A study by ICTA-UAB warns that Sant Boi de Llobregat is one of the municipalities in the Barcelona metropolitan area at greatest risk of experiencing climate gentrification, a process that displaces vulnerable populations.
The Barcelona metropolitan area is facing a new phenomenon: climate gentrification. A study by the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB) has identified the most vulnerable municipalities, and Sant Boi de Llobregat is among them. The research, presented this week, reveals that peripheral areas with more green spaces and good transport connections are those that could experience the most intense transformation, with the consequent risk of displacing their residents.
An interactive map to anticipate change
The tool, developed within the ClimateJusticeReady project and led by the Barcelona Lab for Urban Environmental Justice and Sustainability (BCNUEJ), allows users to check the risk of each neighbourhood and census section of 36 metropolitan municipalities. The index integrates data on heat exposure, access to green spaces, social vulnerability, building age, and public facilities. For the first time, all this information can be visualised simply and for free, without the need to cross-reference complex databases.
According to the researchers at ICTA-UAB, the map was created to help administrations, community entities, and citizens anticipate how climate change may transform the housing market. “We want it to be a useful tool for urban planning and housing policies,” project sources explain. The platform is already available openly so that anyone can check the situation in their neighbourhood.
The risk shifts to the metropolitan periphery
One of the most surprising findings of the study is that vulnerability does not concentrate in established urban centres, but in peripheral municipalities with a greater presence of green spaces and lower urban density. Sant Boi de Llobregat, along with Badia del Vallès, Sant Adrià de Besòs, Castelldefels, Torrelles de Llobregat, and Valldoreix (in Sant Cugat del Vallès), appears as one of the most sensitive areas. These localities, due to their characteristics, could become preferred destinations for those seeking to escape extreme heat and high prices in central Barcelona.
The climate gentrification process occurs when investments to adapt cities to climate change — such as creating parks, rehabilitating buildings, or improving public spaces — increase land and housing values. This attracts residents with higher purchasing power and ultimately displaces vulnerable populations. “If preventive policies are not designed, these territories could reproduce population replacement processes similar to those already observed in other cities,” warn the researchers.
What implications does it have for the residents of Sant Boi?
For the residents of Sant Boi de Llobregat, the study serves as a wake-up call. The municipality combines good transport connections to Barcelona, extensive green areas like the Muntanyeta park, and an urban fabric with homes of varying ages. These characteristics make it attractive to new investors, but also vulnerable to rising rental prices. The researchers emphasise that the tool allows for comparisons of each neighbourhood with the rest of the metropolitan area, facilitating the identification of areas where housing and rehabilitation policies need to act with greater urgency.
The study also breaks with the traditional idea that gentrification only affects urban centres. “The metropolitan periphery is becoming a new front for urban transformation,” state sources from ICTA-UAB. In this context, the Sant Boi City Council has already shown interest in the results of the map to incorporate them into its urban and social planning. The councillor for Urbanism, consulted by this newspaper, has indicated that measures will be studied to protect the most vulnerable groups, such as limiting rental prices in stressed areas or promoting public housing.
The ClimateJusticeReady project, funded by the European Research Council, will continue to update the map's data with new climate and demographic variables. For now, the residents of Sant Boi can check the index on the BCNUEJ website and learn about the specific risk in their neighbourhood. The experts' recommendation is clear: “The sooner action is taken, the easier it will be to prevent climate change from exacerbating existing inequalities.”
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