The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) are sponsoring the first-ever Innovative Housing Showcase in Washington this week.
The showcase is a five-day event that, according to HUD, will display “new building technologies and housing solutions that are making housing more affordable for American families and homes more resilient during natural disasters.”
As well as 16 exhibitors, there are panel discussions and demonstrations with lawmakers, entrepreneurs, and leaders in the housing industry.
“What is really encouraging about what’s going on this weekend is that we can see the innovative spirit that still exists here in America,” HUD Secretary Ben Carson told The Epoch Times on June 1.
“What HUD will actually be doing is working with the local jurisdictions providing reference points for grants and technical assistance, so that we can get people to remove a lot of the barriers that prevent the usage of some of these newer technologies [to improve housing],” he explained.
Housing Resilience
Housing resilience has been an ongoing issue, but has made great strides forward over the past few decades.
When Hurricane Andrew hit South Florida in 1992, more than 63,000 homes were destroyed and more than 100,000 were damaged. The scope of the damage was attributed to lax enforcement of building codes.
But, after many policy changes, Florida is now one of the best states in the country in terms of building code standards.
“By 2007, all new homes had to be constructed utilizing the new techniques, and when Irma came along in 2017, it did nowhere near the damage people were expecting for that reason,” said Secretary Carson.
Read the full article here: https://www.theepochtimes.com/innovative-housing-showcase-presents-solutions-to-us-housing-problems_2947645.html