Join others from around the world who come to Harvard each summer for the NCI Charrette System™ Certificate training. Our annual summer course at Harvard this August is always special with a diverse group of students working in the unique atmosphere of the Graduate School of Design just next to Harvard Yard.  Also included is a Harvard certificate of completion. Register now.

Join NCI at the University of Hertfortshire, just outside of London, this September 20-24. NCI Executive Director, Bill Lennertz, and representatives of the the University of Hertfordshire’s Centre for Sustainable Communities will present the full week of NCI trainings for the first time outside of the USA. Learn more and register.

Announcing the NEW NCI Charrette Manager’s Binder
The indispensable organizational tool for staying on track throughout the chaos.

A charrette is a fast-paced and constantly changing event that is challenging to manage. A manager needs a tool to make sure nothing falls through the cracks. Based on the original manager binder developed by Bill Lennertz at DPZ and at Lennertz Coyle and Associates, this tool includes new forms and checklists on team management, production management and scheduling, studio equipment, and pre-charrette logistics.

This NCI Charrette Manager’s Binder will be your constant companion at your charrette. Use the pre-printed tabs and forms to keep track of contacts, travel, schedule, consultant hours, and your production schedule. Use the well-organized structure to add your team’s itineraries and catering details. The NCI Charrette Manager’s Binder is designed to sync with the NCI Charrette Planner™ and NCI Charrette Manager™ Forms Kits on CD. Learn more and order your copy today!

Printing sponsored by Gateway Planning Group

We are partnering with a range of experts on each topic to bring you fresh perspectives on these current issues. Learn more here.

• Charrettes for Form Based Codes — September
• Charrettes and Sustainable Urbanism — November
• High-tech, High-touch Charrettes with a Focus on Social Media — February
• Public Agencies Running their own Charrettes: How to gain community trust while saving time and money (recorded)
• Social Media for Public Involvement Workshop (recorded)
• NCI Charrette System™ 101 — (recording available soon)

Register now and save $65 on the NCI Charrette System™ Certificate training and $30 on the NCI Charrette Management and Facilitation™ Certificate Training. Register today.

This live webinar from the Form-Based Codes Institute will be this Tuesday, June 22nd from 12 noon CDT.  NCI’s Executive Director, Bill Lennertz will be one of the presenters for this webinar.

The cost is $75 for this 2.5 hour webinar. This is priced for each weblink. Lots of people can watch with just one hook-up!  Also, you will have free access to a recording of the webinar for 2 months afterwards.  2.5 AIA/CES and AICP credits are awarded for this course.

For further details, including registration, please see here.

Join others from around the world who come to Harvard each summer for the NCI Charrette System™ Certificate training. Our annual summer course at Harvard this August is always special with a diverse group of students working in the unique atmosphere of the Graduate School of Design just next to Harvard Yard.  Also included is a Harvard certificate of completion. Register now.

How to Facilitate a Large Group Agreement Quickly
Quick agreement is needed during the visioning exercise that often occurs during the first public meeting of a charrette. Participants are seated in groups of no more than eight people per table. Each table has a facilitator and recorder. During this exercise, each table creates a long list of vision items: statements of what they envision the study area looking and performing like twenty years from the present. Each idea is recorded by simultaneously drawing it on an aerial photograph and recording it on a flip chart. At the end of the visioning exercise, the facilitator asks the table to prioritize their top three vision items to report back to the larger group.

The challenge is to perform this prioritization quickly so as to maximize the time available for group discussion. Using the “green dot/red dot” technique is one effective method to use. The facilitator gives each participant six sticky dots, four green and two red. Each person votes for his or her four favorite vision elements by placing a green dot next to the item on the flip chart. Double voting is not allowed. The red dots are used only for deal breakers. If there are no deal breakers then the red dots are not used. After participants vote, the recorder tallies them up and identifies the top three items. The group must then agree that these are their top items. If there are any red dot items, the author of that item is asked to clarify the point to be sure that everyone understands the intent. If it is still a deal breaker once the intent is clarified and understood, the item is noted in the report-back as an area of disagreement. The red dots are an effective method for identifying issues that potentially could make or break the project.

This article was excerpted from the NCI 2005 Best Practices Report. Best Practices Reports are available only to NCI members. To get your copy of the NCI 2009 Best Practices Report that focuses on sustainable community charrettes, become a NCI member today.

NCI’s Executive Director, Bill Lennertz will be at CNU 18 - New Urbanism: Rx for Healthy Places conference this week in Atlanta.  If you happen to be there stop by and see our booth #22 that we will be sharing with the Form-Based Codes Institute.  You can also check out  the NCI Charrette System: Stories of Community Transformation DVD or the NCI Charrette Handbook at the CNU bookstore.

The upcoming NCI Charrette System™ Training in Calgary, AB this June makes it easy for our Canadian friends to earn their NCI certificates. We are centrally located this year in Calgary thanks again to Olds College. Sign up now and join the increasing number of Canadians who are using the charrette system to save time and money.