Squatting movements and urban public policies: the cases of Madrid, Barcelona and Bilbao

open access articleThe aim of the article is to identify the impacts of the squatting movement on public policies in Spain (1984-2018). Through the hermeneutics of social processes, three cases are compared (Barcelona, Madrid and Bilbao). Qualitative and quantitative data of the following variables are analyzed: history of movement, types of squatting, number of squatting, visibility, institutionalization and changes in local governments. This is an original study: the impacts of social movements do not usually appear in the academic production of public policies and experts in social movements have rarely been interested in the specific effects of collective action on policies. The result of the research is that the squat movement affects decision-makers, through innovations and creativity, which materialize in new housing, cultural, social or youth policies. This phenomenon is rooted in urban conflicts, over which the squat movement deliberately or indirectly exerts pressure as a collateral effect of a disruptive action. The squatting experiences are different in the three cities, there are changes and continuities during the periods studied and diversity in the level of institutionalization and in the relations between movement and authorities