Barcelona, ??does not escape the phenomenon of gentrification, a problem that affects large cities. Gentrification has been defined as the process based on the displacement of residents from one neighborhood or from one area to another accompanied by a revaluation of the buildings and a social transformation of the neighborhoods.

One of the main causes of gentrification is tourism. If it is sustainable, it can be seen as a positive point that can bring benefits to cities. If it is not subject to any type of control, what it does is to expel the inhabitants of these zones. According to a study by the Barcelona City Council, in 2016 there were 15,881 tourist apartments, of which 6,275 did not have a tourist housing license. Tourism is largely what makes rental prices in Barcelona so exorbitantly high.

From the data of internal migration in the city of Barcelona (2016) we can see how the most central districts, ie Ciutat Vella, Eixample and Gracia, is where the largest number of expelled inhabitants is focused: according to these data, the Eixample lost 1,417 residents and Ciutat Vella 1,280 residents, which represents, in proportion, the neighborhood with the greatest loss, reaching 1.28% of the total population (-1.28%). Districts such as Horta-Guinardó or Nou Barris, have become reception areas for this entire population. The figures thus show us: Horta Guinardó topped the list with a gain of 1,032 inhabitants, followed by Nou Barris (707 inhabitants) or Sant Andreu (567 inhabitants), which are some of the most notorious examples in 2016. It should be noted that Les Corts was the district where the balance was almost neutral (-59). The tendency, then, is this expulsion that occurs from the neighborhoods that form the center of the city of Barcelona to more remote areas and that are part of its surroundings.

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