Associació de micropobles de Catalunya

The Associació de micropobles de Catalunya (MdC) is a non-profit association created in 2008 by nine founding municipalities to represent and defend the interests of Catalan villages with fewer than 500 inhabitants. These micro-villages cover about 35% of Catalonia's territory but account for only 1.2% of its population, roughly 80,000 people. By 2018, the association had grown to include 337 member municipalities. The association works to guarantee opportunities for the people living in these small villages and for those who wish to move there. It advocates for rurality and the right to live fully in low-density municipalities without renouncing quality services. MdC emphasizes the role of small villages in land management—forests, environment, heritage, and energy transition—tasks that cannot be financed with the limited resources and few inhabitants they have. According to MdC, many urban planning and territorial organization laws are conceived from an urban or metropolitan perspective, ignoring the particularities of the rural world. Sometimes the association depends on a few families to maintain essential services such as schools. Although there are many empty houses, rental housing is lacking: properties are not sold, rented, or renovated, and some are abandoned. The association encourages authorities to take initiatives to help micro-villages create rental housing, attract new permanent residents, develop economic activities, and raise awareness among public authorities. They call for a specific statute to guarantee their future and create territorial balance. In 2021, for example, they launched a pilot initiative to encourage refugee families to settle in these villages, testing whether integration is easier there than in large cities, and published a decalogue for an energy transition. The association also organizes cultural and community events, such as the Fira de Micropobles, the Talent Musical dels Micropobles, and the Jocs Florals dels Micropobles, which have become consolidated spaces for literary creation focused on the rural world.

The Associació de micropobles de Catalunya (MdC) was created in 2008 by nine founding municipalities to represent Catalan villages with fewer than 500 inhabitants. These micro-villages cover about 35% of Catalonia's territory but represent only 1.2% of the population, around 80,000 people. By 2018, the association had grown to include 337 member municipalities. The association insists on the role of small villages in land management: forests, environment, heritage, and energy transition—tasks that cannot be financed with the few resources and few inhabitants they have. According to MdC, many urban planning and territorial organization laws are conceived from an urban or even metropolitan perspective, ignoring the particularities of the rural world. Sometimes the association depends on a few families to maintain essential services such as schools. Although there are many empty houses, rental housing is lacking: properties are not sold, rented, or renovated, and some are abandoned. The association encourages authorities to take initiatives to help micro-villages create rental housing, attract new permanent residents, develop economic activities, and raise awareness among public authorities. They call for a specific statute to guarantee their future and create territorial balance. In 2021, for example, they launched a pilot initiative to encourage refugee families to settle in these villages, testing whether integration is easier there than in large cities, and published a decalogue for an energy transition. The association also organizes cultural events such as the Fira de Micropobles, the Talent Musical dels Micropobles, and the Jocs Florals dels Micropobles, which have become consolidated spaces for literary creation focused on the rural world.

• 2026

  Fira de Micropobles 2026 scheduled for October 3 in Espinavessa.

• 2021

  Launched a pilot initiative to encourage refugee families to settle in micro-villages and published a decalogue for energy transition.

• 2018

  Reached 337 member municipalities.

• 2008

  Founded by nine municipalities.

Advocacy and support network for small rural municipalities in Catalonia.

1. 1Micropobles de Catalunya - Micropobles de Catalunyamicropobles.cat
2. 2Associació de micropobles de Catalunyawikidata.org
3. 3Associació de micropobles de Catalunyaca.wikipedia.org