The mayor of Bilbao, Juan Mari Aburto, has stated that Bilbao's declaration as a high-pressure area is "another step" towards making "affordable" housing available, primarily to young people.
Aburto referred to the Basque Government's Department of Housing declaring Bilbao a high-pressure area at an official ceremony held on Thursday in the Arab Hall of Bilbao City Hall, which was attended by the Minister for Housing and Urban Agenda, Denis Itxaso, and the Mayor of Bilbao, Juan Mari Aburto.
The mayor acknowledged that declaring the area a high-pressure zone "is not the solution, but it is a further step towards ensuring that housing has the social character it should have and that we can make affordable housing available, both for rent and for purchase, primarily to young people".
He also stated that it is "another step towards trying to limit rental prices, which have risen significantly in recent years".