Homelessness on Paseo Mallorca: A Park Bench Home in Palma

In the middle of Paseo Mallorca, a man settles in on a park bench at night. By day, tourists, buses, and shops mingle—an uncomfortable everyday reality.

In the midst of the hustle and bustle: Sleeping on the park bench

This is a scene that at first glance you barely notice: at night, when the cafés close and the shop window lights still flicker, a man lies down on one of the park benches on Paseo Mallorca. Not somewhere at the edge, but right where during the day tourists stroll with shopping bags, where the A1 on-ramp bus stops and rental cars disappear into the underground garage.

A daily routine that plays out between bushes and grass

His belongings are modest: a backpack, a few blankets, clothing that he hides in the bushes when the sun comes up again. To wash, he sometimes uses the irrigation water from the green spaces — not ideal, but practical. By around 4 a.m. he is usually back there, by 9 a.m. he makes room for the first walkers and leaves the bench free during the day.

What stands out: Many passersby look away, some pull out their phones, others pretend they have seen nothing. The situation is not new; people repeatedly pitch their makeshift camp here. The growing housing shortage on the island has made the problem more visible.

Between witnesses and authorities

Residents say the city has responded in the past — temporarily, selectively. There are talks, sometimes transports to aid facilities, sometimes a move to another place. Yet not much is solved permanently. Those who walk along Paseo every morning notice: the issue does not simply disappear when the cameras move on.

Some voices from cafés and shops wish for low-threshold services: fixed sleeping places, more social work on site, private initiatives that distribute food and blankets. Others lament the unseen: people who live between tourists and office towers, without truly belonging to the city.

Why this concerns us all

This park bench is not an isolated case. It is a small symptom of a larger crisis: rents are rising, social housing is shrinking. As long as there are no reliable services for those who sleep outside, the inner city will continue to be the stage for such encounters — uncomfortable for all sides.

I often take the same route in the evenings and watch the scene with growing concern. It is easy to keep walking. It is harder to look and demand something: more help, more planning, more humanity. Without that, what is observed here in Palma’s center happens exactly: living on the bench becomes everyday life.