Community-based care settings: how local governments can put people first
To talk about care is to talk about time, inequalities, and how life is sustained in our cities and towns. In Spain, care work continues to fall disproportionately on women, especially migrant women, women of color, and those with fewer resources, networks, or public support. Faced with this situation, more and more city councils are exploring local policies that bring care closer to neighborhoods and make it a collective responsibility.
It is in this context that community care environments are emerging—a way of organizing services, spaces, and public support at the neighborhood level, inspired by international experiences such as Bogotá, but also by existing initiatives in various Spanish municipalities. These environments aim to ensure that people, especially caregivers and those in need of care, can access coordinated support in their immediate surroundings, avoiding long commutes and strengthening community life.
