HUD to Hold Competition to Help Sandy-Ravaged Communities

HUD recently announced that it would hold a competition to attract talent and projects to help strengthen communities battered by Hurricane Sandy. The competition, Rebuild by Design, is part of the nearly $51 billion Sandy aid package approved by Congress in January.

The governors of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut have identified $82 billion in storm-related damages. Hurricane Sandy killed more than 100 people, destroyed thousands of homes and businesses, crippled mass transit, set off fuel shortages, and paralyzed power grids.

Officials said the competition should help guide government agencies at all levels as they develop plans to spend the federal money. They said they wanted localities to coordinate recovery efforts better and use some of the winning ideas from the competition. The department is seeking expertise in infrastructure engineering, landscape design, urban design, architecture, land-use planning, industrial design, and other specialized fields. Designers selected would focus on coastal communities in the New York region, as well as on high-density urban environments and ecological networks.