thumb | right | Arrival of a cart in the courtyard of the Beaux-Arts, Gazette-St-Germain-des-Prés, Sept. 1965

A charrette (American pronunciation: ; ), often Anglicized to charette or charet and sometimes called a design charrette, is an intense period of design or planning activity.

The word charrette may refer to any collaborative process by which a group of designers draft a solution to a design problem, and in a broader sense can be applied to the development of public policy through dialogue between decision-makers and stakeholders.

In a design setting, whilst the structure of a charrette depends on the problem and individuals in the group, charrettes often take place in multiple sessions in which the group divides into sub-groups. Each sub-group then presents its work to the full group as material for further dialogue. Such charrettes serve as a way of quickly generating a design solution while integrating the aptitudes and interests of a diverse group of people. The general idea of a charrette is to create an innovative atmosphere in which a diverse group of stakeholders can collaborate to "generate visions for the future".

The term was introduced to many in the Northeast US by a popular art and architecture supply store chain Charrette (1969–2009).

Origin

The word is French for 'cart' or 'chariot'. Its use in the sense of design and planning arose in the 19th century at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where it was not unusual at the end of a term for teams of student architects to work right up until a deadline, when a charrette would be wheeled among them to collect up their scale models and other work for review. The furious continuation of their work to apply the finishing touches came to be referred to as working en charrette 'in the cart'. Émile Zola depicted such a scene of feverish activity, a nuit de charrette 'charrette night', in L'Œuvre (serialized 1885, published 1886), his fictionalized account of his friendship with Paul Cézanne. The term evolved into the current design-related usage in conjunction with working right up until a deadline.

Term ambiguity

The word charrette is commonly used to refer to any collaborative process by which a group of designers drafts a solution to a design problem, and in a broader sense, can be applied to the development of public policy through dialogue between decision-makers and stakeholders.

An NCI charrette is not a one-day workshop, a multiday marathon meeting involving everyone all the time, a plan authored by a select few that will affect many, or a "brainstorming session" that produces a plan but stops short of detailed feasibility testing.

The NCI's primary focus is on educating others to bring transformative collaboration to any strategic design effort.

The NCI Certificate Program provides both individuals and organizations with a path toward confidence in preparing for, participating in, or leading charrettes, and ensuring successful implementation and follow-through.

NCI Charrette System

The NCI Charrette System is a three-phase, holistic, collaborative planning process during which a multiple-day charrette is held as the central transformative event. The NCI Charrette System is designed to assure project success through careful charrette preparation and follow-up.

Phase One: Research, engagement, charrette preparation

Phase one of the NCI Charrette System focuses on establishing the foundational infrastructure necessary for a successful charrette by building both the information and people components. The information infrastructure involves identifying, creating, and collecting all base data needed for effective planning and design during the charrette. Simultaneously, the people infrastructure requires identifying and engaging all stakeholders essential to achieving a feasible and widely supported outcome, including the project sponsor, project management team, directly affected community members, key decision-makers, and potential supporters or blockers. Early and ongoing collaboration with these groups is critical, as their long-term support depends on being treated with respect and knowing their input will influence the final outcome. The objective of this phase is to become "charrette ready"—a state in which all necessary information, stakeholder engagement, and logistical preparations are in place. Depending on the complexity of the project, this preparation can take anywhere from six weeks to nine months.

East Nashville, Tennessee, US (1999)

In response to a devastating tornado in 1998, the East Nashville R/UDAT Charrette was held in July 1999 to guide the neighborhood's recovery and revitalization. Led by a multidisciplinary team and supported by the American Institute of Architects, the charrette included over 1,000 participants and emphasized community participation through open mic sessions, workshops, and public design events. The community focused on restoring services, developing greenways and parks, reducing crime, and promoting local identity. The effort culminated in a bold vision for mixed-use redevelopment and the formation of 'Rediscover East', a lasting grassroots initiative. In 2012, a follow-up charrette led to plans for over 2,300 new homes and 20,000 m<sup>2</sup> of community and commercial space, underscoring how a design-led recovery process can transform a vulnerable neighborhood into a thriving, self-sustaining community.

See also

  • Barn raising
  • Shturmovshchina
  • Talkoot
  • Writing circle

References

  • Online Compendium of Free Information for the Community Based Urban Design Process CharretteCenter.net
  • The Neighborhood Charrette Handbook University of Louisville's Sustainable Urban Neighborhoods Program (SUN)
  • A Handbook for Planning and Conducting Charrettes for High Performance Projects U.S. Department of Energy | Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
  • "PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT TECHNIQUES FOR TRANSPORTATION DECISION-MAKING: CHARRETTES, US Dept of Transportation.