Urban transformations and transnational gentrification

The case of Pbolenou and Park i la Llacuna neighbourhoods (Barcelona).

Abstract

Access to housing and housing insecurity are some of the main concerns of many citizens living in large cities, not only in the Spanish context, but also in the European and international context. Particularly in cities such as Barcelona and Madrid, housing prices have not stopped rising since 2014. This increase in prices has resulted in the population having to spend an increasing proportion of their income on housing, which aggravates the anxiety about housing insecurity, especially among the most disadvantaged social groups, as well as intensifying the dynamics of urban vulnerability.

Cities such as Barcelona, Madrid, Paris, London, New York, Chiang Mai and Lisbon have established themselves as important economic, financial, logistical and innovation centers. Specifically, Barcelona has become a prominent space in southern Europe, attracting numerous investments in the field of modern technologies and the creation of start-ups. This process of restructuring and globalization has led, among other things, to the growing arrival of an international population with high levels of qualifications and medium and high incomes, significantly higher than the average for local citizens. This trend has intensified significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic, with the spread of remote work. In addition to this phenomenon, the high level of tourism in the city has contributed to significant tensions in the housing market, whether due to tourism (Cocola-Gant, 2016), work tourism (Cook, 2023) or digital nomadism (Vagena, 2021; Reichenberger, 2018). Digital nomadism consists of privileged mobility processes, where remote work, lifestyle and consumption opportunities are the main migratory motivation (Janoschka & Haas, 2013).

The confluence of all these processes, in the framework of the urban transformations developed in the area under the umbrella of the 22@ project, only exacerbates the dynamics of gentrification, in this case transnational, experienced by areas of the city of Barcelona, such as the Poblenou and Parc i la Llacuna neighborhoods.

The aim of this article is twofold: on the one hand, to analyse the role played by digital nomads in the socio-demographic and economic transformation of the neighborhoods of El Parc i la Llacuna and Poblenou, and their gentrification dynamics. And, on the other hand, to characterise the profile of this social group, with special emphasis on the motivations and interests that prevail to settle in these neighbourhoods.

The work combines qualitative and quantitative analysis quantitative analysis, to favour a more integrated analysis of quantitative and qualitative data (Moscoloni, 2005), which facilitates the thematic deepening and a better approach to the object of study. The main data collection techniques developed have been: i) A statistical-descriptive statistical-descriptive analysis, based on official secondary data; ii) A questionnaire with open-ended questions, aimed at people with a profile of transnational migrants and nomads profile, to give a preliminary profile of their characteristics; iii) And a group interview, which delves deeper into the dimensions of the study, such as the dimensions of the study, such as the socio-economic profile of the migrant, the motivation for migration with regard to the motivation for migration in relation to consumption habits, lifestyle and personal experience, and the and personal experience, and the perception of gentrification, related to access to housing and relationship with residents.

The main results of this work are incipient evidence that in the neighbourhoods of Parc i la Llacuna and Poblenou transnational gentrification processes are beginning to be observed, linked to digital nomadism and the expatriation of businesses (expats), which coexist with the more consolidated gentrification dynamics related to touristification and urban renewal. The confluence of these processes, coupled with financial speculation and lack of housing supply, mainly social housing, leads to rising housing prices, rents or shortages of supply, which intensifies important changes in the traditional dynamics of employment, housing and socio-demographic and urban transformation in these contexts. These changes translate into tensions and conflicts on issues such as housing availability and access, social cohesion and urban sustainability. The empirical data also provide nuances on the problematisation of the profile of digital nomads or expats, pointing firstly to the diversity of this group. The data analysed portray young people between the ages of 20 and 30, students and workers, from privileged countries. However, their testimonies also echo how they suffer from the dynamics of precariousness, both in terms of housing and work, which distinguishes them from elites from high-value sectors, and invites us to ponder their influence on the rise of the real estate market and the generation of enclaves of gentrifying foreigners (López-Gay, 2020).