The Legacy of Pruitt-Igoe

Pruitt-Igoe in St. Louis was perhaps America's most notorious public housing project:




(Picture from http://www.defensiblespace.com/book/illustrations.htm).

The project was completed in 1955, and was so horrible, it was torn down in 1972. here is what the space it occupied looks like now:



It is the green space in the middle. 27 years ago, 2870 apartments were torn down. Nothing has replaced it.

Given St. Louis' economic struggles, such emptiness is perhaps inevitable. Nevertheless, it is also striking.