Vertical slums

[sgs]

Which architects were responsible for the fashion for residential tower blocks in the 50s and 60s?

[mother]

Erno Goldfinger was one.

[vittoria]

My, totally personal, view is that the real "culprit" was a policy to build as many homes as possible as cheaply as possible.

[Nintendoboy]

Perhaps the real father was the architect Le Corbusier who was one of the first people who imagined that self contained towers of residential housing could be the social utopias of today. How wrong his original ideas have gone though. 

[jno]

cheap homes for all seems a pretty noble ambition. The problems in the UK were more likely bad design. Goldfinger and Le Corbusier were certainly among those who inspired the fashion; but people who live in their buildings don't seem to have too many complaints. And high-rise living is acceptable in many countries.