LoanSafe
(11/15/2013 3:09 PM, Alex Ferreras)

Rebuild by Design was initiated by President Obama’s Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force as an unprecedented multi-stage regional design competition with a goal of rebuilding areas affected by Hurricane Sandy to be more resilient, sustainable, and livable.

Funding for the administration of Rebuild by Design has come from The Rockefeller Foundation, Community Foundation of New Jersey, and other philanthropic and non-profit institutions and shows how private groups can help leverage the resources of the federal government for the good of the public.

"The AIA New York Chapter commends the Department of Housing & Urban Development and the finalists for concentrating on the implementation of scalable proposals and buildable ideas that, in HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan’s words, ‘will save lives and protect communities.’ New York City is still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, and the Rebuild by Design competition helps enormously to restore confidence that intelligent architecture and cogent planning can create safe, sustainable and resilient communities for the 21st century."

"Hurricane Sandy showed that social vulnerabilities are very much tied to economic and physical vulnerabilities across the region. Rebuild by Design aims at bridging the gap between these and reconnecting people and places," said Henk Ovink, former Director General for Spatial Planning and Water Affairs of the Netherlands, Principal for ‘Rebuild by Design’ and Senior Advisor to Secretary Donovan, Sandy Task Force / HUD.

Rebuild by Design now heads into Stage 3, when Design Teams begin to work with local community leaders to collaboratively develop design solutions in partnership.