• "Arrel" is a project led by the Generalitat (Catalan Government) to try to alleviate depopulation through housing in more than 180 Valencian municipalities.
• The project is in the phase of establishing a diagnosis of the state of the housing and its real relationship with depopulation.

"Empty Spain," municipalities "at risk of depopulation," "young people fleeing"… Labels and diagnoses are real, but specific solutions are not so real. Therefore, some public and private administrations and projects have recently decided to put a face and data on the problem of population decline in areas already with lower population density and try to tackle it once and for all.

This is the case of the Valencian Community, where the Second Vice-Presidency and Ministry of Housing and Bioclimatic Architecture has launched an important project focused on housing: Arrel .

Arrel is an initiative to "characterize the municipalities, understand their general services, have all the information and incorporate existing housing, its availability, and thus be able to define mobilization strategies," as Nuria Matarredona, Director of Ecological Innovation in Construction, told the National Rural Network ( RRN ).

This plan involves more than 180 municipalities belonging to the Municipal Cooperation Fund for the Fight against Depopulation of the municipalities of the Valencian Community .

Strategy

Arrel 's goal is to "focus on the necessary revitalization of the housing stock and provide it with the necessary mechanisms," says Matarredona. It's about finding formulas to apply to public or private housing based on knowledge. "What's innovative is that we're willing to listen, develop strategies and mechanisms" to reactivate the stock and secure the population .

In this way, Arrel develops plans tailored to the needs of each locality, communicating with administrations, associations, and other stakeholders. "Well-tested plans for urban environments may not work the same in such municipalities. It's important to know what's happening in each location."

They are currently in the analysis and understanding phase, but will present a first phase of results between March and April 2023. A consolidated strategic document agreed upon by all involved parties will be released next summer.

Precise actions

However, the Valencian government estimates that the measures to be taken will include interventions such as improving revitalization policies by promoting aid for housing rentals , assistance for renovation and conservation, accessibility improvement policies , and other measures yet to be defined.

The characterization of the municipalities is based on the following criteria:

• Basic territorial and population characterization that, among other things, displays population density, the existence of seasonal population, and the distance to the nearest provincial capital.

• Characterization of economic activity and type of employment : existence of land banks, industrial land and buildings, banking services, and administrative concessions. Existing educational, social, health, and cultural services and, if none exist, their accessibility by distance to the nearest municipality:

• Digital connectivity .

• Transportation services available.

• Publicly owned housing available.

• Cultural and environmental resources .

• Employment opportunities and economic activity .

The Directorate General is clear that improving housing alone will not make progress or halt depopulation. "What we are achieving is identifying whether the problem is housing-related or something else." "With Arrel , we will be much more capable of influencing policies that are not solely related to housing." Thus, with this approach to real estate, they aim to focus on "a structuring right (that of housing) on which all other problems are articulated." They hope that by improving the housing stock, other problems will ultimately be solved.

Members and financing

Along with the Valencian authorities, a Temporary Business Association (UTE) is participating in the project, acting as technical assistance. It is comprised of four cooperatives: Carpe Estudio , Crearqció , El Rogle , and Fent Studi . In addition, the General Directorate is collaborating with the Valencian Anti-Depopulation Agenda ( AVANT ) and the Valencian Federation of Municipalities and Provinces ( FVMP ).