What is and is not a charrette (and why it matters)
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EmailThe National Charrette Institute clarifies what is and is not a charrette, and explains why this distinction matters.
The word charrette is appearing more frequently in literature and discussions around planning and design community engagements. However, not every workshop, visioning session, community meeting, or open house qualifies as a charrette, even though some are promoted or labelled as such. Other engagement processes—such as daylong workshops or input gathering sessions, focus groups, or public forums—can gather community or stakeholder input, but they lack the rigor and structured collaboration that the National Charrette Institute (NCI) defines in a charrette.
Charrettes are unique because they offer a dynamic, high-impact approach to planning and design by promoting collaboration, accelerating decision-making, and fostering a sense of ownership among participants. Charrettes encourage participants to move from abstract ideas to concrete solutions and create consensus building among stakeholders. This reduces interjections and future opposition to projects, making the decision-making process smoother. With the term becoming more popular and increasingly common, mislabeling a workshop or engagement process as a charrette can do more than create a semantic error—participants may come expecting a fully collaborative experience, and falling short of that expectation can undermine participants’ trust and willingness to participate in future engagements.
So, what exactly is a charrette, what is not, and why does it matter?
What “IS” a charrette?
A charrette IS an intensive, multi-day planning and design workshop that tackles complex problems through purposeful, collaborative effort among decision-makers, context experts and content experts. Typically spanning three to seven days, a charrette compresses months of work into a focused, high-energy process. The National Charrette Institute (NCI) states that modern charrettes are distinguished by six key characteristics: participants work collaboratively with clear purpose and intention; the processes used ensure accessibility and flexibility in participation; content includes the study of both the details and the whole; they promote design cross-functionally and multidisciplinary to generate transdisciplinary solutions; the process communicates through multiple accelerated feedback loops; and they result in feasible, implementable plans. By meeting these characteristics, charrettes provide a structured, values-based approach that fosters inclusivity, co-creation, respect for lived and learned experience, and transparent communication. Charrettes are especially effective in complex or contentious situations, where building trust, securing broad buy-in, and making rapid yet rigorous decisions are critical. They pull back the curtain to decision-making and allow stakeholders to understand and participate in it.
What “IS NOT” a charrette?
A process should not be called a charrette if it lasts fewer than three days, includes fewer than three structured feedback loops, or brings stakeholders in only at the end. Using technology solely to present information, rather than to co-create solutions is also not a charrette. Similarly, collecting input just once—through a survey or open house—without iteration, or completing work primarily within a single discipline or behind closed doors all fall short of incorporating the six characteristics that define charrettes.
While these shorter workshops or single-discipline sessions can still provide useful input, labeling them as charrettes undermines the credibility of the term and risks leaving participants feeling unheard. Unlike true charrettes, these formats rarely build trust, may not produce feasible and implementable plans, or generate creative, holistic solutions. Calling every planning or design meeting a charrette dilutes the value of the process and sets unrealistic expectations for collaboration and outcomes.
Why does it matter?
Getting the definition right matters. True charrettes are more than just meetings—they are intensive, structured processes designed to tackle complex challenges, foster meaningful collaboration, and produce actionable, implementable solutions. When prepared and conducted thoughtfully, charrettes build trust among participants, encourage diverse perspectives, and create a sense of ownership over outcomes. Understanding what a charrette is—and what it is not—helps practitioners, organizations, and communities set realistic expectations, choose the right engagement methods, and maximize the impact of their efforts.
Using the term accurately not only preserves the credibility of the charrette process but also ensures that participants experience the full benefits of this dynamic approach: accelerated decision-making, innovative solutions, and plans that are both feasible and implementable. By committing to the principles of a true charrette, communities and organizations can move beyond routine meetings to create processes that genuinely empower participants, strengthen collaboration, and transform ideas into meaningful, lasting results.
For a quick summary of what qualifies a community engagement as a charrette and what types of community engagements are NOT charrettes, check out the infographic above.
