While the city’s comprehensive SIRR report provides a scope for post-storm rebuilding across all five boroughs, parallel initiatives have been underway among groups across the city. Staten Island, facing the direct energy of the Atlantic, was the hardest hit borough on a per capita basis, and suffered the most fatalities.

SImagines is a visionary program of the Staten Island Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, in partnership with the Hunter College Department of Urban Affairs and Planning and the American Planning Association. The purpose of this grassroots effort is to develop a shared, unified community blueprint for the future Staten Island in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy that will inform the borough’s recovery, restoration, and future sustainable development.

AIA Staten Island and Hunter College Department of Urban Affairs and Planning designed a series of Planning and Reconstruction Workshops with assistance from the American Planning Association, FEMA, The College of Staten Island, and The Staten Island Foundation. These workshops bring Staten Island residents and community leaders together in a collaborative environment focused on developing a tangible plan for neighborhood recovery.

Three meetings have been held so far: the East Shore, the North Shore, and the South Shore. The West Shore community meeting will be held later in the summer.

Earlier meetings have engaged citizens and professionals alike. Watch the video below to see the project in action: