Excerpted from the NCI 2005 Best Practices Report
By Jennifer K. Lindbom, AICP

“If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.” – Henry Ford

The places and spaces we seek to create as architects, planners, and design professionals exist for the people that inhabit, work in, transit through, or enjoy them. It is therefore imperative that plans reflect people’s aspirations for their community, incorporate local ideas and solutions, and build the support needed to turn plans into reality. Public involvement is critical to achieving these objectives and is viewed as a key component of a successful charrette. The next time you plan your charrette, keep these five points in mind.

1. Only do it if there is commitment to implement results.
This relates to both results of individual charrette activities and to results of the entire process being undertaken. Involving the public builds the expectation that input received will be incorporated into plans and that there is, indeed, the intention of implementing a plan or project. If the organization you are working with is not committed from the outset to implementing the plan, you risk comprising your credibility and the public’s trust in your effort or future planning initiatives.

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.

2. Work with the community to invite everyone to the table.
Communities, no matter how big or small, are comprised of a variety of interests and actors. Each of these groups and individuals will bring important information or perspectives to your charrette and each can contribute in some way to implementation. For example, banks provide financing, developers build projects, government provides approvals, and community members champion the effort.

You need to bring together civic, public, and private interests as well as ensure there is demographic, geographic, and special interest representation. Traditional or legally-required methods for public notification are not going to bring people – aside from the usual suspects – to your meetings. You need to work with local contacts and networks on an outreach and publicity effort that is intense, inclusive, exhaustive, and creative. Leave no stone unturned to ensure everyone – from elected officials to area residents – is aware of and invited to participate in the charrette process.

3. Create genuine opportunities for input, shared learning, and transparent decision making.
In designing the charrette, be sure to choose the most appropriate activities that will engage the public, focus on building consensus rather than division, be fun, and provide the necessary input for the ongoing design effort. A combination of technical information and what residents intuitively know about their community should be incorporated into the process. Design professionals bring a specific body of knowledge and skills. Area residents and stakeholders bring an experiential and historical understanding of the community. There should be ample opportunities for information transfer between all parties to create a shared understanding of the issues.

Each public involvement activity should build upon the last. The plan should evolve based on input received and transparent, collective decision making. If there are constraints that preclude the public’s expressed preferences from being implemented don’t make decisions behind closed doors; instead engage the public in making the tough choices. Don’t be afraid to ask hard questions, you may be surprised with the answers you receive from your participants, and the public may be sympathetic to the complexity of the issues confronted by the project.

4. Build credibility for the process.
Following the points outlined above will help to build credibility for you and the process. Here are some additional tips you should bear in mind.

• Get the public involved early on in the process. Create a steering committee, create working groups to explore subjects, or have a kick-off event so the public is aware the process is getting underway.
• Create a paper trail. Document the proceedings, make the results available to the public (e.g. post on a website), present results at subsequent meetings, and utilize them in your charrette process.
• Start and end on time. This applies to workshops and the process as a whole. There should be an end in sight. Respect the time and energy area residents contribute to the effort.

5. If necessary, engage a specialist.
The number of hours spent at a charrette as compared to the number spent at your office drawing plans, crunching numbers, or fielding questions from the client may be minimal, but do not underestimate the importance those hours can have on the success of your project. If you or someone in your firm has the skills and time to dedicate to organizing and facilitating the charrette, forge ahead. But if you don’t have the expertise, there are a variety of resources available and planning consultants that provide these services.

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.