Desposesión de vivienda y crisis social en Canarias

Resum

Spain was one of the more affected regions of the Global North after the financial crash. Nevertheless, some regions of the country suffer its effects acutely than others. This paper focuses its analysis on the Canary Islands, one of the Spanish regions with a weaker socioeconomic background before 2007 crisis and which population suffered seriously the impact housing dispossession during the crisis period. Using foreclosures data provided by the Spanish General Council of the Judiciary we explore its uneven spatial distribution –by means of a rate that relates number of foreclosures in an area with its resident population– at inter‐ and intra‐insular scales. Additionally, we reflect on critical factors used to explain the impact of foreclosuses and its effects on social vulnerable groups. Our study contributes to a better understanding of the geographical and social dimension of the real estate crisis in the Canaries. We acknowledge that islands with a high dedication to tourism, experience the highest foreclosures rates. An intra‐insular analysis reveals that the highest foreclosures rates occurs in the two capitals of the region and also in areas high‐specialized in tourism. Same findings were observed in studies focused on other regions. Nevertheless, this papers put into context the effects of foreclosures on spaces characterized by high precarity, vulnerability and social exclusion, before and after the crisis.