Analysis of Failed Housing Projects
The face of urban America is tainted by failed housing projects. Indeed, there are numerous illustrations of housing projects like the Pruitt-Igo housing project in St. Louis and the Cabrini Green housing project in Chicago that have failed to take off. These housing projects have failed due to poor urban planning.
In regards to Pruitt-Igo housing project in St. Louis, the local government misinterpreted the sustained growth of its urban population and rather there was a shift of citizens to the suburbs. It is critical to note this movement to suburban areas was subsidized and supported by the government financially (Wyly et al, 2010). As the city lost this valuable tax base meant a reduction in maintenance and increase in rent prices. A number of political and economic conditions pretty much ensure that the houses could not be well maintained, and many people left the estate (Wyly et al, 2010). Vacant flats as well as poor maintenance made the buildings susceptible to criminal activities. Overall, the project failed due to poor resourcing and planning by policymakers along with unforeseen demographic and economic changes in the city.
The Cabrini Green project in Chicago was once considered a model of successful public housing in the U.S. However, a host of factors led to the downfall of the project. One of the primary factors that led to its collapse was planning. The city had designed the houses for large families, however, the reality was that the city’s demographic featured couples with one o two child (Wyly et al, 2010). Aside from this, other factors that led to the project’s demise include managerial neglect, psychical deterioration, chronic unemployment, and gang activity.
References
Wyly, E., Ponder, C. S., Nettling, P., Ho, B., Fung, S. E., Liebowitz, Z., & Hammel, D. (2012). New racial meanings of housing in America. American Quarterly, 64(3), 571-604.