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PUBLIC
HOUSI•a
PBO.JIC!S
Why
Some
Become
High Rise Slums
America 's low cost housing plan was
launched as a noble experiment: to
improve the quality of life for the
impoverished. Tragical/y, the program
has often intensified the degradation
of slum life. TODA Y, the reasons why
are becoming clear.
by
William R. Whikeha rt
S
OME 2.5 mm ion Americans live in public hous–
ing projects in the big cities. For them, project
life has become a never-ending struggle to sur–
vive amidst rampant crime, vandalism, drug abuse,
unemployment, and physical deterioration.
Life in the Typical Project
Today, many of the projects resemble "social
disaster areas." Sorne of the worst, such
as
Cambrini–
Green in Chicago, have been called "combat alleys,"
oc
"social chambers of horror." Other projects, such
as Fe. Greene in Brooklyn (America's largest), are
dubbed "multimi llioo-dollar slums."
A tour of a typically large project can confirm
many of these descriptions. Building corridors are
often encrusted wi th layers of grime and dirt. Hall–
ways and elevators reek with the smell of urine.
Broken wiodows are everywhere. Stairways are cov–
ered with uncollected piles of garbage and trash.
Noise in the hallways consists of the continuous din
of smashing bottles, blaring radios, and screaming,
fighting children.
A close look at project life shows severe
socio-economic deterioration. Today, maoy projects
are filled with hordes of people who must hurdle