Our Process
Our primary tool is the Community Engagement Lab, a modified charrette that we tailor to address the unique needs and circumstances of a particular client and a particular community. The term charrette emerges from the fields of architecture and urban planning; it describes a highly collaborative, solutions-focused process intended to bring a diverse group of stakeholders to consensus around a thorny design problem. In our Labs, all participants move through a process of deliberative democracy. Together, they explore different perspectives on a topic or question for which the client seeks input; brainstorm workable solutions; and, at the end of the process, present a selection of their ideas to an audience of decision makers. Clients, once equipped with the authentic community input provided by the Lab, can go on to design programs, facilities, or resources reflective of their constituencies’ needs and desires.
