Construction competitiveness. Some opportunities for the Venezuelan case.

Construction is one of the worlds main activities because of the benefits it provides to society, and this justifies efforts for its improvement. Because of the complexities of this industry the benefits of construction do no reach all sectors of society thus creating shortcomings and social demands. Through examples related to the Latin American and Venezuelan competitiveness and housing situation, authors evaluate various goals and opportunities of this industry, revise some public policies, sustainable construction and knowledge management shortages and present a compilation of strategies oriented to create better conditions for construction. This paper is part of ongoing research oriented at improving construction performance and competitiveness. The study highlights the responsibility of individuals, governments, academic and productive sectors to disseminate information about existing shortages and opportunities and joint efforts to face problems that may be common for diverse developed and developing countries. Final goal is to propose some basic solutions based on the innovations and technology available using knowledge and learning as the most valuable resources to support construction competitiveness progress as path to improve quality of life.