Between Promenade and Cardboard Shacks: Can Pastilla on the Brink of a Social Crisis

Temporary quarters between the highway and the hotel zone: an image that stays

If you drive along the Ma-19 toward Can Pastilla these weeks, you quickly notice it: Not far from the beach and the tourist buses, behind a dilapidated sports field, tents, wooden shelters and cardboard structures are sprouting from the undergrowth. The contrast is stark – to the right the clean promenades, to the left the jumble of blankets, cooking pots and half-made beds. The smell of barbecue smoke mixes with the scent of rubbish; in the mornings it is not only seagulls but also voices from the improvised camps at the roadside that start the day.

The central question

How can the island, between hotel gloss and tent camps, once again provide dignified places to sleep without simply relocating the problems? This guiding question runs through conversations with residents, volunteers and social service staff. It is not only about short-term hygiene — it is about safety, dignity and reliability.

Why it is escalating here and now

Several forces come together: the heat that drives people under the thin vegetation; a tense housing and rental market that puts even long-term residents under pressure; and a labor market that forces many into seasonal, poorly paid jobs in hotels. For some, the tent is not a choice but the least bad economic option — proximity to work matters more than a permanent address. Added to this are limited places in emergency shelters and overburdened counseling centers. Volunteers hand out water bottles and hygiene items, but the help remains piecemeal.

Public order, health and everyday life - aspects that are insufficiently discussed

Public debate usually focuses on cleanliness and order. Less visible, however, are legal barriers (missing papers, complicated application procedures), mental illness, addiction problems or language difficulties — all factors that make access to support services harder. The proximity to tourist infrastructure is also a sensitive issue: land use around the Ma-19 is fragmented, many areas are private property or military buffer zones and are not easily suitable for official emergency shelters.

Concrete, immediately implementable measures

• Mobile social teams: Multilingual streetwork teams that regularly visit the camps, offer health checks and show routes into support systems. These teams need stable funding, not just seasonal money.
• Sanitation and water points: Temporary toilets, drinking water stations and regular waste collection reduce the risk of disease and fires.
• Short-term heated/air-conditioned modules on municipal land: There are proven modular systems that can be erected in a few weeks and offer protection from heat and rain.
• Multilingual information campaigns: Signposts to contact points in Spanish, English, Romanian or Bulgarian – the languages of many seasonal workers.

Medium-term and structural solutions

• Vacancy management: Seasonal cooperation with vacant tourist apartments outside the high season – with an obligation for social support.
• Housing construction fund for affordable housing: Pool public and private funds to build affordable apartments — not just rent them out on a short-term basis.
• Obligations for employers: Hotels and large agencies could be required to provide accommodation for employees or pay contributions that flow into social housing.
• Debureaucratization: Faster identity and benefit verification so that people gain quicker access to social services and employment support.

Who must act?

No single actor can do it alone: municipality, island government, hotel industry, NGOs and neighbors must cooperate. A local coordination office that consolidates offers, available beds in hostels and volunteer capacities on a daily basis is particularly important. Without reliable coordination, help remains patchy.

A look ahead - opportunities instead of only conflicts

The island faces a choice: downplay the problem and rely on short-term interventions — or treat the situation as a wake-up call to create permanent infrastructures for people with scarce resources. The second option requires courage and money but brings fewer conflicts in the long run, more prospects for staying and a more social urban image. Summer makes visible what is at work all year: when income, housing and work do not align, corners like the one behind the sports field on the Ma-19 emerge.

I will continue to observe on site, speak with residents and inquire about concrete initiatives. Hopefully this will not remain mere appeals, but plans and implementation will follow — before hot days turn into hot conflicts.