by Thomas Fisher
The American economy has begun a transition from one based on mass-production in the 20th century to a 21st century one based on mass customization – a transition that promises to bring profound changes not only in how we produce and consume goods and services, but also in how we live, work, move, learn, and play. This will bring equally dramatic changes to the physical environment and to the design and construction fields that create it. The great challenge lies in overcoming the 20th century thinking embedded in existing policies, codes, regulations, and expectations that remain a barrier to a reality in the process of being born.