I didn't get up early on Saturday morning to see Stubbs Towers imploded. But I did hear the explosion and I did see the demolition later that afternoon on television.

On CNN, in fact.

Everyone loves a big implosion, at least a planned one.

The implosion was also an apt metaphor for the end of an era in public and subsidized housing. In the last couple of decades, cities across the nation have recognized that they need a radical change in approach to public housing.

Segregated housing complexes like Stubbs have given way across the country to projects like Hope VI. Once in the shadow of Stubbs, Hope VI includes subsidized, affordable, and market-rate units.

Sustainable Fellwood in West Savannah looks like it will extend that idea even further.

Today's vision of public housing certainly seems a vast improvement over the Stubbs era.

But let's hope that 40 years from now we're not starting again at square one.