Resilience by Design: Can Innovative Processes Deliver More?

In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, with more frequent extreme weather events and rising sea level in progress, addressing the vulnerability of US coastal cities and towns has become a matter of urgency. But out of disasters can come opportunities for innovation. Post-Sandy, a range of new initiatives, tools, policies, governance frameworks and incentives are being tested, including competition processes like Rebuild by Design. Design is seen as a key tool for dealing with complex problems by creating integrated strategies to build resilience, sustainability and livability. Using the Rebuild by Design process as a case study, this article considers the potential of such a process to drive innovation and deliver resiliency projects and strategies that can be implemented and leveraged to have a catalytic impact on a broader scale.