The Barcelona City Council, through the Municipal Institute of Housing and Renovation (IMHAB), signs the deed of the constitution for the land right of a new property located in the Sants-Montjuïc district of Barcelona. Specifically, the plot on which the new building will be erected is situated at c. Mossèn Amadeu Oller, 17-21, in the La Bordeta neighborhood.

The project is driven by the housing cooperative Empriu, which was established in 2021 in the same neighborhood with the aim of making the cooperative housing model accessible, creating dignified and popular homes, and promoting a non-speculative character. The development will be located in the former industrial area of Can Batlló, with a provision of 40 housing units, making it a prominent enclave for cooperatives, hosting not only Empriu but also the cooperatives La Borda and Sotrac.

Accompanied by La Dinamo and with the collaboration of organizations like Lacol (architecture and construction area) and La Ciutat Invisible (legal and economic area), it is expected that the project will start construction works by the end of 2023, and the members of the cooperative will be able to move in by mid-2025.

In practical terms, the formal agreement between the responsible cooperative and the Barcelona City Council allows the awardee entity to enjoy the right to use the land for 99 years, taking on the cost of constructing the building.

Development of the ESAL Agreement

Signed in 2020 between the City Council and the main federations of cooperatives and social housing foundations, the ESAL Agreement is a pioneering mechanism for cooperation with the third sector, in which public land is assigned to non-profit organizations and the transfer of land. This promotes the construction and renovation of subsidized housing for rental and transfer of the right of use (cohousing) through the constitution of surface rights. This is a tool that boosts the growth of the public housing stock, while diversifying the range of agents involved.

The Agreement is therefore an alliance between the Barcelona City Council and the Federació de Cooperatives d’Habitatges de Catalunya (FCHC), the Coordinadora de Fundacions d’Habitatge Social (Cohabitac), the Associació Xarxa d’Economia Solidària (XES) and the Associació de Gestors de Polítiques Socials d’Habitatge de Catalunya (GHS).