U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Climate Adaptation Plan

On February 7, 2013 35 federal agencies released their third annual Strategic Sustainability Performance Plans (SSPPs), which for the first time included Climate Change Adaptation Plans to help federal agencies reach climate change resilience goals.

President Obama signed Executive Order 13514 on October 5, 2009, which requires each federal agency to issue an SSPP, setting new sustainability standards for operations, and directs agencies to improve their environmental, energy and economic performance. Under this E.O. and the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Implementing Instructions, agencies also are required to submit a Climate Adaptation Plan for implementation in 2013. 

This plan makes a connection between HUD's adaptation goals with their larger mission of supporting inclusive communities and promoting affordable housing.

The plan recognizes that climate change could impact HUD's ability to: strengthen the housing market; meet affordable housing needs in the face of land loss and building damage; and ensure safe conditions during heat events, since low-income and people of color tend to be more impacted by high utility costs.

The report includes an analysis of HUD programs and assets that are threatened. For example, it analyzes the percentages of multifamily properties and public housing properties within each region of the country with high heat risk scores, high flood risks, high coastal storm risk, and high sea-level rise risks.


This report is the culmination of a year-long process initiated by the HUD’s Climate Change Adaptation Task Force - formed to oversee and coordinate department-wide climate change adaptation planning. Through the process outlined in this document, HUD has begun to identify how climate change is likely to affect its ability to achieve its mission, operate its facilities, and meet its policy and program objectives.

The climate change adaptation plan is divided into four sections. The Introduction places HUD’s mission and vision into the context of climate adaptation and describes linkages to HUD’s 2010 – 2015 strategic plan. The 'Risk and Vulnerability Assessment' section summarizes a high-level overview of specific climate change effects, their impacts to communities and the built environment, and HUD’s programs and operations. 'Opportunities and Actions' follows, containing responses to the risks and vulnerabilities described in the previous section, and outlines potential areas for integrating climate change perspectives in the future. In addition, this section highlights some of the current activities that address climate change within the Agency. The last section, 'Implementation,' describes how HUD will implement and monitor progress towards the planned climate change actions.

HUD states that it is well-positioned to plan for the impacts of climate change. Recently implemented programs and policies in the areas of disaster recovery and preparedness, sustainability planning, and energy efficiency/green building provide local communities with strategies to reduce their exposure to the effects of climate change. In addition, new opportunities for integrating adaptation principles into other existing programs and policies will be investigated as part of the adaptation planning process outlined in this report.

 

Publication Date: June 15, 2012

Related Organizations:

  • U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

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  • Adaptation plan

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