and housing system efficiency, particularly in the Balkan context.
5. Common Principles and Forward Agenda
• Housing should be recognized as a European issue affecting competitiveness, democracy, and social stability.
• Solutions require multi-level governance, intergovernmental cooperation, and social conditionality in funding mechanisms.
• All actors, public and private, are welcome if they contribute to expanding and improving affordable housing supply.
• The upcoming European Urban Agenda should place housing at its core, with new policy instruments and financing mechanisms to match the scale of the crisis.
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