Ministries

by Secretary Cisneros
June 29, 1995

The national governments of all major industrialized nations have a cabinet-level agency, usually called a Ministry, responsible for housing and urban development policies. In about half the cases, the Ministry represents national housing or construction interests alone (e.g. New Zealand, Russia, China and Denmark.).

Two governments -- Mexico and the United Kingdom -- essentially combine the functions of HUD and EPA in one department. The French and Swedish governments have two separate ministries to handle issues in housing and urban affairs. The remaining ministries include housing as part of a more comprehensive portfolio, including public works, transportation, economic and regional development (e.g. Australia, Spain, Germany and Norway.)

Despite these different organizational approaches, all foreign governments recognize the importance of elevating housing and construction issues to a national level.

  • Australia -- Ministry of Housing and Regional Development
  • Canada -- Ministry of Public Works and Government Services (Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation)
  • China -- Ministry of Construction
  • Denmark -- Ministry of Housing
  • Finland -- Ministry of Housing
  • France -- Ministry of State for Social Affairs, Health and Urban Affairs, and Ministry of Housing
  • Germany -- Ministry for Regional Planning, Housing and City Planning
  • Japan -- Ministry of Construction
  • Korea -- Ministry of National Construction
  • Mexico -- Secretariat for Social Development (Directorates for Housing, Urban Development and Environment)
  • New Zealand -- Ministry of Housing
  • Norway -- Ministry of Labor and Municipal Affairs
  • Russia -- Ministry of Construction
  • Spain -- Ministry of Public Works and Transportation (Directorate for Housing, Planning and Architecture)
  • Sweden -- Ministry of Environment and Resources, and Ministry of Housing, Culture and Immigration
  • Switzerland -- Federal Housing Office
  • United Kingdom -- Department of the Environment (oversees Ministry for Construction and Planning, and Ministry for Environment and Countryside).

 
Content Archived: January 20, 2009