Since the burst of the GFC Barcelona has been at the forefront of social innovations and political changes in relation to housing struggles, urban governance and local housing policies. The radical left government coalition, Barcelona en Comu, that emerged in 2015 was a core reference for the New Municipalist governance model, adopting -and experimenting with- rights-based housing policies, often inspired – or promoted – by movement claims and practices.
The articulation between grassroots claims and practices and municipal policies (providing institutional support and resources), has also allowed for the maturing of alternative visions of housing as commons and alternative collective ownership models. Movements in Barcelona contribute to a dynamic and interactive understanding of the articulation between crises, movements and the structural transformations of housing under financial capitalism.