Design Charrettes

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Brief Description:

A Design Charrette is an intensive, hands-on workshop that brings people from different disciplines and backgrounds together to explore design options for a particular area or site.

Description:

Design Charrettes are 'a fun and innovative way to engage the public, especially in projects where there is a significant landscape, streetscape, or other interesting design element. Design Charrettes are public workshops that include community members, design professionals, and other project staff. Charrettes can take place in a single session or be spread out among two or three workshops. The goal of the charette process is to capture the vision, values, and ideas of the community - with designers sketching to create alternatives and ideas as fast as they can be generated by the participants. Design charrettes are a good way to build positive enthusiasm and energy for your project and, at the same time, be responsive to the creativity of the community.' (Source: http://www.contextsensitivesolutions.org)

Used For:

To bring citizens, decision-makers and designers together to build a new or alternative vision for an area or site through a creative process of team work and competition.

Suitable participants:

Any, although the process relies on working with professional designers, planners or architects.

Cost:

Low - Medium - High

The cost will depend on how many meetings take place and whether the professional designers charge for their time.

Time Requirements:

Low-Medium

When To Use / What It Can Deliver:

When seeking to explore options for changing an area or site by tapping into both the needs and values of those who live there and the expertise of professional designers and decision-makers.

When Not To Use / What It Cannot Deliver:

Strengths:

Creative and dynamic
Encourages collaboration between groups that would not traditionally work together in a planning process
Allows a number of different options and scenarios to be explored
Gives designers insights into a community's needs and values they may not otherwise get
Gives citizens the opportunity to be directly involved in designing solutions for their local area

Weaknesses:

Can raise unrealistic expectations about what will happen when the process finishes. Failitators and organisers must take care to explain what they are committing to and what the scope for change is.

Origin:

According to the US National Charrette Institute, '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.'

Case Studies:

Related Methods

Planning for Real

Restrictions In Use

None

Further Information

The US National Charrette Institute's website contains explanations, toolkits and other resources for planning and running a Design Charrette. See:http://www.charretteinstitute.org

For other links, see for example:

http://www.contextsensitivesolutions.org/

http://www.state.outreach.umich.edu/cgi-bin/urel/viewitem?411+

http://www.peoplespeeds.com/design_charettes.html

http://www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/urban/urban-toolkit-apr07/html/page5-2.html

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