School of Planning, Design and ConstructionNational Charrette Institute

News

• Tip of the Month: Charrettes, the antidote to a multitasking world

  Published on May 14, 2008

  We live in an age of multi-tasking. As I write this piece I am distracted by the multiple windows open on my computer.

• Is there a maximum or minimum project size for which a charrette is the appropriate tool?

  Published on January 27, 2008

  Charrettes can be used for any scale of planning or design project. They have been used for projects ranging from regional planning to building design.

• Why would a developer want to do a charrette?

  Published on March 3, 2007

  A NCI charrette is designed to protect the project sponsor’s position, whether the sponsor is a developer or public agency, by guarding against commandeering of the project by any one person or group.

• The importance of embedding local staff in a charrette team

  Published on November 3, 2006

  Successful project implementation requires the understanding and support of those who must implement the charrette plan.

• Public meeting facilitator set-ups

  Published on June 3, 2006

  It is important that a skilled facilitator lead meetings with all of the tools and techniques to handle difficult meetings at his or her disposal. The first task for a facilitator is to gain agreements on the meeting “set-ups.”

• A piece of charrette history: The CRS “squatters”

  Published on April 3, 2006

  The following piece of charrette history was excerpted from the National Charrette Institute’s publication, The Charrette Handbook.

• Building charrette teams

  Published on July 3, 2005

  It is not uncommon for charrette teams to include a mix of people who are used to working together, as well as those who are not.

• Dealing with pressure to shorten charrettes

  Published on April 3, 2005

  Often, first-time charrette sponsors resist holding a charrette for more than three days when a minimum of five to seven days is usually required.

• Chaos in charrettes

  Published on February 3, 2005

  Chaos is a part of any intense creative process. The charrette — an intense, creative event — often emulates this process.

• The importance of confidential interviews

  Published on January 3, 2005

  One powerful method for verifying information is to conduct confidential stakeholder interviews.

• Recruiting volunteers: Rules of thumb for your charrette

  Published on December 3, 2004

  One way to mitigate charrette costs is to utilize volunteer design professionals, university professors, and students as part of the charrette design team.

• The well-run public meeting: How to get people to come back

  Published on September 3, 2004

  The most important element necessary to ensure broad participation throughout the charrette process is the well-executed public meeting.

• Benefits of a community bus tour

  Published on August 3, 2004

  A bus tour can be one of the most effective tools during the vision development phase of charrette preparation.

• How to organize walking tours

  Published on July 3, 2004

  In the NCI curriculum, walking tours are a part of the stakeholder involvement sub-phase of the Charrette Preparation phase of the NCI Charrette System.

• How to best use the gallery during a charrette

  Published on June 3, 2004

  As you know, the charrette studio is open to the public virtually any time the design team is working.