Barcelona Raval’s ‘cursed passage’ on Santcliment Street has become a desperate focal point for residents awaiting municipal intervention.
This private L-shaped alley, just blocks from the Eixample, hosts around 40 homes and several derelict workshops, but its reputation is now defined by open drug use, discarded needles, and makeshift shelters.
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Consequently, local homeowners and tenants feel trapped in a deteriorating environment they cannot escape.
Barcelona Raval’s ‘Cursed Passage’ Faces Deepening Crisis
According to a detailed report in La Vanguardia, the passage has devolved into an ideal hideaway for low-level drug dealers and users, known locally as ‘machacas’. These individuals, often grappling with severe addiction, survive through petty theft and dealing, using the alley for sleeping, drug consumption, and even relieving themselves. Furthermore, the indifference of an investment fund that owns one property has allowed a long-standing drug den to operate, with intermittent sales points reportedly appearing elsewhere.
Police from the Mossos d’Esquadra and the Guardia Urbana have responded to residents’ calls with increasing speed. They dismantled several points in the passage mid-year, forcing the ‘machacas’ to lower their ambitions from occupying buildings to simply placing mattresses in the covered entrance. However, these measures are seen as necessary but insufficient. The persistent presence continues to generate profound anxiety among those who live there, with regular altercations and the grim sight of individuals in cardboard boxes becoming part of daily life.
This situation is degrading community life in a neighbourhood already under strain. Many residents feel they cannot afford rents elsewhere in the city, while others cannot sell their heavily mortgaged homes, now valued at less than €50,000. Therefore, they launched an SOS to the city council this spring, pleading for the passage to be reclassified from private to public. This change would compel the council to assume greater responsibility for security and cleaning, potentially transforming the space.
The local government, under Mayor Jaume Collboni, is finalising a proposal. Municipal sources confirm they will meet residents again after the Christmas holidays. Meanwhile, the community’s plea highlights a broader urban challenge, mirroring concerns about social neglect in other parts of the city, such as the historic markets facing threats. The urgency for a coordinated social and urban policy response is clear, as the passage continues to ‘bleed out’ while awaiting its promised rescue.
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