charrettes for Development Projects
The NCI Charrette System™ training teaches
you how to apply the complete charrette system to development projects.
NCI trainings are organized around a series of in-depth case study exercises,
conducted in a small team format. The goal of the exercises is to teach
the essential tools for assessing and planning development projects
using a NCI charrette. The Pleasant
Hill BART Project in Contra Costa, CA is
the development case study used in the NCI Charrette System™
training.
See our complete description of the NCI Charrette System™
The NCI Charrette System™ was first practiced
on development projects beginning with New Urbanism projects like Kentlands and
Mashpee Commons in the late-1980s and recently at I’on and
New Saint Charles. The
charrette system has since been used to successfully design and implement
successful, award-winning projects by developers nationally and worldwide.
By using the charrette system your project will:
- Establish a collaborative team approach that keeps projects on time and on budget
- Go beyond stakeholder involvement to stakeholder design input that increases project quality
- Incorporate critical stakeholder input early, avoiding costly 11th-hour surprises
- Build community support from the beginning
- Support project feasibility throughout
NCI Charrette System™ for Development Projects
NCI Charrette System™ Tools and Techniques Specifically Applied to
Development Projects
Phase 1
- Project organization and assessment becomes a team effort, establishing an efficient, collaborative approach
- Key stakeholders and agency gatekeepers are involved early, building support from the beginning
- Feasibility
testing guards against wasting time on infeasible concepts
Phase 2
- The multiple-day charrette is a major marketing opportunity
- Stakeholders learn about design trade-offs through a series of interactive design feedback loops
- The charrette creates goodwill that gives the project
momentum through implementation
Phase 3
- Design team completes feasibility testing to assure implementation
- Charrette products become valuable materials for marketing programs
- Project approvals
are expedited by support generated at the charrette