Forced Eviction Carried Out
The Barcelona City Council has evicted residents from a long-standing shantytown located beside Avinguda de Vallcarca in the Gràcia district, reclaiming a plot of mixed public and private ownership. The action follows a judicially authorised forced eviction after an administrative procedure declared the site as substandard housing and the occupants declined to leave voluntarily. The eviction enables the construction of the Parc Central de Vallcarca, a major green space project first proposed in 2002 and reactivated in 2015. The council aims to complete the park and two new social housing buildings before the end of the current municipal term in 2027.
Political Approval and Social Concerns
The eviction was approved by the city’s Security Commission on 20th February 2025, following a proposal by the Partido Popular (PP) to clear the informal settlement under the Vallcarca viaduct. The motion passed with support from PP, Vox, and Junts, while BComú and ERC opposed it and the PSC abstained. Local neighbourhood associations had long warned that displacement was inevitable and urged the council to provide housing alternatives for the affected families, most of whom are of Roma-Romanian origin and live in extreme vulnerability. Six minors were among the approximately 30 people who resided across the shantytown and two nearby occupied municipal properties. The council states all evictions are conducted in coordination with Social Services, though it has not detailed the specific support measures for those displaced. Many of the evicted individuals also lost their livelihoods, as they worked in scrap metal collection and used the site to store materials.
The clearance of this settlement was only a matter of time, but the lack of advance housing solutions raises serious concerns about social exclusion.
Long-Delayed Urban Renewal
The Vallcarca redevelopment plan dates back to 2002 under former mayor Joan Clos, envisioning a green boulevard from Plaça de Lesseps to the viaduct. Early demolitions included the iconic La Casita Blanca in 2011, but the project stalled due to the real estate crisis, leaving behind derelict land where informal settlements grew. The current administration under Mayor Jaume Collboni has revived the plan under a 2015 modification of the General Metropolitan Plan (MPGM). Initial works, including a new basketball court on the opposite side of the viaduct, are already underway and do not affect occupied areas. Future phases include completing expropriations and demolitions on the lower section of Avinguda de Vallcarca between Ballester and Agramunt streets before 2027, paving the way for the green boulevard in the next municipal term.
Sources: El Periódico, Ajuntament de Barcelona.
