RAND > Reports & Bookstore > Monograph/Reports > MR-1658

HomeGo to RAND HomeReports and Book Store Summer Sale: All publications 40% off AddThis Social Bookmark Button

Document Information

Building Better Homes: Government Strategies for Promoting Innovation in Housing

Cover Image

By: Scott Hassell, Anny Wong, Ari Houser, Debra Knopman, Mark A. Bernstein

This report examines the structure, characteristics, and motivations of major participants in the housing industry to explore how innovation might be accelerated. It identifies options and strategies for the federal government to consider as it attempts to further advance innovation in housing to make homes more affordable, durable, and safe. Housing is the largest component of the nation's physical wealth, representing nearly 20 percent of the nation's gross domestic product. Therefore, innovation in that industry would contribute positively to increase productivity and provide benefits to a broad range of participants, including homebuilders, manufacturers, insurers, regulators, and homeowners. The federal government has been involved in promoting housing innovation for more than three decades , investing in research and showing a willingness to experiment with new ideas and approaches as it works with industry and other participants. In light of this government interest, this report puts forth proposals for federal government action: enhance research activities, strengthen the knowledge base, support the technology innovation pipeline, and improve market linkages. Within these proposals, a number of specific strategies are suggested to illustrate possible government actions. The list of strategies is not exhaustive but if adopted they should allow the government to better leverage what it is already doing by better focusing resources.

See Also:

Support RAND Research — Buy This Product!

Paperback Cover Price: $20.00

Discounted Web Price: $18.00

Pages: 130

ISBN/EAN: 0-8330-3332-8

Special 40% savings will be applied at checkout

Free, downloadable PDF file(s) are available below.

Download PDF Full Document

(File size 0.5 MB, 2 minutes modem, < 1 minute broadband)

RAND makes an electronic version of this document available for free as a public service. If you find this information valuable, please consider purchasing a paper copy of the full document to help support RAND research.

Use Adobe Acrobat Reader version 7.0 or higher for the best experience.

Contents

All Prefatory Materials PDF

Chapter One:
Innovation in Housing PDF

Chapter Two:
The Concept of Innovation in the U.S. Housing Industry PDF

Chapter Three:
The U.S. Housing Industry As the Context for Innovation PDF

Chapter Four:
Industry Characteristics and Motives and Their Effect on Innovation PDF

Chapter Five:
Federal Efforts to Promote Innovation in Housing PDF

Chapter Six:
Federal Strategies for Promoting Innovation in Housing PDF

Supplementary Material PDF

The research described in this report was conducted by RAND's Science and Technology Policy Institute for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Policy Development and Research and the Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH).

The monograph/report was a product of the RAND Corporation from 1993 to 2003. RAND monograph/reports presented major research findings that addressed the challenges facing the public and private sectors. They included executive summaries, technical documentation, and synthesis pieces.

Permission is given to duplicate this electronic document for personal use only, as long as it is unaltered and complete. Copies may not be duplicated for commercial purposes. Unauthorized posting of RAND PDFs to a non-RAND Web site is prohibited. RAND PDFs are protected under copyright law. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please visit the RAND Permissions page.

The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit research organization providing objective analysis and effective solutions that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors around the world. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.

* RAND research is conducted across divisions, centers, and projects; these organizational components are represented in the "Related RAND Divisions" section above.

Stay Informed Subscribe to RSS Feeds Search RAND Publications View Cart