housing project

American  

[hou-zing proj-ekt, proj-ikt] / ˈhaʊ zɪŋ ˌprɒdʒ ɛkt, ˌprɒdʒ ɪkt /

noun

1. a publicly built and operated housing development, usually intended for low- or moderate-income tenants, senior citizens, etc.

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housing project British  

noun

1. a housing development built and maintained by a local authority, usually intended for people with a low or moderate income

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Etymology

Origin of housing project

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

Westhoughton-born actress Maxine Peake was among the campaigners against it, describing it as a "housing project in golf clothing".

From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026

The family lived in a Brooklyn housing project at a time when such accommodations were safe, comfortable and a marker of the American black middle class.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 14, 2025

Based in a World War II-era housing project on 1st Street, the Rancho San Pedro gang is now divided into six cliques, including two female crews, the Malditas and the Locas.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 8, 2025

He insisted that his government was the first to take deliberate steps to tackle the crisis, citing state initiatives such as the housing project that he says has created hundreds of thousands of jobs.

From BBC • Jul. 11, 2025

They all came from the Claremont Village housing project in one of the worst parts of the South Bronx.

From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell