• Journal of the Korean housing association
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.151-161
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• 2013

This research is an effort to clarify the causes associated with the 'failure' of public housing projects built in the 20th century. Two of the most brutal symbol of failure were selected: the Pruitt-Igoe built in St. Louis, U.S.A. and the Bijlmermeer in the south of Amsterdam, Netherlands. Many critics have attributed the problems of the selected housing projects to architectural failure, and proposed a series of new approaches to architectural design. The claim that many housing projects 'failed' because they were based on an agenda for social reform, derived from the ideas of the CIAM, presupposes that architects were in the position of authority over providing housing for the poor. This research tries to overturn the belief of architectural community which has placed the responsibility for the failure of public housing on designers. The sense of isolation and powerlessness felt by the residents, and the social problems attendant on those feelings, may be reinforced by design but is not caused by Modern Architecture. It should be stressed that the political-economic and social context is more significant than the architectural design for the failure of public housing projects such as the Pruitt-Igoe and the Bijlmermeer.