Urban Planning, Ecological Transition, Urban Services and Housing

In 1985, the United Nations General Assembly established the celebration of World Habitat Day on the first Monday of October each year to reflect on the state of our cities and to demand the basic right to adequate housing.

According to UN-Habitat, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, more than half of the world’s population currently lives in urban areas, a percentage that could rise to 70% by 2050, with growth concentrated in Latin America, Asia and Africa.

To understand the importance of cities in the world, figures show that they generate more than 80% of global GDP, and the highest levels of urbanisation generally correlate with higher GDP per capita. Cities are centres of economic growth and development, but they also face demographic, environmental, economic and social challenges, such as the housing crisis.

World Habitat Day 2024

This year, World Habitat Day is celebrated on 7 October under the theme ‘Engaging youth to create a better urban future’. This theme aims to focus on involving young people in planning their future in urban planning through participatory processes and local leadership opportunities. Today, the world is rapidly urbanising and many urban dwellers are young (especially in Africa and Asia).

It also focuses on the eleventh Sustainable Development Goal: making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

Youth and the housing problem in Barcelona

In our city, young people have serious difficulties in accessing decent housing, especially due to the high prices on the market, whether for purchase or rental (in the first quarter of 2024, the average rental price in the city was €1,193). As a result of this problem, 66% of young people aged 18 to 34 were living at family home in 2022, an increase of 13 points compared to 2008, the year the financial crisis began.

In order to reverse this situation, Barcelona City Council is promoting social housing for young people, such as the one at 22 Binèfar Street, which has already been handed over to its new occupants. The building has 24 flats and a ground floor for facilities, and the people who will live there will pay a rent of between 415 and 515 euros per month, depending on the size of the apartment.