CABIDES, MARY ROSE L.

SECTION 6 / 9:42AM

2015709511

The city of St. Louis was overcrowded during the 1940s-1950’s. So, the St.
Louise planners came up to a plan to clear the slums and replace them into a high-
rise, high-density public housing called the Pruitt–Igoe. The main users of the housing
project were the black Americans who was currently living in the slums at that time.
They separated the people base on their color, Black in the north and white in the
south. Based on the former resident of the Pruit-Igoe, their lives really change because
they experience to have a room with doors and enough space of a house for the whole
family. The units are fully furnished and has its own comfort room, living room, kitchen,
dining and bedrooms. They feel safe because on they have neighbors on the next
door and the kids got friends to play with. At first, they are very satisfied and happy
with their new house and community. But in 1972, Pruitt-Igoe was demolished
because of the racial segregation, crimes, and poverty (Marshal, 2015). Even if the
Pruitt-igoe failed, there are some significant lessons we can adopt in our country. The
project solves the problems of overcrowding and they got rid of the unattractive slums.
They gave people an opportunity to live on a decent house.
The Nemausus Housing was one of the solutions to solve the problem in urgent
need for mass housing and low cost. Because of the increasing population of France,
the people from rural outskirts are moving to urban areas. The Nemausus Socialize
Housing are reserve for the people in moderate incomes. The architect of the project
Jean Nouvel planned the building to be each apartment must be large as possible and
flexible. He designs the apartments to be unfinish like the concrete walls because he
wanted to encourage the tenant to transform their own unit base on their needs.
Nouvel stated that “quantity of space is more valuable, in the long run, than the quality
of finish” (Rocca, 2013). Architects are not allowed to give an opinion to the
apartments.
Nemausus housing is considered to be a socialized housing dedicated for the
urban inhabitants in France coming from the rural areas. Settlers abide by the
government’s ordinances; they avoid tampering the whole settlement provided by the
government. Meanwhile, Pruitt–Igoe housing was dedicated solely for the black
informal settlers living the slums. It was said that the construction of Prutt-Igoe was
meant to raise racism and fascism between the black and the white races. As a
reaction to these social discriminations, the inhabitants of Pruitt–Igoe caused the
dilapitation and the destruction of Prutt-Igoe simply by unable to abide the rules
provided by the government.
According to Jean Nouvel, “quantity of space is more valuable, in the long run,
than the quality of finish” (Rocca, 2013). Architects must be able to provide housing
developments that would promote equality among its users. To be able to address the
inadequate living spaces within sprawling areas by foreseeing the possible uprising
continuous growing population. The Philippines government recognize that the best
practice for housing provisions is through “in city” resettlement or slum upgrade. But
still, the Current scenario of socialize housing in the Philippines is “off-site because
there are very few vacant site on the urban areas, and it can not accommodate the
growing number of population who needs the project.
 The socially disadvantage can change their mindset and understand the benefit
of having a house by encouraging them that a house is a basic necessity in having a
family. And we must show enough evidence that the house that will be their own is
enough to sustain their basic necessities in life without hardship that their experience
in their previous house.
Philippines is a colonial country, filipinos has a mindset that was affected by
colonial influences it is the Crab mentality and Mañana habit which still manifested
until now. The self-help programs is a big help for the community, they learn how to
maintain their own houses and make the community sustain the original look of the
community.
As a future TAMARAW Architect, I will contribute to the solution for socialize
housing in the Philippines by learning the mistakes of the unsuccessful housing
projects and learn from the successful ones. So that if I will be given a chance to do a
housing project I will design and plan it with a 100 percent successful rate.

References
Marshal, C. (2015, April 22). theguardian. Retrieved from theguardian.com:
https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/apr/22/pruitt-igoe-high-rise-urban-america-
history-cities

Rocca, A. (2013, April 6). cea-seminar.blogspot. Retrieved from cea-seminar.blogspot.com:

http://cea-seminar.blogspot.com/2013/04/nemausus-social-housing-by-jean-nouvel.html