"Rebuild by Design was created as a unique response to the physical and social vulnerabilities uncovered by Hurricane Sandy: an innovative design competition supported by private philanthropy, partner organizations, and HUD, it created a process that combined design thinking with cross-sector collaboration to develop innovative, implementable designs for regional resiliency. Its creative process represents an evolutionary step forward in addressing our most pressing challenges. In 2014, HUD allocated $930 million to state and city governments to implement the first stages of seven of the competition?s final proposals.
Rebuild by Design led ten interdisciplinary teams composed of designers, engineers, architects, academics, climate experts, and others through an iterative, cooperative process of design development. Collaboration with community stakeholders was fundamental to creating proposals that championed local visions for a resilient future. The design teams held countless meetings with thousands of individuals, hundreds of community-based organizations, and dozens of government agencies to gain a nuanced understanding of the region?s social, infrastructural, economic, and ecological challenges.
These renderings represent the seven funded projects: comprehensive solutions to the region?s complex physical, ecological, and social problems based on the needs and lived experiences of local residents. The designs incorporate hard and soft infrastructure, green infrastructure, nature-based protections, and non-structural approaches to resilience. The teams continually tested and refined their proposals with community members and experts to ensure their final designs addressed local problems with implementable, regionally-relevant solutions that would be replicable worldwide.
Rebuild by Design continues to work with local communities and government agencies to ensure that the projects? depictions of a resilient future become a reality. As the winning projects move forward with implementation, Rebuild by Design is expanding across the U.S. in cities working to reassess, reimagine, and realize alternatives for a more resilient future."