Columbia Business School's March 2008 study tour to Mexico focused on the country's housing market and examined innovative approaches by both government and industry to provide quality, affordable housing for millions of Mexicans. Organized by the School's Real Estate Association and the Chazen Institute of International Business, the trip offered students a frame of reference for the turmoil in the U.S. housing market that occurred during the time of the trip.

Students attended a housing panel, where leaders of prominent low-income-housing developers, financial institutions and government agencies shared valuable insights into Mexico's affordable-housing challenge. Students also visited two affordable-housing development projects near Mexico City and Monterrey to get a firsthand look at how affordable-housing projects are designed and built to suit the needs of working Mexican families. In the current debate in the United States about new regulations for and oversight of the housing industry, perhaps Mexico's solution to achieving the "Mexican Dream" of owning a family home can offer some insightful perspectives on how future distress might be avoided.