Half of the buildings Americans will live, work and shop in by 2030 haven't even been built yet, according to a study done for the Brookings Institution by Arthur C. Nelson, a professor and director of graduate studies at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
Total construction needed between 2000 and 2030 to accommodate growth projections will amount to roughly 210 billion sq. ft. or 70 percent of existing built space. Much of this space will be residential, but commercial/industrial space will grow faster as a percentage of existing built space.