The rise in rent prices is one of the issues that most worries housing experts. The difference between salaries and rent prices means that many people have a hard time accessing decent housing or are facing eviction.
In order to discuss possible solutions to burst this bubble, the DESC Observatory, with the support of the Barcelona City Council, will hold on Monday, November 18 a conference on the regulation of rent prices. This platform, made up of organisations and individuals, promotes economic, social and cultural rights as fundamental rights.
International experts will participate in the rent regulation conference, presenting actions being carried out to stop price escalation in cities like New York and Berlin.
More specifically, the discussion will feature two international speakers, Lucy Joffe, an expert in housing policies and regulation from New York, and Florian Schmidt, an urban activist and politician who will explain the Berlin case.
Lucy Joffe is the Deputy Commissioner for Housing Policy at the New York Department of Housing Preservation and Development. From this position, she carries out research and evaluation actions for fair housing policies and investments and develops special policies and initiatives.
For his part, the sociologist and urban project developer, urban activist and politician Florian Schmidt will share his experiences as head of urban planning for the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg neighbourhood in Berlin, as well as the “Rethinking the city” initiative, launched in 2011.
In addition, the urban planner Maria Sisternas, spokesperson of the Jaime Palomera Tenants Union, and the journalist Marina Estévez of Eldiario.es will participate in the round table. The event will be attended by the Councillor for Housing and Renovation of the Barcelona City Council, Lucia Martín.
The rent regulation conference will take place next Monday, November 18, from 6 pm to 8.30 pm, at the ICAB (Barcelona Bar Association), on Carrer Mallorca 283, floor 8. Those wishing to attend can register through this form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfLpoFN1d19nPPWmaY57DV9orS5bZ-deYFVvf-uue-EKFBOKQ/viewform