NYU will host a breakfast reception to unveil Design Opportunities that for the Hurricane Sandy rebuilding effort on Monday, October 28, 8:30 to 11 a.m., at New York University’s Kimmel Center for University Life.
The event, sponsored by NYU’s Institute for Public Knowledge, is free and open to the public. An RSVP is required by calling 212.992.9963 or going here. Subways: A, B, C, D, E, F, M (West 4th Street).
NYU’s Institute for Public Knowledge (IPK), directed by Sociology Professor Eric Klinenberg, is partnering with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the President’s Hurricane Sandy Task Force to organize “Rebuild by Design,” a multi-stage regional competition to promote resilience for the Sandy-affected region.
The competition, which engages 183 experts from around the world on 10 Design Teams, will help provide solutions to problems that are larger or more complex than individual towns have the capacity to solve themselves.
The Design Opportunities that will be presented on October 28 follow three months of in-depth analysis and public outreach, including both one-on-one conversations with people living in affected areas and guided conversations with team members and citizens. Design Opportunities are identified regional problems around which design-based solutions can be developed. Following this event, HUD will select one opportunity for each team to pursue in the design phase—the next and final portion of the competition. The winning design solutions will be announced in April 2014.
The goal of the competition is to attract world-class talent, promote innovation, and develop projects that will be built. Once the best ideas are identified, HUD will support their implementation using funds made available through the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery program, as well as other public and private funds. Design solutions are expected to range in scope and scale—from large-scale green infrastructure to small-scale residential resiliency retrofits.
IPK is serving as lead partner in providing an analysis of the region through a collaborative process with local communities, regional stakeholders, and international experts. This examination is aimed at providing a better understanding of the many interconnected systems (e.g., infrastructure, ecological, climate, and economic) in the Sandy-affected region.
The Rockefeller Foundation is the lead funding partner for the competition and will provide support for the analysis and design process. The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) serves as a special partner, providing critical expertise and guidance.
To learn more about Rebuild by Design, please visit www.rebuildbydesign.org.
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.