Man shot to death in Bromley-Heath

In the 1970s and 80s, yes, they were in disrepair. A LOT of that disrepair was caused by tenants. And projects were, especially in the 70s and 80s, VERY dangerous places, even for repairmen, firemen, police, let alone the average schmuck.

I partially grew up 6 blocks from Bromley Heath, and it was a place you stayed away from. One time my school sent me to a clinic located there, and of course, I was promptly jumped, robbed and beaten up.

Housing projects bring down any neighborhood they're located in,are magnates for street crime and violent criminal activity. In my going on half a century on this earth, this has always been the case. Yet we continue to play the same game, assuming different results can be achieved if we just dump more $ and potted plants/green space into the equation. No it won't. To use a tired cliche, you can put lipstick on a pig, it's still a pig.

Growing up, old people told me they were actually nice and desirable places to live just after WW2 and the Korean war. That didn't last. By the mid to late 60s, most became hell holes full of ultra violent, dysfunctional tenants, mostly single mothers, grandmothers, and their kids, all on the dole. Instead of changing bad behavior, and encouraging responsibility and good behavior, they enable the bad behavior. Now we have many generations to whom living that 'lifestyle' is considered acceptable. Good luck changing that attitude. I believe tough love is long overdue.

I remember going to Old Colony when I was a kid to visit a great Aunt. She lived there for as long as I knew her.
It was a nice place, well her apartment was very nice. Although I admit it was the first time I saw someone passed out on a door step. I was very young but I remember my father admonishing me for staring.
I had the sense even then, that the place wasn't as nice as it used to be. Graffiti started appearing on walls, etc.. More and more people hanging around in hallways.

interesting! could you elaborate, or do you have any articles about this? I could see how living in a place designed like a prison would cause psych issues, but how are projects specifically built that way? I always assumed they were just designed like any other apartment building of a similar height.