U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development [1] (HUD) Secretary Marcia L. Fudge [2] traveled to Takamatsu, Japan to attend the G7 Sustainable Urban Ministers' Meeting [3] on July 8th and 9th. At the meeting, Secretary Fudge signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) with Japanese leaders in housing and urban development designed to strengthen the relationship between the United States and Japan in this field. The MOC establishes a plan for collaborative research and the exchange of ideas regarding issues like innovative housing policy, inclusive urban planning strategies, and best practices for the implementation of carbon neutrality and climate resilience in cities.
“President Joe Biden and the entire Biden-Harris Administration have taken an ambitious stance towards decarbonization. Our goal is to achieve net-zero emissions and a full clean energy economy by 2050,” said HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge at the summit. “Getting there will take significant investments, and incentives, to research and deploy clean energy innovations in every aspect of the United States economy.”
This MOC is part of a larger, ongoing effort by HUD to prioritize sustainability and climate resiliency in housing. This morning, HUD Deputy Secretary Adrianne Todman [4] delivered remarks at the White House Affordable Housing and Climate Resilience Summit [5], organized by the Council on Environmental Quality [6] (CEQ) in partnership with HUD, where she shared HUD’s progress on building innovative, sustainable housing stock and working with domestic and international partners to emphasize and prioritize climate-friendly infrastructure, hearing from practitioners across the country about their experiences building and financing climate resilient and sustainable housing.
The G7 Sustainable Urban Ministers' Meeting commenced on Saturday, July 8th with an opening session, followed by dedicated sessions focusing on carbon-neutral cities, inclusivity, and digitalization. Both Secretary Fudge and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research, Evaluation and Monitoring Dr. Calvin Johnson [7] addressed the group. The meetings focused on best practices for creating carbon neutral and resilient cities, building inclusive urban communities, and implementing digitization in urban areas.