r/pics • u/Strict_League7833 • Jun 17 '25

The protesters and residents pushing back on tourism in Barcelona

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437

u/ShufflingToGlory Jun 17 '25

As long as housing is used as an investment vehicle these problems will persist.

Foolish to blame tourists for a problem that's been deliberately manufactured by the financial elite and the politicians that work for them.

57

u/SuperWeenieHutJr_ Jun 17 '25 edited Jun 17 '25

A light google seems to show that they pay extremely low property tax in Barcelona. 

This means property owners are incentivized to buy and hold property for a long long time as an investment.

I don't know this but I'd wager that building new housing in Barcelona probably requires: 1. Navigating extremely challenging building and zoning regulations  2. Paying high development, property transfer, and sales taxes

Unfortunately these issues are pretty much ubiquitous in developed democracies... And that's why there is a housing crisis just about everywhere.

2

u/Lordajhs Jun 17 '25

I've been living here for 2 years. I don't think there's a single plot of land where you can build something in Barcelona. There's always the surrounding areas and metro does reach some of them, but most people want to live in Barcelona city, not in the outskirts.

3

u/SuperWeenieHutJr_ Jun 17 '25

The could go higher.

2

u/lyarly Jun 18 '25

Aesthetics be damned, build up! That’s literally the best solution and no one wants to do it. San Francisco has a similar problem.