Plan for Action

Charettes:  a Strategy for Community Planning 

What is a Charrette?

Charrette is French for “small cart or wheelbarrow.” The term (as we use it here) came into use in the 19th century at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts architectural school in Paris. Teams of students there were given challenging design problems to creatively solve under the pressure of time. The intense teamwork continued right up to the time when a cart or charrette was used to carry the students’ competition submissions from the studio to the rooms where the reviews would take place.

Today we use charrette for an intense design session in which a team concentrates on a particular problem and proposes solutions. It is an active approach that involves learning by doing. The charrette model is frequently used in the design profession as a means for applying theory and concept to a real problem. These sessions tend to gather energy, excitement, and ideas. (www.doverkohl.com).

The sponsoring group usually sets the goals and time limit, and also prepares the materials for the session. The charrette has a facilitator or leader, whose responsibility is to bring out all points of view from participants.

The components of a typical charrette include:

  • definition of objectives or issues to be resolved
  • analysis of the problem and alternative approaches to solutions
  • assignment of small groups to clarify issues
  • use of staff to find supporting data
  • development of proposals to respond to issues
  • development of alternative solutions
  • presentation and analysis of final proposal(s)
  • consensus and final resolution of the approach to be taken

Why use a charrette?

  • A charrette is problem-oriented. Include people who have varying backgrounds and experiences to make sure the discussion will include a wide range of ideas, solutions, and understandings of the issues and its’ complexities.  The time limit challenges people to rapidly, openly, and honestly examine the problem and help potential adversaries reach consensus on an appropriate solution.
  • A charrette produces visible results. It is often used early in a planning process to provide useful ideas and perspectives from concerned interest groups. In mid-process, a charrette helps resolve sticky issues. Late in the process, it is useful to resolve impasses between groups.
  • A charrette gets the public involved in the process, thus reducing any feelings of alienation people may have. A charrette offers people the chance to interact with public agencies and ask questions before decisions are made. It supplements but does not replace other kinds of public involvement.

Charette Leader

The charrette leader should be familiar with group dynamics and the substantive issues the group faces. The leader tailors the setting, background materials, and issues to the goal of the charrette and elicits participation from all group members within the allotted time. To avoid chaos in a charrette, a high level of discipline is required.

Required Time

A minimum of four hours is essential for a charrette focused on a modest problem. While the average ranges from one to several days, some agencies hold one- and two-week charrettes or organize them as multiple sessions over a period of time.

Does a charrette have special uses?

A charrette calls attention to an issue. It can dramatize:

  • the need for public attention to resolve an issue
  • a deliberately participatory problem-solving process
  • a public agency’s openness to suggestions
  • a search for all possible approaches to a question
  • a democratically derived consensus

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