Real estate bubble (1997-2007)
Contenido
Entre 1996 y 2007, se produjo en España una burbuja inmobiliaria por la que el precio de la vivienda experimentó subidas mucho mayores al nivel de vida o los salarios a pesar de la gran oferta de vivienda debido a la pujanza del sector de la construcción.[14].
En esa época, España era considerada «un país de propietarios», con una escasa proporción de la vivienda en régimen de alquiler.[15][16] Esto se atribuía a una política fiscal que favorecía la compra[17] y a la renuencia de muchos propietarios a poner viviendas en alquiler por la dificultad de expulsar a inquilinos indeseables. También se señalaba la existencia de un parque de tres millones de casas vacías, lo que corresponde con un 20% del total.[18] El aumento del precio de la vivienda se ha realimentado con procesos de corrupción urbanística y especulación. La subida del precio de la vivienda acrecentaba la dificultad de muchos jóvenes para acceder a una hipoteca y emanciparse de la casa de sus padres, al tener que dedicar una gran proporción de su sueldo a la compra de vivienda.[19].
Desde crisis económica de 2008-2012 el aumento del desempleo se disparó a cifras superiores al 20%, que, junto con la subida de las hipotecas por el euríbor, ha causado la imposibilidad para miles de familias de hacerse cargo del pago de la hipoteca de la vivienda. Desde 2007, 350.000 familias se quedaron sin casa, embargadas por impago de la hipoteca ha causado que más de 350.000 familias hayan sido desahuciadas en España tras la crisis. Tras la subasta de la vivienda, las casas vuelven a ser tasadas por debajo de su precio inicial de tasación, teniendo los propietarios que hacer frente al pago de la diferencia sin disponer del disfrute del inmueble.[20].
Los principales colectivos por la vivienda de este periodo fueron la Plataforma por una Vivienda Digna, creada en 2003; y V de Vivienda, creado a partir de las Asambleas por una Vivienda Digna tras la convocatoria del 14 de mayo de 2006 en diferentes ciudades. Estas dos organizaciones fueron el principal motor de las movilizaciones posteriores, si bien se mantuvieron diferenciadas por tener discrepancias en motivos de organización, apoyo a los detenidos en las manifestaciones e interlocución con las instituciones y otros partidos políticos o sindicatos. Otros colectivos activos en este periodo fueron FRAVM"), CGT "Confederación General del Trabajo (España)"), la cooperativa COVIJO, el Sindicato Joven de CCOO, Ecologistas en Acción, FAGC, el Foro Social de Alcorcón, Jóvenes de IU, Asociación Vecinos del Sureste y el Partido Comunista de Madrid. Varios de estos formaron parte de la Mesa de iniciativas por el Derecho a Techo, a la que no se sumó V de Vivienda por preferir una organización ciudadana y asamblearia. El movimiento también recibió el apoyo de asociaciones ciudadanas como Rompamos el silencio, Juventud Obrera Cristiana, Jóvenes Verdes, Otra Democracia es Posible o el Sindicato de Estudiantes, y sindicatos y partidos como IU "Izquierda Unida (España)"), CCOO y UGT, aunque su apoyo se vio con recelo desde sectores del movimiento.
2003-2005: First steps
In 2003, the Platform for Decent Housing was created in Madrid as a citizen and non-partisan initiative. Through its website and email, it convened several meetings in which a first protest framework was created that later materialized in information campaigns and collaboration with other social movements.[15].
On June 20, 2004, the first major mobilization took place in Madrid, called by the Platform, the Network of Young Housing Cooperatives (COVIJO) and various neighborhood associations and citizen platforms, with the motto "For the right to a roof. Stop speculation." It had the participation of 10,000 people according to the organizers.[21][15].
First half of 2006: Emergence of the movement
Starting in May 2006, the movement gained relevance in the media.
After the criticism of the Spanish youth by the press[22] for the anonymous call for the celebration of a macrobotellón in March 2006, in contrast to the mobilization of French youth against the first contract law, led to the emergence of another activist group, the Assembly Against Precariousness and for Decent Housing (ACPVD), a sit-in was called through emails and short messages (SMS) on May 14 in emblematic places of the main Spanish cities to claim the right to decent housing, included in the Constitution.[23] The Platform for Decent Housing dissociated itself from this call.[24][25].
Other cities in which the protests were supported were Zaragoza (300), Seville (200), Córdoba "Córdoba (Spain)") (200), Bilbao, Granada, Murcia and Logroño.
The mobilizations were repeated every Sunday for a month, called from the wiki www.viviendadigna.es that the journalist and blogger Ignacio Escolar enabled on his blog. New cities such as Burgos and Malaga joined, although attendance was progressively reduced. In the capital, the police repeatedly tried to prevent the demonstrations by not informing the authorities,[26][27] and the sit-ins ended up resulting in 18 arrests in Madrid, two of whom claimed that they were not participating in the demonstrations.[28].
In Madrid and Barcelona the movement was consolidated and the first "assemblies for decent housing" were created in order to organize the mobilizations and support the detainees: the Assembly against Precariousness and for Decent Housing[27] and the Assemblea Popular per un Habitatge Digne, respectively.
The two assemblies coordinated to organize the first "non-spontaneous" demonstration and to notify the Government Delegation to avoid problems with the police. It was convened by the Assembly for Decent Housing in Madrid and Barcelona, and supported by the Platform for Decent Housing and other organizations. It is worth highlighting the importance of this mobilization as it is the first time that a spontaneous movement is organized following an anonymous call.
Other cities that responded to the call were Seville, Zaragoza, San Sebastián, Salamanca, Logroño and Almería.
Finally, during the summer, the Madrid and Barcelona assemblies were coordinated through the Internet portal V for Housing"),[31] and new assemblies created in other cities were added.
Fall 2006: new mobilizations
Barcelona: September 30, 2006.
After the summer, the "V Housing" Assembly of Barcelona took the next step of the movement by calling for a new demonstration on September 30 with the slogan No tindrás casa en la puta vida! ("You are not going to have a house in your fucking life"), a call that was supported by the Platform for Decent Housing. Between 5,000 and 15,000 people attended, according to the security forces or the organizers, respectively. At the end of the march, a camping trip was planned in the Plaza de Catalunya but the urban guard did not allow it to take place. The next day the Assembly organized workshops and debates on housing and speculation.[32][33] The protest included support events in Madrid, Seville and Bilbao.
Protests against the European Summit of Housing Ministers.
The European Summit of Housing Ministers in Barcelona, on October 16 and 17, was suspended by the Government due to the announcement of mobilizations and for fear of incidents. Bloco do Baliza o Amparo, from Amparanoia and about a hundred cyclists attended.[37].
A week later, on October 28, the demonstration called by the "V Housing" Assembly of Madrid took place as a continuation of the previous one in Barcelona on September 30, with the motto Housing is a right, not a business. It had the participation of between 4,000 and 15,000 people, according to the police and organizers, respectively.[38].
This last call was also supported in Zaragoza and Bilbao, where a representation of a Monopoly of speculation took place.
From November 20 to December 1, the United Nations rapporteur on Adequate Housing, Miloon Kothari") visited Spain to prepare a report on the problem of access to housing in Spain. During that time he toured Madrid, Bilbao, Seville, El Ejido "El Ejido (Almería)") (Almería), Zaragoza and Barcelona; and met with both institutional representatives and social movements.
In Madrid he met with the Assembly, which showed him the most pressing housing problems in different areas of the city, such as Lavapiés, and with the Platform for Decent Housing, Architects without Borders, the Territorial Defense Network, the FRAVM and other organizations. In Barcelona he participated in a citizen assembly on November 28.
In a press conference on December 1, he announced the preliminary observations of the report in which he expressed his concern about the "unsustainable" situation suffered by Spain. He indicated that between 20 and 25% of the population is excluded from the housing market and that there is a "very serious problem with speculation and the enrichment of developers." He also denounced the situation of immigrants and opted for renting as a solution.[39][40].
First half of 2007: state demonstration and camping
Given the proximity of the municipal and regional elections of May 27, 2007, the V Housing Assemblies and the Platform for Decent Housing called for a new demonstration in the cities where they were present for March 24.[54].
In the days prior to the demonstration, different actions took place to call citizens to mobilization, such as different recreational and vindicative actions in the Retiro Park in Madrid;
On the occasion of the municipal and regional elections of May 27, 2007, and before the first anniversary of the sit-ins of May 14, 2006, different acts of protest and demands were carried out. Furthermore, after the elections, the Platform for Decent Housing called for a new bike ride in the Retiro Park in Madrid.[61].
The first of the mobilizations took place on May 5, called by the Citizen Coordinator in Defense of the Territory, "a state-level entity made up of more than 600 citizen, environmental, neighborhood, cultural and other groups," and which fights against the destruction of the territory due to wild urbanism and speculation. The demonstration was called under the motto «S.O.S. National Emergency",[62] and was received mainly in Madrid (2,000), Almería (2,000), Murcia, Zaragoza, Tarragona and Salamanca. The most important was that of Murcia, with an attendance of about 15,000 people according to the organizers, the Coordinator "Murcia no se vende" and was attended by representatives of IU "Izquierda Unida (Spain)") and PSOE.[63].
Looking ahead to the municipal and regional elections, it is worth highlighting the encampment called in Madrid by the Assembly for decent housing called by V for Housing. This took place in the University City from May 13 to 27, after a first failed attempt to camp on the Paseo del Prado in Madrid,[64] and later in front of the Reina Sofía Museum. Officially the action ended after the elections, although some of the activists remained in the camp in the University City throughout the summer; and they were finally evicted by the National Police five months later, at the request of the rector of the Complutense University Carlos Berzosa.[65].
Fall 2007: October 6 demonstration
In September 2007, the issue of housing jumped to the front line of politics in Spain. President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and the new Minister of Housing, Carme Chacón (who had succeeded María Antonia Trujillo[66]), presented the Government's new measures that consisted of tax relief for rent and direct aid to young people under 30 years of age.[67] These measures were criticized by the PP, which presented its housing program for the 2008 elections, which opted for home ownership.[68] Additionally, the Junta de Andalucía announced the processing of the Right to Housing Law.[69].
From the movement for decent housing, these announcements were called electoralist and insufficient to solve the problem of access to housing[70] and V for Housing called a new demonstration for October 6, which would conclude with a massive cry of You are not going to have a house in your fucking life, in which they once again claimed the right to decent housing.
On this occasion, media coverage increased considerably and the mobilizations were covered by most national newspapers, as well as television, news programs and other programs such as Caiga Quien Caiga,[71] or the 360 Degrees debate program, which featured the participation of a spokesperson for V de Vivienda. Thanks to this, the demonstrations and their demands had a greater impact than on previous occasions. The change in the economic cycle[72] and the first price drops for the first time in seven years[73] also achieved greater dissemination of news about housing.
On the contrary, these demonstrations were less massive than those on other occasions, and attendance figures remained at around 4,000 people in Madrid and 1,800 in Barcelona. They were also supported in other cities such as Seville, Bilbao, San Sebastián, Murcia and Valencia, with a smaller participation.[74][75][76].