Recent Demographic Change and Housing in Spain: Towards a New Housing System?

Abstract

This article addresses the relationship between population and housing in
Spain by using an interpretative approach based on demographic
techniques. The main aims are to ascertain the rapid recent development
in the Spanish housing system, and to explore how it will fare in the near
future. To do so, some arguments are presented for the need to analyse
housing systems from a comparative perspective. The situation in Spain in
the international context is analysed, and the dynamics and change in the
Spanish housing system are dealt with empirically. The empirical analysis
highlights that it is important to take into account temporal dimensions,
particularly age. It is confirmed that a new stage of extremely low demand
for main residences is currently emerging, which may be aggravated by
the current economic crisis and its effects on family formation. In addition,
rental is identified as an option for enabling young people to have access
to housing, and thus home ownership is questioned as the prevailing
feature of the Spanish housing system in the future.