Take a look at this brilliant film from the London Metropolitan Archives [via WowHaus] about the Barbican estate. Produced in 1969, the film documents the development of the estate following the bombing and almost total destruction of the area during the Second World War. According to the City of London, by 1951 the Cripplegate ward had a population of 48, with only 5,324 in the whole of the City of London. The Barbican was developed as a way to address concerns about the City's dwindling resident population by attracting city workers away from the suburbs to the inner city, through the provision of high density residential accommodation, as well as shops, schools, services and cultural amenities, all within walking distance of the office.
If you are interested in this, you might also like this film from an earlier post about the Golden Lane Estate.