What does one do when community members, perhaps led by a retired planner, arrive at a charrette with “their plan?” A common reaction is to thank them, tell them it will be considered, post it on the wall and return to business. However, this scenario also presents an opportunity to learn something while gaining an ally. The challenge is in involving community members without having them take over the process. An effective way to accomplish this is to welcome their proposed plan as one of the alternative concepts being developed by the charrette team. In the interest of fairness, have a charrette team member re-draw the plan using the same technique and colors as the other alternatives. This eliminates any advantage or disadvantage that may exist due to drawing skills, allowing the focus to be on the comparative design elements of the plans.

The charrette promotes inclusion, but always on an even playing field. Even though a group of community members may feel that their plan is entitled to greater standing, it must compete with all other alternatives based on its performance against the project Objectives, Measures and Strategies (see The Charrette Handbook, p.34). Sometimes an eager community architect is even invited to take a desk and join the team, but not before agreeing to participate on the same level as other designers, playing by the same set of rules. It is not uncommon for these community participants to become the biggest champions of the charrette outcomes.