“The Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force is pleased to launch REBUILD BY DESIGN, a multi-stage regional design competition to promote resilience for the Sandy-affected region. The goal of the competition is two-fold: to promote innovation by developing regionally-scalable but  locally-contextual solutions that increase resilience in the region, and to implement selected  proposals with both public and private funding dedicated to this effort. The competition also  represents a policy innovation by setting aside HUD Community Development Block Grant  Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funding specifically to incentivize implementation of winning  projects and proposals. Design solutions are expected to range in scope and scale — from  large-scale urban and multi-functional green infrastructure, to small-scale distributed flood  protection measures and resilient residential structures, for example. The competition process  will also strengthen our understanding of regional interdependencies, fostering coordination and  resilience both at the local level and across the United States.  On December 7, 2012 President Obama signed an executive order creating the Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force to “…ensure that the Federal Government continues to provide appropriate resources to support affected State, local, and tribal communities to improve the  region’s resilience, health, and prosperity by building for the future.” The Task Force exists to ensure cabinet-level, government-wide and region-wide coordination to help communities as they are making decisions about long-term rebuilding.”