With global warming comes a higher risk of severe storms, and coastal cities like New York City need a plan to house thousands of people in the event of a severe storm.

In 2007, AFHny partnered with City's Office of Emergency Management to sponsor a competition to generate designs for provisional housing for in the aftermath of fictional Hurricane Kirk, a Category 3 storm that strikes a hypothetical neighborhood in New York City.

This scenario was based on the City's existing Coastal Storm Plan and compiled from GIS data that represents a realistic situation in which thousands of residents may be displaced from their homes for several years.

Competition results were announced in early 2008, with ten winners receiving $10,000 to develop their proposals with technical assistance from a wide variety of experts. Judging criteria included capacity, the possibility for rapid installation, site and unit flexibility, reusability, livability, accessibility, security, sustainability, and cost efficiency.

For more information about the competition, and to view the online submissions gallery, visit http://www.nyc.gov/whatifnyc