New Jersey cannot wait any longer
New jersey needs funding to support climate-forward infrastructure:
To ensure a livable future, it is crucial that the State of New Jersey secures sustainable, long-term funding for climate adaptation infrastructure. Residents are demanding proactive, comprehensive climate adaptation strategies that would ensure that the next storm will not lead to increased destruction.
Though many municipalities have planning efforts underway to address these issues, there are not yet solid funding sources to support these projects. A dedicated state-level funding source could solve this.
Our Proposals:
#1 We Can Develop a Statewide Ballot Measure
Voters around the country have overwhelmingly supported funding infrastructure measures that address resilience and other climate-related investments. A campaign to pass a Resilient Infrastructure Bond would create a public conversation with voters about prioritizing flood infrastructure while galvanizing the support needed to justify this type of infrastructure spending.
#2 We Can Leverage Insurance to Buy Down Our Risk
Rebuild by Design modeled a modest 2% surcharge on certain lines of property and casualty insurance — excluding workers’ compensation and medical malpractice — and found that, in New Jersey, the surcharge could support $9.1 billion in climate infrastructure investments over 10 years.
JOIN OUR MOVEMENT
Rebuild by Design is working to secure dedicated funding for climate infrastructure, empowering all New Jersey communities to invest in resilience today.
We are seeking organizations, community leaders, and dedicated advocates who can play an active role in advancing climate resilience efforts across the state. Your support is critical in securing the funding and policies that will protect New Jersey’s communities and infrastructure for the future. Join us>>
NJ MONTHLY EVENT SERIES
Join Rebuild by Design for this monthly event series, offering an in-depth look at the updated findings from the NJ Atlas of Disaster, along with insights from guest speakers who are leading efforts to address climate challenges in New Jersey. Attend an event>>
READ THE NJ ATLAS OF DISASTER
Between 2011 and 2024, New Jersey faced 14 climate-related disasters, with each of its 21 counties experiencing at least five disaster declarations. Click here to learn more>>
New Jersey residents want to see action
two-thirds
say extreme flooding is happening more often, and half perceive a greater frequency in storms like Sandy and Ida and non-storm-related coastal flooding because of high tides and winds. (Rutgers University)
78 percent
believe Earth’s climate is changing, and almost the same number see changing climate conditions as a serious threat to New Jersey. (Climate Integrity)
70 percent
of registered voters say the issue of Earth’s changing climate is “very” or “somewhat” important to their vote in the upcoming election. (Climate Integrity)
66 percent
support requiring investments using state and federal dollars to take into account resiliency measures to address changing climate conditions. (Climate Integrity)
SEE HOW other states ARE takING action
| Year | Locality | Amount | Purpose | Percentage Passed |
| 2022 | New York | $4.2 billion bond | Ecological and Climate Resilience | 67.50% |
| 2022 | Rhode Island | $50 million bond | Climate resiliency at municipal level, local recreation, open space protection, brownfields remediation, and habitat restoration | 66.00% |
| 2022 | El Paso, TX | $272.5 million bond | Streets and parks improvement, and implementation of climate change projects split into 3 different propositions. | 54.90% |
| 2022 | Denver, CO | $25 million bond | Awards grants to local educational agencies for developing outdoor learning spaces on school grounds. | 56.00% |
| 2021 | Denver, CO | $40 million per year | Raised the city’s sales tax by 0.25% to address climate – both mitigation and adaptation efforts. 50% of the fund is directed towards underserved communities | 62.34% |
| 2021 | Maine | $100 million bond | Municipal, regional and state infrastructure adaptation improvements that support public safety and emergency management and infrastructure resiliency | 72% |
| 2021 | Virginia Beach, VA | $567.5 million bond | Design and construction of flood mitigation measures as part of a comprehensive flood protection program | 72.72% |
| 2020 | Key Biscayne, FL (Miami-Dade County) | $100 million bond | $40 million for mitigating the effects of sea level rise and $23 million for protecting the beaches and shoreline, and more than $35 million to harden and place infrastructure underground to withstand hurricanes. | 56.55% |
| 2018 | California | $4 billion bond | Environmental and recreational purposes | 57.59% |
| 2018 | Harris County, TX | $2.5 billion bond | Flood damage reduction projects | 85% |
| 2018 | San Francisco Bay Area, CA | $425 million bond | Seismic strengthening and flood protection projects for the hundred-year-old Embarcadero seawall and other critical infrastructure | 82.70% |
EXAMPLE: LEARN ABOUT NEW YORK STATE's $4.2 BILLION FUND
In 2019, Rebuild by Design worked with a coalition of leaders representing various interests to alert New York State of the growing need to confront the reality of climate change. In response to the coalition’s work, a $4.2 billion Environmental Bond Act was approved by New York voters in November, 2022.
- $1.1 billion for Restoration and Flood Risk Reduction
- $650 million for Water Quality Improvement and Resilient Infrastructure
- $650 million for Open Space Conservation and Recreation, including
- $1.5 billion for Climate Change Mitigation, including
- $300 million for other projects
EXPLORE REBUILD BY DESIGN's work in new jersey
Event: Learn about Hoboken’s innovative approach and comprehensive strategy to tackling the challenges of heavy rainfall, with Caleb Stratton, Assistant Business Administrator & Chief Resilience Officer for the City of Hoboken. Watch the event here >>
BUILDING REGIONAL EXPERTISE: NY-NJ USACE HATS TEACH-IN
Designing a teach-in: Rebuild hosted a flood infrastructure teach-in to better understand the US Army Corps of Engineers’ proposed plan for flood protection in the New York and New Jersey Harbor and Tributaries. Learn more>>
This Hurricane Sandy Design Competition: This project is a multifaceted approach to managing stormwater from flooding and surge along the Hudson River. It explores using hard infrastructure and soft landscape—including permeable paving, rain gardens, and rainwater storage—for coastal defense. Learn more>>
Hurricane Sandy Rebuild by Design Competition. The low-lying Meadowlands, a flood-prone area located across the Hudson River from New York City, is home to critical power, wastewater treatment, and transportation infrastructure for the region. Interventions here need to address the combined effects of flooding, heat islands, pollution, social vulnerability, and vital network protection. Learn more>>
Hurricane Sandy Rebuild by Design Competition. These research and design strategies focus on the value of “the beach,” a place of special significance to memory, state and local economies, and a vital component of coastal ecosystems. New Jersey’s northern shore includes the three coastal typologies found across the eastern seaboard of the United States: Barrier Island, Headlands, and Inland Bay. Learn more>>
Hurricane Sandy Rebuild by Design Competition. A finalist proposal to create an offshore barrier island chain centered on the NY/NJ harbor is called “The Blue Dunes” – blue indicating their position in the open ocean, and dunes for the natural landforms they mimic. Learn more>>
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