Feature / March 18, 2024

The Tragedy and Tenacity of Public Housing in America

A cartoon report on the only policy proven to actually address the housing shortage—and how racism, inept management, and systematic disinvestment led to long-term decline.

Eric Orner
Eric Orner

Eric Orner is a former Capitol Hill staff counsel, and a cartoonist. His most recent graphic novel, Smahtguy, was an NPR Books We Love selection. He is a fellow at the New York Public Library Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers, working on a book about Jimmy Carter’s presidency. Earlier in his career Eric wrote and drew a popular alt-weekly comic strip about LGBTQ life, called The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green.

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