 Homelessness was the most obvious effect of the housing shortage, though it was hard to define and measure in the Eastern Bloc.As with the economy of the Soviet Union, planners in the Eastern Bloc were directed by the resulting Five Year Plans which followed paths of extensive rather than intensive development, focusing upon heavy industry as the Soviet Union had done, leading to inefficiencies and shortage economies.The Eastern Bloc countries achieved some economic and technical progress, industrialization, and growth rates of labor productivity and rises in the standard of living.