E_Sysmans Gentrification and Air Quality
Problem 1: Gentrification and Tourism
In Barcelona the housing crisis is not helped by tourists buying up apartments that stay empty most of the year. This not only contributes to gentrification but also prevents locals from living in their city.
“Foreigners bought more than 87,000 houses in Spain last year, out of a total of 583,000 transactions. This means that almost 15% of the homes sold ended up in the hands of a buyer of non-Spanish nationality, which represents a record in the historical series.”
Subtopics:
Income inequality
Community cohesion
Problem 2: Air pollution
Air pollution is an issue globally but in with the hot summers and on going drought in Barcelona only makes this issue worse. Air pollution not only is bad for people but the environment as a whole.
“The general idea is to bestricter with emission limits. For example, when it comes to setting limits for each pollutant, the most restrictive options have always been chosen. Along these lines, a threshold has been established for volatile organic compounds (VOCs), a pollutant that until now was not regulated and that generates the tropospheric ozone (O3)”
EU to sue Spain over failure to curb air pollution in Barcelona and Madrid (catalannews.com)
“Spain has been in the EU’s sights for concerns over air pollution in the cities since 2015. In 2017, Brussels threatened Spain with legal action if it did not take action.”
Air pollution in the city | Barcelona Metròpolis | Barcelona City Council
Heat island effect
Air quality sensor