Pruitt-Igoe

Pruitt-Igoe was a large public housing project in St. Louis, built in the 1950s to provide affordable housing to low-income families. Designed with modernist principles, it consisted of high-rise buildings intended to create a vibrant community. However, it quickly faced issues like poor maintenance, crime, and social isolation. By the 1970s, conditions deteriorated significantly, leading to its infamous demolition. Pruitt-Igoe has since become a symbol of the failures of urban planning and public housing policies, illustrating the challenges of addressing poverty and community needs in a sustainable way.