2024 Sandbox Competition

Resilience in the Face of Climate Change

Sponsored by ITE's Consultants Council

   Go to ITE's website for all the details, eligibility requirements, specific challenge parameters, judging criteria, etc.   

Competition Timeline

• Expressions of Interest due December 15, 2023.  Please e-mail kdriggs@ite.org to ensure you are added to the e-mail communications.
• Project work to be done January 2-April 1, 2024
• Final Submissions are due at midnight ET on April 1, 2024
• Two finalist teams in both the student and professional categories will be notified by April 30, 2024
• Each finalist team will be expected to send one representative to do a final presentation in Philadelphia in July for the Joint ITE International and Mid-Colonial District Annual Meeting and Exhibition. Winners will be announced during the Awards Luncheon.

Purpose:

Climate change and natural threats poses a serious threat to the well-being and livelihoods of people living in urban, suburban and/or rural areas, as they are exposed to various climate hazards that can damage their infrastructure, disrupt their services, and endanger their health and safety. Current practices of engineering, planning, and analysis may not adequately address the needs and preferences of all users in the face of climate change and may result in maladaptation or increased vulnerability. There is a need for innovative and participatory approaches that can enhance the resilience of urban (or suburban) communities and empower all users to cope with and recover from climate shocks and stresses.

As communities face the challenges and opportunities of climate change, engineers, planners, and analysts have an opportunity to enhance the resilience of the built environment for all users. Decisions on how infrastructure is designed, public spaces are adapted and how governing agencies should plan can impact a community’s ability to cope with and recover from climate hazards, such as floods, heat waves, snow/ice, tropical storms and/or wildfires.

The proposed sandbox activity includes applying a variety of strategic, programmatic, and tactical activities to improve the resilience of transportation infrastructure in response to four potential climate/naturally occurring threats: Coastal Flooding, Wildfire, Winter Storms, and Extreme Heat.

For more information, visit the 2024 Sandbox Competition: Resilience in the Face of Climate Change webpage.

Challenge Parameters:

1. Prepare a plan and a design which responds to the Coastal Flooding or Wildfire Climate Risk.

• Identify and Describe the risks to the transportation system
• Prepare a plan, encompassing both mitigation and adaptation strategies at the network and community level, which respond to the risk/threat
• Prepare a conceptual design for the improvement to one (1) critical element of infrastructure (i.e., a roadway cross section, bridge cross section, intersection improvement, etc.) which responds to the risk/threat consistent with the previously selected strategies
• Demonstrate the transferability of the proposed strategies

2. Prepare mitigation and adaptation response plan and design to either the Winter Storm or Extreme Heat Climate Risk.

• Identify and Describe the risks to the transportation system
• Prepare a plan, encompassing both mitigation and adaptation strategies at a network level, which respond to the risk/threat
• Prepare a conceptual design for the improvement to one (1) critical element of infrastructure (i.e., a roadway cross section, bridge cross section, intersection improvement, etc.) to respond to the risk/threat consistent with the previously selected strategies
• Demonstrate the transferability of the proposed strategies

Description and Location

• The figures below provide a Description of the Location/Scenarios of the climate risks; and provided detailed information on the specific census tracts to consider when evaluating critical infrastructure and network responses.

Eligibility

• There will be separate professional and student categories. Cities/agencies wishing to enter would do so under the professional category.
• Teams can include an unlimited number of participants, but at least one member of the team must be an ITE member.
• Please note that if you are entering in the Student Category, each member of your team must be a full-time undergraduate or graduate student.

Evaluation of the Entries/Submissions

• The top two teams in both the professional and student categories will be invited to present their approach and solutions as part of the ITE Annual Meeting and Exhibition in Philadelphia, PA and take questions from the audience in an open and interactive session.
• Presentation guidelines will be provided to the finalists once shortlisted.
• A panel of 4-6 judges will be established by ITE

Submission Guidelines:

• Complete the application and upload along with your submission (one PDF file) 
• Each submission is limited to no more than 15 8 ½ X 11 pages including covers, graphics, and/or images.
• Submitters should use an 11x17 page to present the proposed designs of the critical elements of infrastructure.
• Submitters must detail the selected strategies and explain their application.
• Please explain the methodology and justify recommendations.
• Please be sure the Technical Memorandum includes the team methodology and transferability of applying the proposed strategies systemically to other communities.

Criteria

• Quality of writing and presentation (20%)

• Situation 1 (40%)

  • Identification of issues, description of the problem (10%)
  • Cross Section (sound planning, engineering and design, applicability, ability to address identified issues and transferability) (10%)
  • Network interventions for adaptability and mitigation (sound engineering / design, applicability, ability to address identified issues and transferability) (20%)

• Situation 2 (40%)

  • Identification of issues, description of the problem (5%)
  • Cross Section (sound engineering / design, applicability, ability to address identified issues and transferability) (10%)
  • Network interventions for adaptability and mitigation (sound engineering / design, applicability, ability to address identified issues and transferability) (20%)
  • Consideration of cooling/warming centers (5%)

Recognition

• The winning teams will be recognized at the ITE Annual Awards Luncheon in Philadelphia, PA . Press and industry announcements will be issued highlighting the finalists and winners.
• One paid full Annual Meeting registration will be provided to one representative from each of the two professional teams that are finalists.
• One paid full Annual Meeting registration and up to $500 in travel expenses will be provided to one representative from each of the two student teams that are finalists.
• The entries from the two winning teams (professional and student) will be featured in an issue of ITE Journal.
• Other innovative submissions may also be highlighted in ITE Journal and included on the competition web page.

Start a Submission HERE.