Resources

A host of tools and resources are available to get you started in learning about the NCI Charrette System or to support the knowledge and experience gained through your Certificate Training. See our resource library below for a wide range of free and for sale publications, articles and videos.

Online Engagement

MSU Extension Leadership and Community Engagement

MSU Extension has made several videos available on the topics of leadership and community engagement.

NCI Online Engagement Tools and Techniques Guide (2020)

NCI compiled resources on the topic of online engagement, which can be beneficial when conducting charrettes.

Books

The Charrette Handbook, 2nd ed.

By: Bill Lennertz and Aarin Lutzenhiser. Book Review.

A complete desktop reference for professional planners and community members alike, The Charrette Handbook is a step-by-step guide for how to plan and hold a successful charrette.

This book may be purchased from the following locations and may take up to four weeks to ship:

Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group: Paperback: $52.95 / E-Book price: $47.66. APA members are entitled to 20% off all print books orders from Routledge.com.
Amazon: Paperback price: $52.95 / Kindle price: $42.36 and other sellers.

20/20 Visions: Collaborative Planning and Placemaking

By: Charles Campion

This book gives practitioners and communities the inspiration and confidence to introduce Charrettes in to their planning processes. A series of 20 international case studies, including NCI’s Vancouver Charrette, present the strengths of the Charrette process and show how they can be delivered on a variety of scales, sectors and sites.

This book may be purchased from Riba Book Shops via CRC Press: Paperback: $44.95.

Request for Proposal (RFP) Template

NCI Charrette RFP Template (MS Word)

The NCI developed the model RFP to guide procurement of services relating to a community planning project that includes an NCI Charrette. This file is available for download after filling out a short form.

Presentations

Just what is a Charrette? (PPT)

This PowerPoint presentation, which includes both slides and a script, describes what a charrette is and how it can be used to improve the planning process in your community. Produced for the National Association of REALTORS® by the National Charrette Institute, it can be used for self-instruction or as a presentation to others.

Videos and PodCasts

MSU Extension Leadership and Community Engagement

MSU Extension has made several videos available on the topics of leadership and community engagement.

Charrettes: Facilitating Community Collaboration - Episode 6 (2019) (1 hour)

NCI director Holly Madill discusses charrettes and community facilitation.

The NCI Charrette System™: Stories of Community Transformation (13 minutes)

People say that you can’t really understand charrettes until you have seen one in action. The NCI Charrette System video is the next best thing to being there.

What is a charrette? (2.5 minutes)

NCI’s Founder Bill Lennertz explains this transformative process.

The NCI Charrette System™ (2.5 minutes)

The NCI Charrette System™ is more than the charrette. Hear NCI’s Founder Bill Lennertz describe how a charrette works in the context of the three-phase NCI Charrette System.

Charrettes, Public Health and Comprehensive Planning (2.5 minutes)

Learn about trends in charrettes for projects that link public health and community planning.

The Project Start-up Intensive: Building a Collaborative Team Approach (5 minutes)

NCI’s Founder Bill Lennertz talks about how to ensure long-term project success with step one of the NCI Charrette System™.

Charrettes Facilitating Community Collaboration (1 hour)

LIAA's efforts focus on community engagement and sustainability by providing best practices for resiliency.

Charrette As A Framework Of Equitable Community Engagement with Holly Madill (33 min)

The director of the National Charrette Institute, Holly Madill, on the charrette process and how it is used for community engagement.

Reports and Guides

NCI Online Engagement Tools and Techniques Guide (2020)

NCI compiled resources on the topic of online engagement, which can be beneficial when conducting charrettes.

Community Resilience Scenario Planning Model: A Technical User Guide (2018)

Research staff from Focused Plan, Inc., in collaboration with Hey and Associates, Inc., the American Planning Association, the University of California San Diego and the National Charrette Institute developed this technical user guide to walk users through the process of using ArcGIS, coupled with the Arc Hydro and Community Viz extensions, to visualize stormwater accumulation impacts, explore contributing factors, and test potential solutions solutions.

NCI Charrette System Guide for Transit Oriented Development (PDF) (2013)

The first nuts-and-bolts reference for planning Transit Oriented Development (TOD) projects using a charrette. Written under a Federal Transit Administration grant, this guide is based on the NCI Charrette System™. It can be used by MPOs, state, city and county planning agencies, transit agencies, consultants and community advocacy groups. The guide describes the process, tools and techniques required to completely plan a TOD project from its inception through implementation.

NCI Cross-disciplinary Public Involvement Report (PDF) (2004)

Sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, view a summary of this project and download the final report on the NCI cross-disciplinary forum on public involvement best practices. It includes a literature review, expert papers presented at the forum, forum findings on key challenges and solutions, and project process examples.

Articles

PAS Memo: Crafting Charrettes that Transform Communities (2018)

Holly Madill, Bill Lennertz, and Wayne Beyea for the American Planning Association's Planning Advisory Service. This PAS Memo offers guidance and a case study from the National Charrette Institute to show planners how to be "people ready, data ready, and place ready" in crafting effective charrettes that can transform communities.