The concentration, diversification and social fragmentation of the popular classes in Villaverde, what some authors call a “process of precarization of the periphery,” has not been sufficiently studied or considered in most municipal policies and strategies. The heterogeneous popular city, halfway between the cosmopolitan city and the abandoned city, juxtapose or makes coexist precarious youth, aging generations of workers, and diverse migrant enclaves, in a sort of mixtures and segregations of social class, household cycles and ethnicity that are usually left out of the processes of reflection on the city.

In this context, the URBREATH project, funded by the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 Program, seeks to promote public policies to address urban, environmental, social and economic challenges in the district of Villaverde. This project, in which the Madrid City Council participates through different municipal services, proposes improvements in public space, social and commercial programs that can respond – to a certain extent – to climate change and socioeconomic and territorial inequalities.

From Traza, we have carried out social research to understand the idea of city and district that the working classes of Villaverde have, from different ethnic origins (gypsy population, Spanish, of Moroccan and Syrian origin, of Romanian origin, and of Latin American origin). This study shows that there is no single imaginary of the city. For the working classes, regenerating of the district means revitalizing small businesses and the sociability they generate, having local employment, and rethinking public facilities. This study is leading to a process of public innovation, with the interdepartmental Working Group in the Madrid City Council.