METROHAB - Metropolitan Housing Governance in Spain
Description
The METROHAB dataset is an open-access resource on metropolitan housing governance in Spain. It compiles and systematizes updated data for 2024 on institutional instruments addressing housing governance across the 47 Functional Urban Areas (FUA) defined by Eurostat and the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE). Building upon the project METROGOV – Metropolitan Governance in Spain: Institutionalization and Models (PID2019-106931GA-I00, Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation), this database expands its scope by including additional instruments, actors, and territorial scales. The main objective is to identify active metropolitan governance tools related to housing and to classify them according to their institutionalization level and territorial reach. The dataset relies on official administrative sources (Local Entity Register, General Inventory of Public Sector Entities, regional official bulletins, spatial and housing plans, and European urban programs) and has been validated through documentary review and cross-referencing with academic literature. Dataset structure (with variables included): Identification of each instrument (official name, year of creation, legal basis, territorial scope); Type of instrument (metropolitan government, intermunicipal association, consortium, agency, territorial plan, strategic plan, association, etc.); Competences and relation to housing policies; Autonomous Community and corresponding Functional Urban Area (FUA). Geographical coverage: Spain (47 Functional Urban Areas according to Eurostat) Temporal coverage: 2019–2024 Language: Spanish Recommended use: The dataset is designed for researchers, urban planners, and policy-makers interested in comparative metropolitan governance, housing policy evaluation, and supralocal institutional coordination.
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Each type of governance instrument was reviewed and updated using a combination of official administrative sources and bibliographic resources. The identification and verification process was carried out through several complementary steps, as detailed below. For Metropolitan Governments, Metropolitan Agencies, and Legislative Frameworks, the research reviewed the official websites and bulletins (Diarios Oficiales) of the 17 Autonomous Communities to identify active institutional arrangements with explicit or delegated competences in housing policy. For Metropolitan Areas and Associations of Municipalities (including a minimum of three municipalities), data were obtained from the Registro de Entidades Locales (Register of Local Entities) of the Spanish Ministry of Finance and Public Administration (https://ssweb.seap.minhap.es/REL/). Based on this source, a detailed analysis was conducted for each Autonomous Community and province. For Consortia, Municipal Associations, and Public or Mixed Enterprises serving at least three municipalities, the research relied on the Inventario General de Entes del Sector Público (General Inventory of Public Sector Entities) of the Ministry of Finance. Finally, regarding Spatial and Urban Plans, which fall under the responsibility of the Autonomous Communities and/or municipalities, the study systematically reviewed the official sections of the regional departments of urban planning and territorial development across all 17 regions, identifying those plans involving at least three municipalities within each Functional Urban Area (FUA). All collected data were cross-checked for accuracy, harmonized according to a standardized metadata structure, and integrated into the METROHAB dataset to ensure consistency, comparability, and replicability.
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Funders
- Universitat Autònoma de BarcelonaSpainGrant ID: This research has been supported by the 2024 Research Grant by the Càtedra Barcelona d’Estudis d’Habitatge (CBEH), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, awarded under the Annual Programme of Research Grants and Aid 2024.