Elevating Neighborhoods with Design Charrettes
Image of design charrette focused on a new park in the Madison community north of Nashville
What is a charrette?
A charrette is a type of community design meeting commonly used in urban planning and design projects. These meetings provide space for open and creative collaboration between designers, community members, and any other stakeholders in a project. These participatory-style events are often done in a back-to-back series to result in a feasible and actionable solution to an issue that the charrette process is intended to address, which could come in various aspects and scales such as where to build a new sidewalk expansion or where to develop a new community park and what program element would be included in the design.
The word “charrette” comes from the French language meaning “cart.” The charrette, as we interpret it today, gets its origins in 19th century Paris, France; students at the École des Beaux Arts (School of Fine Arts) would rush to put the final touches on their artwork as it was being rolled away in the cart, or the charrette, to be turned in just minutes before its deadline. Students often went so far as to jump into the cart to finish their project.
Why should you host a charrette?
Table discussion about Transit issues in Nashville
Charrettes can be an alternative to designers presenting a fully conceptualized idea to the community without any feedback. With the charrette model, any interested parties are able to give valuable input during the developmental stages; this gives the most impacted parties the opportunity to speak up for what they want and don’t want. Every community has its own strengths and weaknesses with civic engagement. An effective charrette session comes with particular goals and objectives, and it needs a high level of public awareness.
People are motivated to participate when they feel seen and heard; they want to see themselves represented and honored when a development happens in their communities. Trust building is crucial. A lack of trust in the government or the developers has become more common in many communities as a product of failed promises or poor interactions. It’s important to rebuild or establish trust to advance design work. The community engagement process shall begin as early as possible and bring people face-to face. To make the charrette collaborative and efficient, It’s important for designers to facilitate the conversations and guide the participants to use design languages. Drawings allow participants to view the same idea clearly and help them better visualize a potential future. Designers should encourage critical thinking by offering space for ideas and suggestions instead of seeking affirmation for the designs they provide on their end.
Though not all feedback will be positive or encouraging, taking the time to understand the frustration from community members and helping them understand how the design can ultimately improve their quality of life can help create partnerships and positive working relationships with the public. People will more likely come back for more project charrettes when their inputs are validated and reflected in the final design.
Many community members still have their own unique experiences and interactions even if they all live in the same community. Charrette participants are able to bounce off of one another and consider the issues in ways they may have never considered before, which allows designers to effectively collect diverse perspectives that will influence the design decisions.
Typical Outcomes of Design Charrettes
Crowd around a model of a proposal for the East Bank project in Downtown Nashville.
A successful charrette results in a feasible plan that requires minor revision and is supported by the stakeholders throughout the implementation process. Significant outcomes relating to aspects of representation, preservation, foundation and expansion are typically well reflected.
Representation: Prior to the actual charrette process, designers want to make sure there’s enough community outreach to reflect the community the project is serving. The outreach should be rather selective. Bringing everyone in the room may seem to be a fair idea, however, to gather effective feedback, participant-appropriate approaches are needed. Unproductive charrette sessions happen when community members are unwilling to collaborate with countering viewpoints and refuse to engage in civil dialogues.
Foundation: Sufficient food access, clean air and water quality, and health-promoting infrastructure are the foundation of a strong community. No future developments can be accommodated if these foundational needs are not met. Functional and well-connected street systems often reflect how equitable and desirable a community is to live in. To achieve successful community designs, it is essential to prioritize incorporating these components into the development culture.
The hierarchy of the streets and major sightlines are often the elements that shape zoning and development standards. Embracing community landmarks through highlighting view corridors and vistas is a great way to celebrate and reflect the value and the culture of a community, which should be highly considered in the charrette session.
Preservation: An outcome of the process should not come at the expense of the existing natural environment. Sustainability and resiliency-oriented conversations should always be included as part of the charrette process. Recognizing historic and socially significant distinctions in the community can help enhance design elements and reinforce a sense of civic pride. The proposed design should aim to promote community-based local economies. Not only can this help preserve existing neighborhood culture and identity but also is a great way to help gain trust.
Expansion: Developments are typically associated with the expansion of the size of a community. However, the existing infrastructure such as green spaces and pedestrian connections may not be ready to accommodate a greater population density. Higher recreational and transportation needs may be included in the blueprint of future planning. Addressing issues such as how streets could be safer and better connected and how more resources will be allocated during the charrette process can help residents better understand how their community could become more interactive and connective through future planning.
Another critical concern that rises with more development is housing affordability. This is very common in neighborhoods that are considered “up and coming” and is particularly harmful for residents with lower incomes. If development comes at the expense of the people, then we need to question if it is worth happening. How affordable housing options could be implemented for diverse income and lifestyles can be a big factor on if a proposed development will be supported by the community.
Tips for Running a Successful Charrette
Illustrating ideas by drawing on a map
Mix it up: Try to have like-minded folks at different tables. If you are able to separate people who think similarly you are more likely to foster enriched discourse that can spread through the room.
Provide context: To make sure participants are on the same page, it is imperative to provide key historical and planning information that is relevant to the target site.
Warm people up: It can be hard to have discussions with neighbors who don't know each other well. Give a chance for an icebreaker question to help people get to know each other. People are usually hesitant to draw on maps provided but this is often the best way to communicate. If the icebreaker involves drawing this can help lead into typical design charrette exercises.
Small Groups: Not everyone is comfortable talking in front of a lot of people. The Design Center usually strives for no more than 10 people to a table (including note-takers and facilitators). This is not always possible given room conditions or supplies, however, with limited time, 6-8 people are ideal to have a productive conversation where everyone gets a chance to speak their minds.
Meeting note taker: A charrette session can be lengthy with a packed agenda. Information can be lost quickly if there is no effort to retain it. Having a note taker that keeps track of the contents discussed not only helps recap and summarize key outcomes, but also provides a written record for those who were absent to view.
Establish Rules: Even though this might seem obvious, it is important to make sure that rules are outlined to help make for a productive session. Some ideas for rules could be:
Show respect for all participants, their ideas, and their feedback. There are no bad ideas in this process.
Be collaborative verbally and visually. The map is often the place where ideas are born when people are drawing and talking about ideas.
Stay on course. In planning conversations, it is easy to get sidetracked by other ideas or projects that might be outside the scope of this target. Pose a core question that can keep conversations focused if they get too far outside the lines.
Potential constraints
Youth participating in a design charrette
As thorough as your planning may be, you may still run into issues trying to host a charrette session. Here are a few examples and how they can be resolved:
Difficulty in community outreach: Some residents may not have access to computers. Event promotion may require physically showing up with flyers. While it may look like a time-consuming process, it shows sincerity and inclusivity to all the neighbors. It also provides an opportunity to explain what a charrette session is and why their opinions matter face to face.
Terminology confusion: “Charrette” is a term commonly used by design professionals, which may not be something that other people will easily understand. To make the community outreach more straightforward, terms like “ community design meeting”, “neighborhood ideas session” could be used as alternatives.
Conflict resolution: Even if rules are laid out, arguments might still happen when there are disagreements between neighbors, which could become disruptive. To ensure the event proceeds as smoothly as possible, a moderator or facilitator can be used to help guide the discussions and resolve conflicts when needed.
Project Example
A valuable piece of vacant land in the core of a vibrant community is being developed into a parking lot. Many neighbors have expressed their frustration as they’ve expected it to turn into something that can bring more economic and social values to the community. The local neighborhood association wants to host a community charrette session to think about turning the vacant lot into a community green space and take the feedback to a next zoning hearing.
The initial meeting is set to take place at the cafeteria of a local high school. A variety of community outreach methods have been implemented to promote the event. Physical flyers were distributed to local businesses such as coffee shops, restaurants and grocery stores. Digital flyers were also sent out through Emails and text messages to homeowners with valid contact information on record. The District council member has been notified to spread the word at any public meetings. A call for volunteers was made for special roles such as a note taker, meeting facilitator, and a drawing producer. Luckily, a few civic advocates with design and communication backgrounds have signed up.
On the day of the event, necessities such as maps, drawing boards, and markers were set up at each table to accommodate any drawing needs. Wayfinding signage has been put up to make it easier for people to find the meeting location.
A total of 15 neighbors showed up. In the first 15 minutes of the session, the facilitator first thanked the community members and volunteers for contributing their time and effort. He then reintroduced the concept of what a charrette session is and identified the desired outcomes at the end of the event.
Based on the age, length of residency and professional background, the participants were divided into 3 groups of 5 people. They were all given the opportunity to introduce themselves and why they attended the meeting during a 15-minute ice breaker session.
For the next 30 minutes, each group was tasked to brainstorm and list the park elements they wanted to see and then define the sizes and relationships between each element on the map they were given. Each group must be able to explain why and how each element can benefit the community. A person who was familiar with the building process was able to walk around and spend time at each table to help answer questions and provide directions. Photos and videos were taken to document the process.
Each group was given 10 minutes to have a group leader present their concept one by one. There was time allowed at the end of each presentation for feedback. All three groups had valuable input. Multiple common elements were mentioned including trails, bench seating, shade trees, a playground, a basketball court and sidewalk connections.
For the following 15 minutes, each group then revised their concept plan. At the end of the session, 3 different concepts were produced. Each group's facilitator provided a summary in a big group share-back moment.
To close out the event, each concept was documented and was collected for the next session. The organizer then thanked the community members for attending.
This blog serves as a resource, equipping communities with the essential toolkit needed to organize successful charrette sessions. Beyond merely facilitating the creation of equitable designs, these sessions can have profound implications, fostering a sense of unity among community members. By providing a platform for individuals to voice their opinions and contribute to built environment projects, charrette sessions can empower communities, ensuring that their voices are heard and their visions are incorporated. Ultimately, the benefits derived from hosting charrettes extend far beyond design and can ignite enthusiasm that inspires communities.