Atlanta's Public Housing Teaches the Nation a Lesson

Atlanta is continuing its march to the sea of freedom from housing projects. The city, home to the nation's first housing project, "is nearing a very different record: becoming the first major city to knock them all down."

I love this quote in the article from Sudhir Venkatesh, a sociologist and professor at Columbia University:

"We’ve decided that the market can function to create housing and the role of government should be to move people into the market.”

I'm gonna stroke out!!! The Market???!!!

In the age of Obama, this kind of news report is truly shocking.

You mean the government managing every aspect of housing, especially in light of the housing crisis, isn't a good idea?

You mean the government shouldn't use billions of dollars to build housing for the poor?

I think this article is only possible in the Times because Atlanta's mayor and head of housing are both black women.

NOTE TO THE TIMES AND THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION: Let's apply that same thinking to public education and health care.

Oh wait, that would make too much sense and it would keep power out of the hands of politicians.

Thankfully at least for housing, we're starting to realize that massive government intervention isn't the answer. Someone realized that housing projects have been little more than monster factories. I've called housing projects monster factories for years, because all they do is produce monsters that prey on the larger society.