The French word, "charrette" means "cart" and is often used to describe the final, intense work effort expended by art and architecture students to meet a project deadline. This use of the term is said to originate from the École des Beaux Arts in Paris during the 19th century, where proctors circulated a cart, or “charrette”, to collect final drawings while students frantically put finishing touches on their work.

What is a NCI Charrette?
The NCI charrette combines this creative, intense work session with public workshops and open houses. The NCI charrette is a collaborative planning process that harnesses the talents and energies of all interested parties to create and support a feasible plan that represents transformative community change.

A NCI Charrette is:
At least four consecutive days
An open process that includes all interested parties
A collaborative process involving all disciplines in a series of short feedback loops
A process that produces a feasible plan
A generalist, holistic approach
See our Dynamic Planning page for the key strategies for success

A NCI Charrette is not:
A one-day workshop
A multi-day marathon meeting involving everyone all the time
A plan authored by a select few that will affect many
A “visioning session” that stops short of implementation

Who Uses Charrettes?
Planners and Designers
Architects
Public Officials and Organizations
Planning and Community Development Directors
Public and Private Developers and Land Owners
Citizen Activist Groups
Non-Governmental Organizations

Charrette Project Types
Though charrettes can be used virtually any time a product needs to be created or designed, the NCI charrette model results in feasible plans for:
Regional Planning
Comprehensive Planning
Rewriting Development Codes
New Community Master Planning
Specific Planning
Redevelopment Projects
Affordable Housing Developments
Buildings

Benefits of Dynamic Planning and the NCI Charrette
Conventional approaches to the public approval process are failing. Even high quality architectural and planning projects with demonstrable public benefit may lose support without a collaborative approach like the NCI charrette. The public design charrette has emerged as an alternative to the “design and present” convention. NCI charrettes provide a framework for creating a shared vision with community involvement, directed by consultants representing all key disciplines. For a complete description of Dynamic Planning see our Dynamic Planning page.

Key benefits of using the Dynamic Planning process:
Trust – Dynamic Planning promotes trust between citizens and government through meaningful public involvement and education.

Vision – Dynamic Planning fosters a shared community vision and turns opposition into support.

Feasibility – Dynamic Planning increases the likelihood of getting projects built by gaining broad support from citizens, professionals, and staff. And, it creates a better plan through diverse input and involvement

Economy – Dynamic Planning avoids costly rework and utilizes highly productive work sessions.

Additional NCI Charrette Specific Benefits
It’s fun and attracts the interest of a broad range of people
The charrette itself is a marketing event for the project
The multi-day and night studio provides many opportunities for people to participate
The charrette provides a good story for the press

What actually happens at a NCI Charrette?
It is important to note that a successful charrette cannot be a stand-alone process. It is one phase of the Dynamic Planning process, which requires extensive preparation and follow-through for plan approval and implementation. For more on the three part process of Dynamic Planning, visit our Dynamic Planning page.

Overview of the design, input and feedback cycles that occur throughout a NCI charrette:

The workflow of the NCI charrette involves a series of collaborative design and public input cycles for multiple, consecutive days. Everyone – from city planner to local business owner– becomes aware of the complexities of development and design issues, and everyone works together to arrive at the best possible solution.

A central element of the NCI charrette is the “design team,” a multidisciplinary group of professionals that provide the necessary expertise to create a feasible plan that considers all relevant input. This team is the constant of the charrette, working day and night on site in the charrette studio to develop a holistic, feasible plan. This doesn't mean that the entire community must take a week off from work to hold a charrette. The charrette stakeholders, anyone who is impacted by the project or has interest, are involved at a minimum in scheduled meetings, including at least two public meetings. Stakeholders are also welcome to visit the charrette studio throughout the NCI charrette during open hours. In this way, it does not consume large blocks of time for residents or officials.

Once the design team completes its set-up procedures, including a team kick-off meeting and site tour, a public hands-on workshop is conducted for the purposes of creating a clear understanding on the part of all participants about the purpose and process of the charrette and to solicit the public’s project vision. The next day the design team creates a series of alternative plans based on all information gathered to date, including the public vision, and then solicits input at another public meeting. This input is used to refine the alternatives and create more detailed plans that are again reviewed and critiqued by the public during an open house. The design team further refines and narrows the feedback into a final plan and set of implementation documents to be presented for public confirmation on the final night of the charrette.

It is important to note that the project is not complete when the charrette is. Document refinement and further feedback occur through stakeholder discussions and a follow-up meeting approximately a month after the charrette. This allows everyone to check in on the refined charrette plan and to allow for one final feedback loop.