Operation Breakthrough (housing program)

Operation Breakthrough was a program of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, authorized by the Housing Law of 1968.[1], a 3-phase HUD demonstration that tested innovative building materials and methods.[2]

George Romney announced Operation Breakthrough in May 1969, four months after joining President Richard Nixon’s cabinet as secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).[3]

It was intended to increase the amount of housing available to the poor and it initially had Nixon's support.[4] Based on his automotive industry experience, Romney thought that the cost of housing could be significantly reduced if in-factory modular construction techniques were used, despite the lack of national building standards.[5] HUD officials believed that the introduction of this technique could help bring about desegregation; Romney said, "We've got to put an end to the idea of moving to suburban areas and living only among people of the same economic and social class".[6] This aspect of the program brought about strong opposition at the local suburban level and lost support in the White House as well.[7] Over half of HUD's research funds during this time were spent on Operation Breakthrough, and it was modestly successful in its building goals.[8][9] It did not revolutionize home construction, and was phased out once Romney left HUD.[9] But it resulted indirectly in more modern and consistent building codes and introduction of technological advances such as the smoke alarm.[10]

While Operation Breakthrough made little impact in the United States, it radically influenced other countries, as Japan and Sweden.[11]

  1. ^ "Looking Back at Operation BREAKTHROUGH". arcCA Digest.
  2. ^ "Operation Breakthrough | HUD USER". www.huduser.gov.
  3. ^ "Operation Breakthrough's Forgotten Prototype Communities". AIA New York.
  4. ^ Lamb, Housing Segregation in Suburban America Since 1960, p. 72.
  5. ^ Foote, "As They Saw It", pp. 75, 89n1.
  6. ^ Lamb, Housing Segregation in Suburban America Since 1960, p. 63.
  7. ^ Lamb, Housing Segregation in Suburban America Since 1960, pp. 64–66.
  8. ^ Rosenbaum, David E. (July 27, 1995). "George Romney Dies at 88; A Leading G.O.P. Figure". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 10, 2017. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  9. ^ a b Nenno, Ending the Stalemate, p. 13.
  10. ^ Foote, "As They Saw It", p. 75.
  11. ^ Mari, Francesca; Hamja, Amir (June 8, 2024). "How an American Dream of Housing Became a Reality in Sweden". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.