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.