Rebuilding with Resilience

CHAPTER 1
Summary of Lessons Learned
INTRODUCTION
In the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, the Obama administration, in partnership with The
Rockefeller Foundation, launched the innovative Rebuild by Design (RBD) competition, which
sought to inspire affected communities to rebuild differently in ways that would enhance their
physical, economic, social, and environmental resilience. This report aims to capture and share
lessons learned from the innovative process for developing the RBD proposals and the novel
projects that were generated through this competition.
Superstorm Sandy exposed the region’s vulnerability to extreme weather: Sandy’s 14-foot storm
surge overtopped sea walls; city blocks were inundated with 2 to 3 feet of flood water; damaging
waves destroyed whole towns along the New Jersey shore; and the storm knocked out power and
wastewater treatment facilities across the region. 1 Sandy also provided a glimpse of the impacts
the region can expect with additional climate change. Sea levels in this region already have risen
1 foot over the last century (which contributed to the storm’s devastation), and are expected to
rise by 4 feet or more by the end of this century. The National Climate Assessment estimates that
a 2-foot rise in sea levels would triple the frequency of coastal flooding in the Northeast. 2
In addition, the region is anticipated to experience an increase in rainfall and heavy downpour
events, causing more interior flooding, combined sewer overflows, and attendant water pollution.
These forces will combine to greatly increase flood risks across the Sandy-affected region and
along the North Atlantic coast.
Sandy also exposed the role that chronic societal stressors—such as poverty, lack of mobility,
and lack of social cohesion—can play in both increasing community vulnerability and hindering
a region’s ability to recover from a disaster. Sandy’s flooding and power outages trapped people
in high-rise apartment buildings and public housing; hospitals had to be evacuated; people were
unable to travel to work; small businesses were forced to permanently close; and the region lost
already scarce affordable housing. Existing social and economic stressors made it much more
difficult for frontline communities to bounce back after the storm.
1 Chapter 1: Summary of Lessons Learned | Rebuilding with Resilience GEORGETOWN CLIMATE CENTER