Pottery Town Charette
I'm still a little unsure what a 'charette' is, but this was forwarded to me, so I figured I'd post it ...
Pottery Town Charrette
Athens, GA
March 20th – 24th, 2008
Sponsored by the Chicopee-Dudley Neighborhood Association
Facilitated by the Center for Community Design and Preservation at UGA’s College of Environment and Design
“The goal of this charrette is to create a proactive plan for future development in this historic area of downtown Athens. The neighborhood consists of a small group of 1910 era houses and is currently under development pressure. Also involved are historic preservation issues, environmental management concerns, and urban planning. We'll be working with residents and community leaders to create a vision for positive change.”
What is a charrette?
Charrette is a French word that means “little cart.” At the leading architecture school of the 19th century, the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, students would be assigned a tough design problem to work out under the pressure of time. They would continue sketching as fast as they could, even as little carts (charrettes) carried their drawing boards away to be judged and graded. Today, charrette has come to describe the rapid, intensive, and creative work session in which a design team focuses on a particular design problem and arrives at a collaborative solution. Charrettes are product-oriented. The public charrette is fast becoming a preferred way to face the planning challenges confronting American cities. (Charrettes for New Urbanism, Victor Dover)
Who participates in a charrette facilitated by the Center for Community Design and Preservation?
The more the merrier! Students and faculty are the primary organizers and labor force. However, the success of a charrette is dependent on community participation and input at public meetings and presentations. Additionally, individual input is helpful and can be made though individual interview sessions, and/or by returning the attached questionnaire. Consult the charrette schedule for specific times and locations.
How is the study area delineated?
Although the focus of the charrette is on the future of Pottery Town (loosely defined as the small area bounded by the Oconee River, East Broad Street, and Oconee Street, and once the site of a thriving pottery factory and a supporting worker’s neighborhood), it is necessary to examine the history of, and potential impacts on, the surrounding neighborhoods and downtown commercial areas.
For more information on the Charrette process or the Center for Community Design and Preservation at the College of Environment and Design, link to http://www.sed.uga.edu/pso.
Pottery Town Charrette Schedule
March 20th – March 24th
Athens, GA
All events will be held at Jittery Joe’s Roaster’s
Thurs March 20th
7:30 pm Public Meeting
Fri March 21st
9:00 am Work Session
10 – 12 Interviews (if necessary)
12:30 pm Lunch
2:00 pm Work Session
7:00 pm End Work Session
Sat March 22nd
9:00 am Work Session
10 – 12 Interviews (if necessary)
12:30 pm Lunch
2:00 pm Work Session
8:00 pm End Work Session
Mon March 24th
6:30 pm Public Presentation
Pottery Town Charrette
Athens, GA
March 20th – 24th, 2008
Sponsored by the Chicopee-Dudley Neighborhood Association
Facilitated by the Center for Community Design and Preservation at UGA’s College of Environment and Design
“The goal of this charrette is to create a proactive plan for future development in this historic area of downtown Athens. The neighborhood consists of a small group of 1910 era houses and is currently under development pressure. Also involved are historic preservation issues, environmental management concerns, and urban planning. We'll be working with residents and community leaders to create a vision for positive change.”
What is a charrette?
Charrette is a French word that means “little cart.” At the leading architecture school of the 19th century, the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, students would be assigned a tough design problem to work out under the pressure of time. They would continue sketching as fast as they could, even as little carts (charrettes) carried their drawing boards away to be judged and graded. Today, charrette has come to describe the rapid, intensive, and creative work session in which a design team focuses on a particular design problem and arrives at a collaborative solution. Charrettes are product-oriented. The public charrette is fast becoming a preferred way to face the planning challenges confronting American cities. (Charrettes for New Urbanism, Victor Dover)
Who participates in a charrette facilitated by the Center for Community Design and Preservation?
The more the merrier! Students and faculty are the primary organizers and labor force. However, the success of a charrette is dependent on community participation and input at public meetings and presentations. Additionally, individual input is helpful and can be made though individual interview sessions, and/or by returning the attached questionnaire. Consult the charrette schedule for specific times and locations.
How is the study area delineated?
Although the focus of the charrette is on the future of Pottery Town (loosely defined as the small area bounded by the Oconee River, East Broad Street, and Oconee Street, and once the site of a thriving pottery factory and a supporting worker’s neighborhood), it is necessary to examine the history of, and potential impacts on, the surrounding neighborhoods and downtown commercial areas.
For more information on the Charrette process or the Center for Community Design and Preservation at the College of Environment and Design, link to http://www.sed.uga.edu/pso.
Pottery Town Charrette Schedule
March 20th – March 24th
Athens, GA
All events will be held at Jittery Joe’s Roaster’s
Thurs March 20th
7:30 pm Public Meeting
Fri March 21st
9:00 am Work Session
10 – 12 Interviews (if necessary)
12:30 pm Lunch
2:00 pm Work Session
7:00 pm End Work Session
Sat March 22nd
9:00 am Work Session
10 – 12 Interviews (if necessary)
12:30 pm Lunch
2:00 pm Work Session
8:00 pm End Work Session
Mon March 24th
6:30 pm Public Presentation
posted by Jmac at 8:07 AM
9 Comments:
LOL. It's an alternative spelling of charade. While presented as a group brain storming process, the "charette" process really just a way to isolate troublemakers into a small sub-group, so that they can't influence the land planning process. Apparently the idea here is to produce a new faux version of "Pottery Town's" 1910 housing.
Never mind affordable housing, or job generating development. And never mind that the 1910 era development taken as the foundation for this charette was itself a disruptive process. Let's just make the rich white folk who sponsor and lead this charette happy.
Yeh. That's exactly what a collaborative, time-intensive, theoretical design process is. Ya frickin' idiot.
If these charades were a truly collaborative process, the urge for preservation and a certain aesthetic would be balanced by the imperative for economic development and for affordable housing.
But have a look some of the previous work done by these people. You won't find anyone with a business, development, or affordable housing background anywhere near a leadership position in one of these charades. And you won't find any mention of the impact on property rights, other than cheery assurances that everyone will benefit!
Certainly their are some benefits to a charette. But they are no more "fair and balanced" than is Fox News.
"However, the success of a charrette is dependent on community participation and input at public meetings and presentations. Additionally, individual input is helpful and can be made though individual interview sessions, and/or by returning the attached questionnaire."
Perhaps the kinds of people with the particular backgrounds you mentioned are invited to participate?
Certainly it's easy to dismiss compassion without wisdom as the indulgence of a privileged wanker, but even so there is a Beautiful Soul who cites hard work and learned effort yet lifts no finger to save the world, too. If there is to be any sincerity in helping other people, regardless of whether that help is framed by languages of collaboration and collective or perseverance and determination, it wouldn't be concerned with increasing animosity for others.
If you mean them to be helpful, what's wrong with showing them what help means by going to help them yourself?
maybe because cursing the darkness takes much less effort than lighting a candle.
And here's where someone will say, "LOL you called the charrette people the darkness! 0wnz0rs!"
I find it curious that it took place over major Christian and Jewish holidays. Innocuous mistake? Maybe. A subtle suggestion? Perhaps. I just hope their suggestion will then include preserving a Church. That would be funny.
Nice catch on the holiday charade.
Blake followed up on Monday:
_________________
We ought to try to make a little bit of effort and see if it's something we can protect and hang onto a little bit longer," Cassity said.
But he is not recommending just preserving the 30 or so houses, many of them run-down rentals, that occupy the neighborhood between East Broad and Oconee streets. When the area is redeveloped - and surely it will be as downtown Athens continues to spread east - Potterytown can grow but keep its identity, he said.
____________
Preserving 30 run down houses? Keep it's identity? I've driven through and around that run down piece of Athens my entire life, and I just don't see what's worth preserving. Nor do I see an "identity" -- other than rundown -- that is being threatened by development.
I freely confess to not sharing the fetish for old run down buildings which have no real historical significance or value. And artist studios? Well that's great for Artists, I suppose. But for the rest of us....?
funny how everybody always wants to include artists studios in their projects but they clearly don't get that there are only about 4 artists in the whole town who can pay rent on studio space separate from their living space. a nice gesture but removed from the reality of the business of art in Athens.
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