NCI Frequently Asked Questions
- How does NCI define a charrette?
- Why does a charrette have to last multiple days?
- Are there affordable alternatives to the charrette process outlined in your courses?
- When is the right time to use the charrette process?
- Does a charrette always require a 3rd party facilitator?
- How much do charrettes cost?
Q: How does NCI define a charrette?
A: The NCI charrette is a collaborative planning process that harnesses the talents and energies of all interested parties to create and support a buildable Smart Growth plan.
The term "charrette" is overused and often misused. NCI has defined the following nine strategies, which differentiate an authentic charrette from other planning processes.
- Work collaboratively
- Design cross-functionally
- Compress work sessions
- Communicate in short feedback loops
- Study the details and the whole
- Produce a feasible plan
- Use design to achieve a shared vision and create holistic solutions
- Include a multi day charrette
- Hold the charrette on or near the site
Q: Why does a charrette have to last multiple days?
A: One of the unique traits of the charrette is the series of feedback loops. Three loops are the minimum required to facilitate a change in participants’ perceptions and positions. Within these three major feedback loops, designs are created based upon a public vision, and presented within hours for further review, critique, and refinement. Four consecutive days are required to accommodate three feedback loops, scheduled at least a day apart. These feedback cycles foster a holistic understanding of complex problems by all participants and form the basis of a plan that reflects all vital viewpoints. It results in true buy-in by everyone involved, who are thereby inspired to support the plan, allowing it to overcome the inevitable challenges on its path to implementation
Q: Are there affordable alternatives to the charrette process outlined in your courses?
A: Charrette costs are affected by the project’s level of complexity, and the amount of research required to become "charrette ready." Costs can be mitigated by the use of staff and volunteers as charrette team members and by utilizing available existing economic and transportation data. Projects that have a high level of political and/or site complexity usually require more paid professionals. Similarly, the lack of fresh data can also require the commissioning of costly studies. Some projects can save money by short-circuiting the fat report route through tapping the wisdom of local professionals during the charrette.
Q: When is the right time to use a NCI charrette process?
A: Charrettes are ideal for projects in which development is imminent, and/or when there is a real developer to implement the results. charrettes are especially useful for projects that have significant community impact and contentious situations that require conflict resolution. For a charrette to be successful, participants must be prepared and informed about the process, and the information required for a holistic approach must be present. This means ensuring that key stakeholders have agreed to participate and have a shared understanding of the project, the process, and their roles in it. There must be agreement on the nature of the problem and the need to act on it. The information must also be comprehensive. This means all the information that is required for participants to make informed decisions is available and in a form that can be understood by all involved.
Q: Does a charrette always require a third party facilitator?
A: The third party facilitator is someone who is recognized by all participants as someone who is genuinely committed to protecting the people and the process in the charrette. The third party role is invaluable for creating an atmosphere of trust for all participants. At minimum, the charrette requires someone who can play the third party role when necessary. In many cases, local staff members have too much history to effectively be a third party. Although it is a bit of a high-wire act, it is possible for a conscientious charrette leader to assume a third party role and provide content.
Q: How much do charrettes cost?
A: The charrette event cannot be separated
from the preparation and implementation phases. Therefore, it is not possible
to budget for a charrette in isolation. The cost is completely dependent
on project scale and complexity, how much preparation work has to be done,
available resources, data collection, studies to be completed, and stakeholder
outreach and engagement. The price for charrette projects, including preparation
and implementation, ranges from $75,000 to $500,000, depending on the geographic
location. It is possible to reduce project costs through the use of professional
volunteers, local agencies and university architecture and planning departments.
The National Charrette Institute and other organizations are working to
create more affordable charrette models and resources.