Full Report - Knight Program in Community Building
Full Report - Knight Program in Community Building
Full Report - Knight Program in Community Building
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HURLEY | THE PUBLIC PROCESS 13Charrettes typically do a very good job of publiciz<strong>in</strong>g the product of the charrette(<strong>in</strong> consensus-build<strong>in</strong>g terms, the agreement). Because of the spectacle of theevent and the short time frame, media <strong>in</strong>terest is high. New Urbanists have revivedthe art of mak<strong>in</strong>g beautiful plans, and the images developed dur<strong>in</strong>g the charrettemake good graphics for presentations and publications.Lesson: Facilitators and mediators would benefit from learn<strong>in</strong>g about the mediastrategies of New Urbanist charrette practitioners and the power of visual representation.Because of the explicit tie to a legal decision-mak<strong>in</strong>g process often made dur<strong>in</strong>ga consensus-build<strong>in</strong>g process, participants recognize that the process is not completewhen the group makes its recommendations; the process is not complete untilthe legal decision-makers act. Often, participants <strong>in</strong> a consensus-build<strong>in</strong>g processcare so strongly about the outcome that they place political pressure on the legaldecision-makers to adopt the group’s recommendations. They become the proponentsof the recommendations, and fight all of the small battles that appear.Monitor<strong>in</strong>g the actions that participants agreed to take is often an explicit partof the consensus-build<strong>in</strong>g process. Individuals must act, and the consensus-build<strong>in</strong>ggroup monitors those actions to make sure their <strong>in</strong>tent is followed. As problemsarise, the participants re-negotiate their agreements. For a charrette to be fullysuccessful, local people must monitor the implementation actions of governmentagencies and private <strong>in</strong>terests.Lesson: By adopt<strong>in</strong>g some of the practices of mediators and facilitators, charretteorganizers could leverage the charrette process to create and energize local leaderswho will fight for the plan long after the charrette is over.Step 4: EvaluationDraw<strong>in</strong>g on <strong>in</strong>sights from adult education, mediators and facilitators <strong>in</strong>cludeevaluation of the process as part of standard practice. Evaluation of the process <strong>in</strong>an ongo<strong>in</strong>g way has several benefits:• It models a new way of work<strong>in</strong>g together, one that encourages self-reflectionand cont<strong>in</strong>ual improvement• It signals to people that they can disagree or provide criticism• It gives people another chance to be heard• It provides the facilitator, <strong>in</strong> a short feedback loop, with <strong>in</strong>put about theprocess, which can act as an “early warn<strong>in</strong>g system” to make the facilitatoraware of problems