The intersectional and sustainable impacts of housing movements: the Spanish case

This project analyses the development of the Spanish housing movement from 2009 to 2019 which stands out for the prominent political engagement of immigrants, women, and low-income citizens. These activists questioned existing housing policies and the neglected rights to domestic supplies of energy and water. All these claims have important implications for both defining inclusive housing policies and fulfilling the sustainable development goals set by the United Nations to be achieved by 2030. No study of housing movements has investigated the impacts of these joint intersectional and sustainable dimensions to date. Additionally, our project will investigate how the opportunities and constraints of the Spanish housing movement, and its achievements, were shaped by significant socio-political, economic, and urban contexts.

Our main research questions are:

1. How did vulnerable social groups (immigrants, women, and low-income people) become empowered through housing activism? What benefits did they get from their engagement?
2. To what extent have housing activists promoted sustainable goals and environmental justice in their demands of social housing, energy supplies, and measures dealing with the vacant stock?
3. What lessons can be learned from the Spanish case in order to know how migrant, female and poor housing activists have socio-political impacts on the democratic governance of housing policy? Why is the Spanish context of housing relevant for other countries?

Project start

2020-01-01

Funding

Formas

Researcher

Miguel A. Martínez, Professor in Sociology (Project Leader)