On July 4, the Deputy Mayor for Economy, Housing, Finance, and Tourism, Jordi Valls, welcomed a delegation from the Hong Kong government led by Secretary for Housing, Winnie Ho, in an institutional visit that served to present their respective priorities in public housing policies and to share synergies and experiences on the subject.

Jordi Valls emphasized the importance of sharing experiences and best practices with other countries and cities around the world in the field of housing: “Access to housing is a problem that goes beyond our city, and meetings like today’s, where we can learn from the policies developed by Hong Kong, help us continue working to guarantee the right to housing in Barcelona.”

The purpose of the Hong Kong delegation’s visit was to learn first-hand about Barcelona’s experiences in the construction and financing of social housing, as well as the promotion of sustainable building with elements of innovation and technology. In addition to meeting with the Deputy Mayor, the delegation also visited the APROP Glòries housing block, a building with 42 units constructed from shipping containers, and the development of 72 public rental homes on Ulldecona Street, in the Marina del Prat Vermell neighborhood.

Hong Kong is one of the world’s leading economic and financial centers, with a very active port and a dynamic economy. The government follows a long-term housing strategy based on increasing the supply of public rental housing, expanding the sale of subsidized housing, and maintaining stability in the private market with a sustained supply of land and demand-side control measures.

Currently, about 30% of the population lives in public rental housing, and the average waiting time for a family is about six years. The goal for the 2022–2032 period is to provide 430,000 new homes, of which 70% will be public. To meet the high demand, various technologies are being adopted to improve the efficiency, safety, sustainability, and quality of buildings, such as integrated modular construction, construction robotics, and more sustainable building methods.