We should learn from our mistakes and look to other countries' successes. There are good examples of government owned housing being very desirable. More than 40% of French renters live in publicly owned housing, and French cities and towns are pretty universally beloved by residents and tourists alike.

edit: The writer of that Atlantic "article" is associated with several conservative think tanks. He's the VP for research at the Manhattan Institute. They're for privatization of public services and have published many books about supply side economics. They're also for increased incarceration and "broken windows" theory, and they were against the ACA and oppose basically any health reform. This is not an article; it's an op-ed from a hack.