Books
The Housing Problem in Spain
In an era of incessant confrontation – when misinformation, conflict and and polarization reign – public opinion barely even agrees on the challenges to address. But recent times have seen the spread of a certain unanimity on housing. We are stunned by the proliferation of articles, congresses, and books that analyze the same causes to offer disparate solutions, while prices keep soaring and a basic good is ever more unattainable.
Journalists, politicians, and professors habitually put forward proselytizing remedies, but we less often hear the voice of an expert: an opinion not free of ideology, but endorsed by experience in public administration and grounded on facts. Javier Burón begins with a walk through the country’s real-estate history, from the Spain of proprietors to ‘all’s going well’ or ‘we’re not like Greece,’ including errors, successes, and lost opportunities. Although his diagnosis – demand exceeds supply – is common knowledge, his solutions are more rigorous than simply building more.
But this work stands out in its sincerity, simplicity, and syncretism: it makes clear that the problem is a difficult one requiring time and money; despite a technical bent the arguments are intelligible; and it advocates head-on for state regulation and permanent subsidies, without vilifying the market nor ruling out collaboration with the private sector. More realistic than optimistic, with no magical mantras, its approach does not solve the problem, but it gives nuance to the motto of many: more, but especially better, housing.
