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Charrettes
A Design Charrette is a multi-day collaborative planning event that harnesses the talents and energies of all parties to create and support feasible design options for an area. It is a model developed in the US over the last 20 years and is growing rapidly in popularity as a method to unlock longstanding deadlocks and avoid the costly cycle of consultation, conflict and subsequent reworking.
Our work is guided by Bill Lennertz of the National Charrette Institute in Portland, Oregon. Bill has worked on over 150 Charrettes including one delivered to address the rebuilding of New Orleans in the wake of hurricane Katrina. It is a mechanism whereby an integrated design response can be developed, tested, consulted on and jointly agreed between ALL stakeholders simultaneously.
The Charrette process differs from other collaborative planning techniques in several ways. A very detailed and comprehensive preparation process precedes the intensive design event. The structure of the event itself enables multiple stakeholders and a multidisciplinary design team to interact, review ideas in smaller and public meetings and develop alternative concepts in a series of short feed-back loops. The Charrette event must be at least three days (but is often five to seven depending on complexity).
Due to the growing complexity of urban regeneration and the shortcomings of many public consultation methods and techniques, Charrettes are sure to be used more frequently in the coming years.
If you would like to know more about Charrettes or would like Creative Process to run one for you, please contact us for more information.
