'Rebuild By Design' Named Most Groundbreaking Federal Competition

Press Release

In the nearly three years since Hurricane Sandy devastated coastal communities in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Rockefeller Foundation and a multi-discipline team of regional planning partners organized a nearly $1 billion competition to foster coordination and resilience at the local level and across the country. Today, the General Services Administration (GSA) awarded HUD's Rebuild by Design Competition the first-ever "Most Groundbreaking Federal Challenge or Prize Competition."

Rebuild by Design was selected by GSA to receive this award from a group of more than 100 nominations. The award marks the fifth anniversary of Challenge.gov, a GSA platform that hosts competitions for more than 75 federal agencies. The award recognizes some of the most innovative prize designs that have created groundbreaking solutions to significant, intractable problems.

"Rebuild by Design is a perfect example of proactive partnerships working to solve our great challenges" said Denise Turner Roth, GSA Administrator. "This is made possible through innovative prize competitions that unlock the talent and cooperation of Americans across the country. GSA is honored to manage the Challenge.gov platform and looks forward to continued partnership with federal agencies to solve the American people's most pressing challenges. I am pleased to recognize the Rebuild by Design competition, which generated groundbreaking solutions in standards for community engagement, collaboration with state and local government partners, and in-depth research."

"This recognition is a powerful testament to what can happen when government is willing to consider new ideas to get the best possible outcomes," said HUD Secretary Julián Castro. "The realities of climate change demand new coordinated approaches to protecting coastal communities. Rebuild by Design is turning vulnerable communities into attractive, livable areas that can weather future storms."

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