Around 800 people live in Madrid’s Colonia Experimental de Villaverde, a group of 408 flats built in 1957 as temporary accommodation. Residents face damp in shared areas, cracks in buildings, low ceilings and unpaved streets, while the estate’s planned demolition and redevelopment have yet to begin, according to the source report.
Architect José Luis López, who advises residents, describes it as Madrid’s worst neighbourhood. He points to entrances below street level, asbestos roofing and lead pipes. The city has classified the homes as substandard housing.
The 28 blocks were built by the Obra Sindical del Hogar to house people arriving in Madrid from Andalusia, Extremadura and La Mancha. The buildings were intended to be temporary, and some flats measure as little as 28 square metres. Many residents initially paid toward eventual ownership; most homes are now privately owned, while the regional Social Housing Agency retains around 10%.
Residents have campaigned for improvements since the 1980s. In 2014, their neighbourhood committee called for demolition and replacement homes rather than rehabilitation. The city approved an initial redevelopment plan in 2016, followed by a protocol in 2017 that included grants of at least €30,000 per home. A reparcelling process was approved in 2020, but construction did not follow.
In September 2024, the city defined a comprehensive renewal plan to demolish and rebuild all 28 blocks, with 88% of the cost to be covered by the city, the regional government and the national housing ministry. The first phase concerns 36 homes in three buildings on Monterde and Escandón streets.
On 19 October 2026, the regional government authorised an agreement for that initial phase. The project is valued at nearly €5 million and would replace the 36 flats with homes carrying an A energy rating. Residents are expected to receive temporary accommodation in the area and return to their homes once the work is complete. The municipal housing company, EMVS, is due to receive €455,232 to carry out the works, which are co-financed through the State Housing Access Plan 2022–25.
Residents have been offered €833 for temporary accommodation, an amount they consider inadequate. Juan Durán, 71, and Manuela Quintana, 69, say they are worried about the cost of moving and where they will live during construction. They had already taken on debt to buy and renovate their home and hope to return to the neighbourhood.
The source report also highlights concerns about damp, lead pipes and asbestos. Residents say they want officials, including King Felipe VI, regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso and Madrid mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida, to visit the estate and see conditions inside the homes.
Sources: Xataka.