PURPOSES

The WMRUD charrette process will ask the following questions of the charrette teams:

* What are the hidden assets of the area?

* How do these hidden assets link regionally to the other areas?

* Having identified the assets, what are the opportunities?  Goals?

1. Promote and practice multi-jurisdictional planning within West Michigan.  Since infrastructure and natural feature systems flow between townships, villages, and cities, municipalities should plan future development more cooperatively for coordinated outcomes and shared values for the greater public good.

2. Strengthen applications to state and community grants for expanded planning opportunities.

3. (Deleted 11.10.06) Strengthen applications for the AIA R/UDAT program or other types of deeper level community design processes. (IE: National Charrette Institute, etc.)

4. Provide municipal planners, officials and community stakeholders the opportunity for strategic civic engagement with designers at the regional level of consideration, now at this unique and challenging time in Michigan’s history.

5. Strengthen opportunities for deeper levels of community design and analysis processes, such as the AIA’s Regional Urban Design Assistance Team (R/UDAT) program or other types such as described by the National Charrette Institute.