The participation of children in charrettes is a hot topic at our trainings these days. At ASU last week we discussed these major benefits.

1. Kids can add important content. They are, of course, brutally honest and also quite smart about planning issues.
2. Their presentations can change the whole tenor of the charrette. Kids very often speak volumes about important values. Their honesty can raise the discussion to the level of values and guiding principles.
3. They might bring their parents to the charrette, especially if you make the project a school project.
4. They can serve as interpreters for parents who are not fluent in English.

These are just some of the benefits of including these stakeholders in planning their communities. What else are we missing? What have been your experiences with children in community planning processes?

1. Changing project users mindsets and preconceptions about sustainability is a prerequisite to implementing sustainable design projects in which users take ownership. Charrettes create an immersive, shared-learning environment that promotes a shift in mindsets.
2. Sustainable projects have a complex set of environmental, economic, and social variables plus a large, diverse set of stakeholders. The NCI Charrette System addresses these complexities by combining integrated design with a comprehensive community involvement process.

I had an interesting discussion with the students at our D.C. training this month. We were debating the trade-offs of workshops in which a select group of stakeholders participate in virtually the entire event participating in the design sessions elbow to elbow with the professional design team.

We talked about the obvious advantages of having a group of special stakeholders immersed with the design team. These people gain an in-depth understanding of the design as well as being true co-authors of the plan. My colleagues and NCI curriculum contributors, Sandy Wiggins and Jennifer Rezeli, use this method for their sustainable design charrettes. They find that this method is the most effective for “changing mindsets,” an essential goal of sustainable projects.

Although the NCI charrette model certainly does not preclude this approach, the method taught in our classes is different. In the NCI multiple-day charrette, stakeholders typically participate in a series of intermittent design session and reviews that are spaced over the multiple days. Primary stakeholders, decision makers and other gatekeepers are typically involved more than the general public but all have a chance to review and participate at key decision points. Community members may come to two or three evening meetings throughout the charrette, while agency staff may come to those plus two or more meetings during the day.
In D.C. we discussed how the first model assures a very well informed set of project champions while the second approach may result in broader, less in-depth education of a much larger group.

So the question is, does the first approach limit the potential for broad, long-term community support, or can this smaller group carry the message and the project?

Does the NCI intermittent meeting approach offer more opportunity for a broader community involvement while the continuous, immersed participation limits the potential for shared learning to those who can afford to take the time to participate full-time?

Perhaps the immersed approach lends itself to small projects like community centers or campus planning. In fact, I believe that Sandy and Jenn use the first approach for these types of projects. The intermittent NCI method may be best suited for larger community projects. Then, of course, there is the potential to do both, which I believe Sandy and Jenn have also done.

The other aspect of this discussion is the debate around delegated community participation practiced in Australia by Wendy Morris and Chip Kaufman and, I believe, espoused by Andres Duany versus the open model.
I welcome a vigorous discussion about these differing approaches.

Form-Based Codes Institute’s Courses
FBC 101: Introduction to Form-Based Coding
-June 2009, Denver, CO (special one-day course at CNU)

FBC 201: Preparing a Form-Based Code – Design Considerations
-May 18-19, 2009, Lansing, MI

 FBC 301: Completing, Adopting and Administering the Code
- June 13-14, 2009, Lansing, MI  

 To learn more about these courses visit the FBCI website. 

Smart Growth School Upcoming Courses
SGS 101: The Situation – Smart Growth Basics
- July 22-24, 2009, San Francisco, CA

SGS 201: The Solution – Smart Growth Codes
- May 20-22, 2009, San Francisco, CA

SGS 301: The Law – Smart Growth Administration & Implementation
- Sept. 23-25, 2009, San Francisco, CA

For more information, including registration please visit the SGS website. 

NCI Charrette System™ Certificate Trainings

This 3-day NCI training teaches the tools and techniques for planning and running a successful project using a charrette. The NCI Charrette System™ training is ideal for planners and designers and developers specializing in sustainable development, transportation, public works, and transit as well as citizen advocacy.

- May 27-29 Phoenix, AZ at Arizona State University

- May 27-29 Olds College, Olds, Alberta, Canada

- July 13-15 Portland, OR

NCI Charrette Management and Facilitation™ Certificate Trainings

This 1.5-day, advanced training will equip charrette managers with the essential tools and techniques required to manage a fast-paced, and constantly changing, multiple day charrette. Participants learn the essentials of detailed day-to-day charrette management along with the indispensable skills of public meeting planning and facilitation.

- July 16-17 Portland, OR

For more information on NCI’s upcoming trainings visit our training web page.

Earn up to 27 AICP CM credits and AIA CES units for the NCI Charrette System™ Certificate Training and NCI Charrette Management and Facilitation™ Certificate Training.

How can visualization, computer mapping, and collaborative networking tools increase the effectiveness of charrettes for transforming communities? Bill Lennertz from NCI and Jocelyn Hittle from PlaceMatters will provide a hands-on training with tech tools intertwined with traditional charrette techniques on June 10, in  Denver, CO. Register here. 

We have just added a NCI page on Facebook and look forward to using it as a new way to communicate about projects-in-process and new developments in charrettes.  Become a fan!

People say that you can’t really understand what a charrette does unless you have seen one in action. The NCI Charrette System: Stories of Community Transformation DVD is the next best thing to being there. This DVD places you into key moments within the seven-day East Fort Myers, FL charrette. Hear what participants are saying before and after the charrette. Witness how the charrette team takes a project from a blank canvas to a developed plan.  The DVD also tells the stories from Providence, RI and Ocean Springs, MS after Hurricane Katrina.  For more details on the NCI Charrrette System DVD and to purchase please visit here.

Honestly, it can sometimes be a challenge to convince a project sponsor to use a charrette. First you may need to redefine the term. People in the community planning and development world use the word charrette very loosely. To some it may mean a one-hour meeting while to others is means a week-long event. One of NCIs goals is to create a consistent definition for the word charrette as a multiple-day, design-based, collaborative planning workshop. The NCI Charrette System describes a complete three-phase project management approach with an emphasis on in-depth charrette preparation and post-charrette implementation. The aim of the charrette is to facilitate project implementation by reducing rework and gaining broad stakeholder support. NCI charrettes result in a set of drawings and documents that address all aspects of the plan including land use, environmental, financial, and transportation elements.

Another challenge is that it may be hard to convey the extraordinary creativity and energy of a charrette. Once someone has experienced the capabilities of charrettes they return to use them again and again. But how can you explain that to somebody?

One answer to these challenges is the new NCI Charrette System DVD. Funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, this is the first DVD to place the viewer into a multiple-day charrette. Now there is an effective educational tool that describes the process in a concise and engaging 14-minute video or an extended, 34-minute documentary. It is the perfect tool for educating community leaders, developers and public agency staff about the NCI Charrette System. Get your copy today.

Sustainability planning requires an extra effort to educate stakeholders before the charrette. The techniques and issues related to sustainability are often too numerous and too complex to deal solely within the charrette. Waiting until the charrette to start a community conversation about sustainability can leave you with a steep learning curve that can consume valuable time at the charrette.

Stakeholder education should begin months ahead of the charrette. The first step is to conduct a stakeholder analysis (see The Charrette Handbook pp. 37-39) in order to identify who to involve and how. There are different outreach and engagement strategies for primary, secondary and general stakeholders. This analysis focuses on the decision makers, the potential promoters and potential blockers.

When developing an education plan, remember to include the leadership as well as staff of key agencies who may be responsible for implementing the forthcoming plan. Education efforts may include one-on-one meetings, presentation to community groups, a topical workshop and lectures by experts in the field.

The important thing is to start a strategic educational effort early. When the stakeholders are familiar with the issues and tools for sustainable planning they are better equipped to participate in the charrette.