State Housing

State housing in Britain is despised by all social classes. Ugly and characterless, these mass produced dwellings never last long and are resisted by locals whenever the government tries to build them. However, if a little bit of imagination was applied to get architects that ‘think outside the box’ to design interesting, aesthetically pleasing houses that age well (the crucial factor) using cheap materials then resistance to them might drop. Peasant houses from Tudor times were cheaply made from twigs and horse poo, yet they are loved, maintained, even mimicked today because their look gets better with age. With decently designed council housing there is a good chance that they will last longer as they will be better loved by the community and better maintained by proud owners. Good architecture has the power to change perspectives and lift people out of apathy. Give problem people a nice environment to live in and they might just start to help themselves. Given that they currently live in lifeless lightless boxes with no character or soul, is it any wonder that they aren’t more proactive?