Shaun Donovan, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and Chair of the Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force, will make an announcement related to promoting innovation and resilient design in Sandy rebuilding on Thursday, June 20, 9:15 a.m., at the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute.
The event is hosted by NYU’s Institute for Public Knowledge.
Following his remarks, Donovan will chair a panel focused on the vulnerabilities of the Sandy-affected region and opportunities to make communities more resilient through innovative design and regional planning. Other panelists will include:
• Seth Diamond, Commissioner, New York City Department of Homeless Services
• Ingrid Gould Ellen, co-director of the Furman Center and professor of public policy and urban planning at NYU’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
• Marc Ferzan, Executive Director of Governor Christie's Office of Recovery and Rebuilding
• Dina Long, Mayor of Sea Bright, New Jersey
• Seth Pinsky, President, New York City Economic Development Corporation
• Judith Rodin, President, The Rockefeller Foundation
• Joan Shigekawa, Acting Chairman, National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)
• Tom Tavella, President, American Society of Landscape Architects
Henk Ovink, Senior Advisor to the Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force, will moderate the session.
The event is free and open to the public. An RSVP is required by calling 212.992.9562 or going to: ipk.nyu.edu/. Subways: 6 (Astor Place); N, R (8th Street).
Reporters wishing to attend the event must RSVP to Aaron Jacobs at Aaron.F.Jacobs@hud.gov.
On December 7, 2012, President Obama signed an executive order creating the Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force to “…ensure that the Federal Government continues to provide appropriate resources to support affected State, local, and tribal communities to improve the region's resilience, health, and prosperity by building for the future.”
The Task Force builds on lessons learned during previous disasters, where experience has shown that planning for long term rebuilding must begin even as the response is ongoing. Within the National Disaster Recovery Framework, the Task Force works with federal, state, and local officials as well as the private sector, non-profit, community, and philanthropic organizations to promote recovery in a unified and coordinated manner. President Obama appointed Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan as Chair of the Task Force, which was officially launched on February 5, 2013.
Editor’s Note:
The Institute for Public Knowledge (IPK) was established in 2007 by the President and Provost of New York University as an interdisciplinary, university-wide social science research institute. It is directed by Eric Klinenberg, professor of sociology and author of the acclaimed books Heat Wave, Fighting for Air, and Going Solo. IPK began investigating what happened during Superstorm Sandy as the storm waters receded in November 2012. It immediately established the Superstorm Research Lab: a group of faculty and doctoral students who comb through the city to observe and record the immediate aftermath of the disaster as well as the rebuilding process. IPK also organized the public forum series on Sandy, Climate Change, and the Future of New York City, a set of eight events through the winter and spring that brought together faculty and members of the public to discuss issues including housing, infrastructure, security, and climate change.
The Rockefeller Foundation aims to achieve equitable growth by expanding opportunity for more people in more places worldwide, and to build resilience by helping them prepare for, withstand, and emerge stronger from acute shocks and chronic stresses. Throughout its 100 year history, the Rockefeller Foundation has enhanced the impact of innovative thinkers and actors working to change the world by providing the resources, networks, convening power, and technologies to move them from idea to impact. In today’s dynamic and interconnected world, The Rockefeller Foundation has a unique ability to address the emerging challenges facing humankind through innovation, intervention and influence in order to shape agendas and inform decision making. For more information, please visit www.rockefellerfoundation.org.
Alternate contact:
Aaron Jacobs
202.306.3411
Aaron.F.Jacobs@hud.gov