National Charrette Institute (NCI) formed

Bill Lennertz and Steve Coyle, of Lennertz Coyle & Associates in Portland, Oregon, founded the nonprofit NCI to research “the art and science” of design charrettes and educate professionals on the subject. Board members are Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, Victor Dover, Laurie Volk, and Bill Southworth — all highly experienced in charrettes. Charrettes, an important technique of designing new urban neighborhoods and plans, are continuous, multidisciplinary events, generally lasting four to seven days. NCI will be offering seminars and one-on-one training. The first event, a two-day seminar “How to Design a Successful Charrette,” is scheduled for March 28-29, 2002, in San Francisco. Subsequent programs are planned for Orlando, Atlanta, Austin, and Denver, with additional cities to be determined. NCI founders also envision collaborating with other professionals to manage, staff, and facilitate public charrettes. These sessions are to be geared for municipalities and non-governmental agencies — e.g., affordable housing developers — that lack the resources for a typical charrette. The five-year goal is that “NCI will be recognized as the primary resource center for teaching and facilitating the charrette process.” For more information on programs, call (503) 228-9240, or see www.charretteinstitute.com.