There are buildings in Barcelona that not only hold stories within them but also fight tooth and nail to keep the residents who bring them to life. At 20 Llançà Street, the beautiful Modernist façade of the Bloc Papallona is witnessing a new and tense chapter: its residents announced on Thursday the start of a rent strike. The intention behind this drastic measure is to pressure City Hall to acquire or expropriate the property, thereby halting the plans of the investment fund that owns it, which they accuse of wanting to clear out the building to transform it into a large-scale shared housing complex.
Four of the six apartments still occupied in the building—designed by architect Josep Graner—have joined the protest with the support of the Sindicat d’Habitatge Socialista. The tenants are demanding that the city government take over the building at “zero profit” so that the owner, New Amsterdam Developers (NAD), does not see “a single penny.” “We can no longer continue to finance those who are evicting us from our homes,” they assert. Meanwhile, city officials confirm that they are closely monitoring the case and note that, for the time being, the company categorically refuses to negotiate.
The Echo of Casa Orsola and the Citizen Mobilization
The struggle of the Bloc Papallona, located just a few meters from the Las Arenas shopping center, is not new, although for a time it took a back seat in the media. Its situation was overshadowed by the protracted battle over Casa Orsola, a case that dominated the headlines until, in February 2025, the City Council purchased that building for nine million euros through the organization Hàbitat3.
Seeking a similar outcome, the tenants on Llançà Street have been speaking out for months against what they describe as “real estate harassment.” Along the way, they have managed to halt some eviction orders thanks to the intervention of the Barcelona Ombudsman, and last June, they collected more than 1,500 signatures of support, backed by well-known cultural figures such as filmmaker Isabel Coixet and actor David Verdaguer.
Unpermitted construction and the property’s wall
For its part, the municipal administration emphasizes that it has attempted to mediate with New Amsterdam Developers by offering to include the apartments in the city’s public rental housing pool—with all the benefits the system offers to owners—but the response has been a stonewall.
The City Council, which maintains constant contact with those affected, has not stood idly by in the face of the building’s deteriorating physical condition. As a result of this monitoring, the council has opened as many as three disciplinary proceedings against the property owner for carrying out construction work without the proper permits or for causing damage to the building’s structure during various phases of the work. Despite the penalties and growing pressure from the neighborhood, there is still no dialogue with the property owner.
“ground zero”
