The National Charrette Institute Who we are:  The National Charrette Institute is a nonprofit educational institution. We teach the transformative process of Dynamic Planning to create healthy community plans. What we do:  We teach professionals and community leaders Dynamic Planning, a holistic, collaborative planning process that harnesses the talents and energies of all affected parties to create and support a feasible plan.  We advance the fields of community planning and public involvement through research, publications, and facilitation.

NCI Certificate Programs NCI Charrette Planner®  Introduction to NCI Dynamic Planning  Continuing NCI Dynamic Planning NCI Complete Charrette Manager™  Introduction to NCI Dynamic Planning  Continuing NCI Dynamic Planning  NCI Charrette Management NCI Public Meeting Facilitator™  Introduction to NCI Dynamic Planning  NCI Public Meeting Facilitation

Available from the NCI website

The NCI Dynamic Planning Process  A three-part process for achieving transformative change in public and private planning efforts  The overall process in which the charrette is the transformative event

research, education, charrette preparation charrette planimplementation Project Status Communications Product Refinement Presentation and Product Finalization Project Assessment and Organization Stakeholder Research, Education, Involvement Base Data Research and Analysis Project Feasibility Studies and Research Charrette Logistics Organization, Education, Vision Alternative Concepts Development Preferred Plan Synthesis Plan Development Production and Presentation Dynamic Planning Phases

Drawn for The Washington Post, 1988, by Roger K. Lewis, FAIA, Professor, U. Maryland School of Architecture What is an NCI Charrette?  The NCI charrette is a multi- day collaborative planning event that harnesses the talents and energies of all affected parties to create and support a feasible plan that represents transformative community change

Origin of the term “charrette”  At the École des Beaux Arts in Paris during the 19th century, proctors circulated a cart, or “charrette,” to collect final drawings while the students frantically put finishing touches on their work La Charrette, by Alexis Lemaistre c.1889

Charrette trends Government agencies requiring charrettes:  Baltimore County, Maryland  Davidson, North Carolina  Belmont, North Carolina  Sarasota Co. Florida Recent RFPs requiring charrettes:  Renaissance Project, Baltimore, Maryland  Columbia Town Center, Columbia, Maryland  City Center Housing, Santa Monica, California  Spokane Valley, Washington  Providence, RI  Chico, CA  Montgomery County, MD  Surfside, Florida  City of Tacoma Park

A Sample Dynamic Planning Process

Phase One: Charrette Preparation

Charrette Preparation: Getting Charrette Ready Phase 1: Research, Education and Charrette Preparation  Project Assessment and Organization  Stakeholder Research, Education, and Involvement  Base Data Research and Analysis  Project Feasibility Studies and research  Charrette Logistics

Stakeholders’ unique contributions Elected officials Neighbors Urban designers Environmentalists Business owners Developer Fire Chief Transportation engineers

Dynamic Planning Road Map

Charrette Ready Plan Schedule

Phase Two: The Charrette

Charrette Roles and Process Charrette Team  The multidisciplinary charrette team works uninterrupted to produce the plan at the charrette studio

Drop by the studio (Unscheduled) Urban Design Associates Stakeholder meeting (Scheduled) Dover Kohl Public meetings (Scheduled) LCA Town Planners Charrette Roles and Process The Stakeholder’s Role  The stakeholders provide vision, input and review at key moments during scheduled, as well as impromptu, meetings  They are not there all the time!

Charrette Work Cycles alternative concepts public meeting review open house review public meeting confirmation public meeting vision plan development preferred plan

Example Charrette Products Street sections Detailed studiesEconomics Master Plan

Example Charrette Products Street Network Codes Hand drawn renderings Building Types

Example Charrette Products Retail Analysis Infill Studies

Phase Three: Plan Implementation

Plan Implementation: Charrette Follow-up  The goal of the Plan Implementation phase is to refine and finalize charrette products to guide the project through adoption and development.  Plan Implementation Information and Relationship Strategy Product Refinement Presentation and Product Finalization

Dynamic Planning and Charrette Strategies 1.Work collaboratively 2.Design cross-functionally 3.Compress work sessions 4.Communicate in short feedback loops 5.Study the details and the whole 6.Confirm progress through measuring outcomes 7.Produce a feasible plan 8.Use design to achieve a shared vision and create holistic solutions 9.Include a multiple day charrette 10.Hold the charrette on or near the site

Dynamic Planning Strategies 3.Compress work sessions  Time compression facilitates creative problem-solving by accelerating decision-making and reducing unconstructive negotiation tactics Apollo 13

Dynamic Planning Strategies 4. Communicate in short feedback loops  Regular stakeholder reviews quickly build trust in the process and foster true understanding and support of the product Dover Kohl

alternativesrefinementplan public review concepts public review Charrette Feedback Cycles Participants work in a series of short feedback loops

Dynamic Planning Strategies 5. Study the details and the whole  Designs at varying scales inform each other and reduce the likelihood that a fatal flaw will be overlooked that could result in costly rework.

Dynamic Planning Strategies 7. Produce a feasible plan  To create a feasible plan, every decision point must be fully informed, especially by the legal, financial, and engineering disciplines.  The focus on feasibility brings a level of seriousness and rigor to the process for everyone involved. Financial feasibility analysis

Dynamic Planning Strategies 8. Use design to achieve a shared vision and create holistic solutions  Design illustrates the complexity of the problem and can be used to resolve conflict by proposing previously unexplored solutions that represent win/win outcomes Urban Advantage

NCI Charrette RFP Template Project Literature Review:  NCI reviewed 21 RFP that called for charrettes

Literature Review 5 called for a charrette with no further definition:  City of Alexandria RFP: “It is anticipated that a consultant- facilitated design charrette will be included at the first community meeting.” 5 provided some further descriptions:  City of Gaithersburg, Kentlands Boulevard: “The charrette is an intensive, broad-based, community driven planning process that has a record of success in crafting plans of high quality and community acceptance.”

Literature Review 10 described a three phase process similar to NCI Dynamic Planning: Chico: “… extensive consultation with City staff, stakeholders, public agency representatives, and neighborhood organizations prior to the charrette, throughout the charrette itself, and during the preparation of a draft Neighborhood Plan that can be processed for review by the Planning Commission and adoption by the Chico City Council.” The one we liked most: Providence: “All DPD planners, and several other participants involved in this process have completed the National Charrette Institute’s Charrette Planner Certification course. The charrette is being developed in accordance with the principles learned in this course.”

research, education, charrette preparation charrette planimplementation Project Status Communications Product Refinement Presentation and Product Finalization Project Assessment and Organization Stakeholder Research, Education, Involvement Base Data Research and Analysis Project Feasibility Studies and Research Charrette Logistics Organization, Education, Vision Alternative Concepts Development Preferred Plan Synthesis Plan Development Production and Presentation Dynamic Planning Phases

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