"Building For Social Change"

The cover story of the March 2012 edition of Architectural Record is "Building For Social Change." For those not yet fluent in speaking the language of Totalitarianstan, this means people will literally be herded into living in tight quarters whether they want to or not. Most laughable were the pronouncements for the grandiose projects designated for skid row areas with large concentrations of the homeless and others just as likely on government assistance. After nearly five decades of public housing projects, apparently these central planners still fail to realize that, no matter how pretty you design the building, it's not going to last long if the residents have it so easily handed to them that they have no compunction against defecating in places other than the designated toilet facilities.