A vicious circle: how the roof blew off Spains housing crisis

Ciutat Vella, the old city of Barcelona, was once quirky and mysterious. Now it has become a parody of itself, a place from which the local population has been exiled in the interests of tourism and maturing investments. Doorways have sprouted combination key safes, a telltale sign of an apartment given over to tourist lets. A 100-year-old apothecary and shirtmaker that stood on La Rambla for two centuries have been replaced by shops selling flamenco dolls and ceramic bulls. Barcelona’s Ciutat Vella. Photograph: travelstock44/Alamy Cities across Spain tell a similar story of slow transformation at the hands of property speculation

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