Spain: Recovery in mind
Respondents from Spain visit their town and city centres much more frequently than those from other countries. 21% said they visit daily, more than anywhere else.
They are most likely to visit to go shopping, either for groceries or fashion. However, 47% said they would visit for nightlife and restaurants, more than in any other country. This was closely followed by leisure and open spaces.
Despite this comparatively high level of use, Spanish adults have a lot of concerns about their town and city centres. 58% said they were very concerned with the number of empty shops, 63% with the decrease in local independent stores and 69% with pollution, all more than in any of the other countries surveyed.
Spain was one of the hardest hit countries during the financial crisis of 2008, and unemployment rate peaked at 26% in 2013, according to Statista. Though the country has recovered, many towns and cities were left with vacant retail, a challenge exacerbated by the rise in online retail during the pandemic.
Spain’s focus on renewing its town and city centres is evidenced by the organisation of the first Spain Urban Forum, which was held in October 2021.
Opened by the Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, it addressed the topic “cities and territories in the social and economic recovery”, with measures including the housing rehabilitation.
Spain’s recovery and resilience plan consists of 112 investments and more than 100 reforms, with the support of EUR 69.5bn in grants spent in large part on climate objectives and digital transition.
Shipra Narang Suri, Chief of the Urban Practices Branch of UN-Habitat which jointly organised the event, said in a keynote speech: “The pandemic is an historic opportunity to build back better. The model that we were having does not work anymore, especially for the most vulnerable.”
Given the high use of town and city centres by our respondents, as well as the high level of concerns, any work to build back better will be welcomed.
