Architectural Insights Shape Spain’s Rural Housing Debate
Architect Maria Paz Martín spoke before the Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda Commission on April 25, 2022, as part of a sequence of appearances aimed at helping MPs refine a new housing law. The draft had just entered Congress, and the process remained in presentation mode, with lawmakers who heard Martín now nearing a final version. Progress has been incremental, driven by political disagreements, yet work continues. In recent days, it is anticipated that the Assembly will participate as well, and the overall approval process could proceed or stall depending on how factions within PSOE, Unidas Podemos, ERC, and EH Bildu resolve their differences.
Martín is among researchers who contributed to a study on housing conditions in the “lands of the Cid” near Soria, one of Europe’s more densely populated rural zones, reported by EL PERIÓDICO DE ESPAÑA of the Prensa Ibérica group. In both the commission and subsequent meetings with the local community, the architect emphasized that rural areas urgently need rental housing due to scarce supply. She highlighted several pressing issues and patterns.
Practical observations pointed to a demand shift: people considering moving from city to countryside seek homes with land or plots, while currently on-the-market homes offer little appeal to prospective tenants. The housing market remains tight, with strong demand, limited supply, and a shortage of public housing. If a countryside home sits vacant, questions emerge about why it remains unrented when rural residents often view renting as viable. Owners worry about non-payment and potential property damage, especially when homes belong to older generations or relatives.
In the study, rental prices in smaller municipalities (fewer than 5,000 residents) average around 560 euros per month, while prices in non-residential areas can rise to about 1,400 euros per square meter in some cases.
The findings prompted Teruel Existe MP Tomás Guitarte to propose changes to the housing law in Congress. He stressed to EL PERIÓDICO DE ESPAÑA that the initial draft appears biased toward urban realities, effectively sidelining rural concerns. He underscored that rural areas, which host a sizable portion of the population dispersion, deserve particular attention.
Incentivo a la Vivienda Asequible
David Lucas, who previously held the Housing Secretary post at the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, coordinated with Guitarte before the summer. The deputy met with him twice, in May and June, to discuss how rural realities could be integrated into the draft as it stood, acknowledging that rural areas face more acute housing shortages. The sessions proved productive.
Lucas no longer holds the same position, having been promoted to Secretary of State within the ministry, but the commitments remain intact. The discussions have matured into concrete initiatives.
Overall, according to Teruel Existe sources, the new legislation aims to include tools that facilitate housing access through both state and regional measures, supporting efforts to counter population decline.
Among the proposed instruments is a program to promote low-price rental housing, including units owned privately or by third-sector entities. These homes would come under the oversight of competent authorities once they are allocated planning, financial, or other incentives. The goal is to offer affordable rental options for low-income individuals and families squeezed by market dynamics.
Draft language indicates that Article 25 would reference the aims of a new affordable housing fund, crafted with sensitivity to regional realities and especially to small municipalities facing aging and depopulation.
The fund would channel resources toward protecting households with fewer resources from eviction, expanding the stock of affordable and social housing, and setting minimum quotas for affordable housing within the existing rental stock. Under this approach, towns experiencing displacement and vacancy would gain a framework for social protection tied to housing.
Thus, programs would seek to subsidize affordable and social housing to stabilize prices and restore housing supply and demand where needed. The regional variance of urban, metropolitan, and rural markets would be acknowledged as a core governance criterion, ensuring that measures suit each local market.
In Article 17, the draft would include language, agreed upon by the Government and Teruel Existe, that acknowledges the specific needs of rural areas as part of the broader push to promote affordable housing and implement revitalization strategies, creating employment and activity in rural districts as a result.
Mercado Estresante
As the preliminary draft evolves, a range of measures continues to be activated to reflect regional realities.
The provisions on regional cooperation in housing policies stress that regional considerations must guide rehabilitation, refurbishment, and related upgrades. Social leasing and generally affordable housing would be encouraged in urban and metropolitan contexts, as well as in municipalities affected by depopulation.
Regionalism would shape economic and social policy, taking into account income levels, age, vulnerability, and service provision. State plans would be supported by a mix of measures, including financial tools, designed to improve access to decent housing for vulnerable individuals, families, and cohabiting households in both urban and rural areas.
Article 18 defines what constitutes a “stressful market” for housing and how it should be identified and addressed. Negotiations continue to refine this provision, with Teruel Existe and the Government agreeing to amend Article 5 to reflect regional diversity across urban, metropolitan, and rural contexts as the basis for plan development.
Recalling Maria Paz Martín’s opening remarks, the movement recognizes that Spain, despite population shifts, faces a stressed market. A regional focus on rural realities is seen as a practical path for rolling out legislative measures. The concept of rural regions as a management criterion extends to the management of large housing stocks (Article 28), where both state and regional authorities would oversee land development, rehabilitation concessions, and related processes while considering each region’s traits.
“Regional environment” appears as a guiding term throughout the draft, expanding the scope beyond major cities to apply broad housing policies across roughly eighty percent of Spanish territory.