Right to Housing: Street Action and Panel Discussion, Madrid
Más Madrid, the Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament, and organisers of the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) on the Right to Housing are launching a public street action in central Madrid on 24 September to bring awareness to the housing crisis in Spain and engage the public on practical solutions.
A life-size inflatable flat will be installed in one of the city's main squares as a visual way of denouncing the dire housing situation, raising awareness about the crisis and, importantly, calling for concrete political action. The structure will later travel to further locations in Madrid, and then to Italy and Croatia, as part of a wider European campaign on the right to housing.
Inside the full-scale pilot inflatable apartment
Public activities will include guessing the price of a 28m² flat in Madrid, as a way to make the housing crisis tangible and accessible while also giving people tangible ways to engage.
Alongside the launch, a panel discussion will take place from 12.00 to 14.00 (local time) where panelists will discuss connecting the housing crisis to concrete solutions. IHRB's Ainara Fernandez will be participating alongside:
- Alexander Throm HouseEurope! European Citizens' Initiative
- CAES Representative
- Jorge Nacarino, FRAVM
- Susana Huertas Moya, General Secretary of UGT Madrid
- Paloma Lopez Bermejo, General Secretary of CCOO Madrid
- Rita Maestre, Councillor and Spokesperson for Más Madrid
- Manuela Bergerot, Member of Parliament and Spokesperson MM
This event is happening at the same time as The District, a major real-estate and investment convention taking place in Madrid, while civil society organisations working on housing will also be gathering for the first assembly of Housing Not Profit, making it a significant moment for public debate on housing affordability, the right to housing and, and alternatives to the financialisation of housing in Spain and across Europe.
