€412 Million Investment to Transform 20 Municipalities
The Catalan government will invest €412 million to renew 20 of the region's most run-down neighbourhoods, benefiting an estimated 273,519 residents. The initiative, announced by President Salvador Illa and Interior Minister Núria Parlon in Mataró on Friday, marks the first phase of a long-term urban regeneration strategy expected to continue until at least 2029.
In this initial 2025 call, 83 municipalities from 30 comarques submitted proposals. After evaluation, 20 were selected based on their plans to improve low-income areas through physical redevelopment, ecological transition, and community action. The regional government is contributing €232.71 million, 56% of the total, with local councils providing the remainder, typically just under half of each project’s cost.
Barcelona Region Receives Most Projects
The Barcelona administrative region receives the highest number of interventions, with projects in Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Barcelona, Santa Perpètua de Mogoda, Mataró, and Sant Joan Despí. Other regions include Girona (Olot, Figueres, Girona), Central Catalonia (Vic, Manresa, Solsona), Terres de l’Ebre (Tortosa, Amposta), Alt Pirineu and Aran (La Seu d’Urgell, La Pobla de Segur), Camp de Tarragona (Reus, Tarragona), Lleida (Lleida, Torrelameu), and Penedès (Calafell).
Municipalities with more than 20,000 inhabitants can receive up to €25 million in total project funding, while smaller towns below that threshold are capped at €12.5 million.
“The neighbourhood is the heart of Catalonia, the starting point of life. This is where we shape our model of society,” said President Illa at the launch event.
Local Offices and Oversight Committees to Be Created
All 20 winning municipalities must establish a local neighbourhood office, a dedicated management team that will coordinate with the government’s commissioner for neighbourhoods. Parallel to this, monitoring and evaluation committees will be formed, including representatives from the Generalitat, the respective town hall, and local associations.
Examples of planned interventions include Olot’s €25 million historic centre rehabilitation, supported by €15 million from the government, which will upgrade housing, boost commercial activity, and deliver new public facilities such as a library, cultural centre, and health clinic. In La Pobla de Segur, €9.3 million from the state will fund both urban improvements and industrial zone renewal across the entire municipality.
Next Call Opens in May 2026
The next funding round will open in May 2026, open to all Catalan municipalities. Those already receiving funds for a specific neighbourhood cannot reapply for the same area but may submit proposals for other zones. Government sources confirmed the investment will continue in future rounds regardless of changes to the regional budget.
The plan aims not only to upgrade infrastructure but also to reduce perceptions of insecurity in neglected urban areas and counter social fragmentation exploited by far-right political narratives. Ripoll, governed by Sílvia Orriols of Aliança Catalana, did not submit a proposal for inclusion in this round.
Reported by diaridegirona.cat, Diari de Girona.
