Government and Industry Working Together.
Government and Industry Working Together.
(4463 K)
Wright, R. N.
Construction Business Review, Vol. 5, No. 1, 44-49,
January/February 1995.
Keywords:
industries; research facilities; construction
Abstract:
Construction is one of the nation's largest industries
and a critical asset for enhnacing the international
competitiveness of U.S. industry. In 1993, new
construction put in place amounted to $470 billion,
eight percent of the GDP, and provided employment for
six million persons. New construction put in place in
1993 was 44 percent residential, 28 percent public
works. When renovation is included, construction
probably amounts to about $800 billion annually, 13
percent of GDP and 10 million jobs. Constructed
facilities shelter and support most human activities.
Their quality affects the competitiveness of U.S.
industry, the safety and quality of life of the people
and environmental quality. For U.S. industries to
compete internationally, their technologies must be
superior and their production facilities must be more
cost-effective than their competitors'. Morover, the
quality of construction strongly affects the wealth of
the nation; over five-eights of the nation's fixed
reproducible wealth is invested in constructed
facilities.
