Addressing Threats Through Organization. Neighborhood Associations’ Perspectives and Strategies on the Socio-residential Issues in Vulnerable Areas

Abstract

Within the framework of a research on social and residential vulnerability, qualitative contributions drawn from associations are particularly relevant, as are the perspectives offered by representatives of the local public administration. Moreover, in the context of the current COVID-19 socio sanitary crisis, it is worth contrasting the capacity for response and the strategies adopted by local organizations in Barcelona neighborhoods. Within a competitive project focusing on the study of urban regeneration projects in vulnerable neighborhoods, the goal of this article is to provide context for the current social and residential issues of five Barcelona neighborhoods. To this end, it collects the perspectives of local associations on their neighborhoods. Special attention is given to how and whether the roles and perspectives of these organizations have been altered by the current crisis, and what tools they use to face the most pressing problems. Interviews with different neighborhood leaders are provided alongside interviews with representatives of the local administration. Each side offers its vision of the most common challenges and opportunities, which are centered on the ever-present factors of social exclusion and migration issues. Furthermore, this article presents some of the strategies neighborhood associations use to face the problems intensified by the current crisis. The main conclusions of this qualitative study allow us to reflect on the importance of having powerful methodological tools in order to analyze the degree of organization and citizen involvement.