Community “Design Charrette” Implementation
A “Design Charrette” is an inclusive and transparent stakeholder meeting that can create community buyin for non-standard active transportation projects.
Creative solutions to traffic
congestion and safety problems
are often unpopular because they
are unusual. The design charrette
format, featuring a skilled facilitator, a
significant outreach effort to include
all stakeholders, and a transparent
process that invites community
input, is a successful planning tool
that yields great solutions and local
ownership.
Technical assistance in planning and implementing a community design charrette will help you:
- Frame the problem to the community;
- Bring all the important stakeholders to the table;
- Create the right environment for the community to work towards a popular and successful solution;
- Use the positive momentum generated to follow through on great ideas.
“The community charrette was a great success. With the new policies and procedures, our children are more active and we’re seeing promising results from their achievement data.”
Dr. Peter Stiepleman, Principal,
West Boulevard Elementarty School
In 2008, PedNet held a community design “charrette” to address student transportation and safety issues at West Boulevard Elementary School. With national walkability advocate Mark Fenton serving as facilitator, this inclusive problem-solving event led to safer school driveway procedures, a new crosswalk at a critical location, a new trail in the adjacent park and a program in which about 70 students are dropped off daily at a staging-post for a ten-minute walk through the park to school.
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