There are issues here about the selection of post-war buildings for listing, a process that was well in train in the 1990s but is now uncertain. There are also less arcane issues that concern historic buildings of all periods: the need to look carefully at past and present evidence and not to be prejudiced by rumour or superficial appearance.
Underlying these specialist concerns is a wider question about the fate of public housing as a whole. Since 1980, it has been in retreat, with legislation designed to shift it from the public to the private sector.
Robin Hood Gardens, still council-owned, could become a demonstration of less wasteful funding – if, instead of falling victim to a profit-led development with some affordable housing alongside, it could be refurbished without the high environmental costs associated with demolition.
From Alan Powers’ Why Robin Hood Gardens deserves to be listed, The Guardian (2009)
The Centre of the World 