The Rebuild By Design competition attracted plenty of hoopla thanks to its $920 million and the critical need for projects that protect coastal cities as sea levels rise. Now that the winners have been picked, how will they deliver on their promise?
The Rebuild By Design has already proven successful in raising the profile of resiliency and sea level rise as a critical planning and urban design issue of the 21st century, but there are still some benchmarks that must be achieved before any of the competition's winning projects are complete. For instance, reports Henry Melcher, "before any of these projects can break ground, the approved federal funds must be officially granted to the specific localities that will oversee them."
"That process is expected to start this fall when HUD publishes a notice in its registry that the funds are available. After that occurs, the grantees must create action plans, which include public input, and detail how the funds will be spent. Once those plans are approved by HUD—likely some time this winter—the money will be available to spend."
Then there is the likely evolution of some of the winning proposals: "As this process plays-out, the proposals will certainly change as they move from design to development and from architects to bureaucrats. The winning New York City teams understand this but are optimistic about how their visions will be realized."
FULL STORY: Will Rebuild Be Realized?

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

Portland Raises Parking Fees to Pay for Street Maintenance
The city is struggling to bridge a massive budget gap at the Bureau of Transportation, which largely depleted its reserves during the Civd-19 pandemic.

Spokane Mayor Introduces Housing Reforms Package
Mayor Lisa Brown’s proposals include deferring or waiving some development fees to encourage more affordable housing development.

Houston Mayor Kills Another Bike Lane
The mayor rejected a proposed bike lane in the Montrose district in keeping with his pledge to maintain car lanes.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont