Biographical / Historical

Rebuild by Design was a competition launched in 2013 by the Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force, under the authority of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010. The process took the form of a multi-stage planning and design competition to develop regionally applicable and locally-contextual solutions to continuing threats resulting from climate change, such as flood protection within the most affected areas within New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

After the competition was launched by the Task Force, responsibility for management of the competition transferred to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, in collaboration with New York University's Institute of Public Knowledge, the Municipal Art Society of New York, the Regional Plan Association, and the Van Alen Institute.

In June 2014, then-HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan announced the six winning projects based on evaluation by the competition jury and awarded $930 million for the first phases of construction: BIG U: New York, NY; Living with the Bay: Long Island, NY; New Meadowlands: The Meadowlands, NJ; Resist, Delay, Store, Discharge: Hoboken, Jersey City, Weehawken, NJ; Hunts Point Lifelines: Bronx, NY; Living Breakwaters: Staten Island, NY; and one runner up, Resilient Bridgeport: Bridgeport, CT.