Factors that contributed to the failure of the Pruitt-Igoe Housing

The demolition scene with explosives of the Pruitt-Igoe 1 buildings in St. Louis, Missouri, was part of the American experimental documentary film Life out of Balance . The complete and utter destruction of a massive modern housing project seen in the video inspired me to search for the truth behind the scenes. Even though designed by Minoru Yamasaki 2 and inspired by Le Corbusier and the CIAM 3 , the Pruitt-Igoe project underwent modifications by public housing authority that eventually resulted in changes during the design and construction phase. Incomplete implementation of Yamasaki\u27s initial design and many subsequent revisions of the project transformed Pruitt-Igoe from an ideal public housing model to a site of despair, failure, and ultimate destruction. Financial restrictions in construction, racial segregation, a high crime rate, as well as clashes between different groups, also contributed to the demise of the project