In an interview, the mayor reflected on the housing situation following the establishment of stressed areas. He believes there is no "single solution" and describes the situation as "difficult, but not impossible".
The mayor mentioned "positive things" such as "capping prices" but also "negative ones" like "the rental market in Donostia has ended". He explained that "it was already a scarce market, but this law has contracted it even further because many owners have withdrawn their flats from the market, which in Donostialdea is already minimal or non-existent". However, he added that it is necessary to "allow some time to see how it evolves".
The mayor of San Sebastián acknowledged that city councils should make more land available for public housing and affirmed that his main concern is "facilitating access to affordable housing so that people can develop a life project in the city".
“"And for this, there are two conditions: first, to be agile in the development of new promotions with free, subsidized, and protected housing to create cohesive neighborhoods that respond to the middle class. And second, to be bold in the built city, for example, by segregating large flats where more and more people live alone, or by transforming commercial premises into housing."
On the other hand, the mayor does not believe there is "any major chaos" in San Sebastián's Old Town due to tourism and pointed out that it is an "unstoppable" phenomenon and that "it is time to have our own management tools".
Regarding security, concerning the publication of the origin of detainees, he noted that security management and competence in Euskadi belong to the Basque Government, but "each city has its strategy". "In Donostia, we promote the Euskal Polizia, the collaboration of the Ertzaintza with the Municipal Police, because with it the data improves. And the model of the Basque Police, the common strategy, is to provide complete information, to treat citizens as adults. That is why in Donostia we report the origin," he added.
