The Grup Balear d’Ornitologia i Defensa de la Naturalesa (GOB) raises the need to stop the construction of new housing and infrastructure in the Balearic Islands. This is the report Impactes sobre el treball de la transició ecosocial a les Illes Balears, prepared by the cooperative Garúa at the request of the environmental organization, which has incorporated it as the basis of its action strategy for the coming years.
The document, presented last Friday, argues that “in the Balearic Islands there is no need to build more houses” and links the current crisis of access to housing with the tourism model developed since the sixties. According to Margalida Ramis, spokesperson for the GOB, the report offers “a roadmap to move towards tourism degrowth and a more sustainable model,” she said in an interview with Última Hora .
The report’s diagnosis points out that tourism activity has acted as a “demographic sucker”, generating structural pressure on the territory and on the real estate market. Therefore, the GOB proposes an urban planning moratorium that includes both new housing and infrastructure associated with transport, and proposes to reverse the projects pending approval or not yet executed.
Among the measures proposed, the document advocates revitalizing the public housing stock, mobilizing vacant apartments and prioritizing rehabilitation over construction. It also warns about the effects of gentrification caused by some urban reforms, which have made certain areas more expensive and displaced the resident population. In this sense, the text proposes to promote cooperative housing models as an affordable and sustainable access alternative.
Infrastructure and transportation
The report also analyzes the state of public infrastructure, and concludes that no new airport or port expansions are needed. In the road sector, it recommends focusing efforts on the maintenance and repair of existing roads.
The only exception to the general moratorium would be the railroad, which is considered a strategic infrastructure due to its capacity to unite the territory and reduce the use of private vehicles.
Feasibility and context
Asked about the viability of the measures, Margalida Ramis said that, given the current environmental and social crisis, “what is not feasible is to do nothing”. According to the spokeswoman, the report seeks to open a public debate on the economic and territorial model of the islands, with the aim of reorienting development towards criteria of sustainability and social equity.
With this initiative, the GOB aims to place on the political agenda the need to review urban growth and limit tourist expansion to ensure a balance between the territory, population and natural resources.
