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So why should it still take months to build a single house, let alone an

apartment complex? From KERA in Dallas, this is think. I'm Chris Boyd. As a matter of fact,

building construction as an industry is generally less efficient now than it was half a century

ago, which is a real problem in communities that urgently need more housing.

Henry Grabar writes about housing, transportation, and urban policy for Slate,

and recently he's been exploring the potential of modular housing to remake how and where we live within days rather than months or even years.

His recent article about this was headlined,

The Solution to America's Housing Crisis might be built in a factory. Henry, welcome back to

think. Thanks for having me. Before we get into what is new, I do want to dive into this, frankly,

perplexing challenge with construction efficiency. What do experts think might explain

the fact that building stuff takes at least as long, if not longer now than it did 50 years ago?

Well, it's a little bit of a mystery. I think that if we knew exactly what it is that ails the

construction sector, then there would be a lot of momentum to fix it,

since it makes up such a large part of the economy and is so tied to so many outcomes of well-being,

housing in particular, there are a number of theories. Some concern, you know, I think sometimes

...