
Research & Policy
Rebuild by Design’s collaborative research and design approach is heavily rooted in understanding issues from multiple perspectives. By bringing together outside talent and local experts, Rebuild connects big picture problems with replicable solutions that can be embraced by communities and governments alike.
Further building on its collaborative problem-solving approach, Rebuild researches and surveys the outcomes from its projects and initiatives to help others learn from the experiences. Rebuild has documented the policy and regulatory barriers communities encounter as they work through proposed solutions and utilized these lessons and experiences to contribute to broader resilience policy at the federal level and conducted surveys on coast unbuilding. This process helps inform governments and innovators as they design and implement future projects.

Concrete ideas from 20 experts of the policies and projects needed to protect our communities from the flash flooding and loss of life experienced from Hurricane Ida.
Rebuild by Design has co-founded the NYS Adaptation Practitioner’s Network, to connect and build relationships among non-profit organizations advising local governments on climate adaptation.

As climate change causes a rise in sea levels and increases the likelihood of flooding and major storms, we need to better understand who will be at risk during these events.

The long-term maintenance of parks is a challenge in New York City, just as in many other cities around the world. To address shortages in funding and opportunities for enhancements, New York City has a history of employing the “Conservancy” model, which typically takes the form of a non-profit institution that contracts with the NYC Parks Department to operate certain parks and open spaces.

Five years ago, the Hurricane Sandy Design Competition asked multi-disciplinary teams of architects, planners, designers, engineers and academics to work with the Sandy Region to develop innovative solutions to the challenges of post-disaster rebuilding. McGill University’s School of Urban Planning asked the designers involved in the original design competition to look back and answer: What has been the impact of participating in the Hurricane Sandy Design Competition on your professional practice?

The six winning* Hurricane Sandy Design Competition projects were selected to demonstrate innovative approaches for rebuilding communities affected by Hurricane Sandy in ways that will enhance physical, social, economic, and environmental resilience. Two years into implementation, these projects are providing important lessons about how officials at all levels of government can design and construct infrastructure projects that deliver multiple community benefits.

As communities face a new reality of planning for the impact of a changing climate, it’s clear that the status quo will not be sufficient to address the new realities in the future. Throughout the Hurricane Sandy design competition, teams encountered policy, regulatory and planning barriers that shaped their design proposals and ideas, which demonstrated that, collectively, many of these existing frameworks do not fully enable resilience.
In November 2014, Rebuild by Design brought together community leaders, design and planning experts, and government officials to discuss their experiences in creating and implementing large-scale infrastructure projects. They also highlighted key strategies for continuing to make government-community collaboration effective, even as government agencies…

Hurricane Sandy Design Competition Research Stage

Rebuild and One Architecture & Urbanism partnered to better understand the impacts of heavy rainfall in NYC. The report outlines a comprehensive plan for how New York City can leverage nature-based solutions to address predicted flooding due to the climate crisis. The report takes cues from experts and successful programs in other cities around the world, calling for green over gray in every decision the City makes, and providing a framework for localities to learn from.