The Fredericton Design Charrette

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The Fredericton Design Charrette
Frank Flanagan City of Fredericton March, 2007
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What is a Design Charrette?

• An illustrated brainstorming session involving
  diverse groups of experts and interested
  stakeholders meant to provide participants and
  the broader community with feasible creative
  solutions to pressing urban design problems.

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What is the Purpose?

• The purpose of this integrated design charrette
  was to create narrative and visual images for the
  West Hills Subdivision that demonstrate the
  principles and potential for designing a
  sustainable residential subdivision
• Practical experience for stakeholders to link
  their expertise to sustainable development
  principles and the creation of concrete
  development options for the site
• The charrette outcomes could test and change
  Official City Plan policies and provide the
  developers with a range of planning options and
  directions to be used in their future built
  projects

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What is the Purpose?

• The purpose of this integrated design charrette
  was to create narrative and visual images for the
  West Hills Subdivision that demonstrate the
  principles and potential for designing a
  sustainable residential subdivision
• Practical experience for stakeholders to link
  their expertise to sustainable development
  principles and the creation of concrete
  development options for the site
• The charrette outcomes could test and change
  Official City Plan policies and provide the
  developers with a range of planning options and
  directions to be used in their future built
  projects

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Who Are the Participants?

• CMHC funders and organizers
• City Officials planning, engineering,
  transportation, recreation
• Subdivision Owner, Developer, Builder

• Consultants Land Use Planning, Engineering,
  Transportation, Landscape Architecture, Solar
  Energy, Geothermal Energy, Hydrogeology, Golf
  Course Architecture

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Who Are the Participants? (contd)

• Federation of Canadian Municipalities
• Natural Resources Canada
• N.B. Dept. of Energy
• N.B. Power
• Mount Allison University
• University of New Brunswick

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Why West Hills in Fredericton?

• CMHC Officials were aware of Hill Brothers
  interest and experience in energy efficient
  housing (R2000/Enviro Home )
• Hill Bros. were in the early stages of developing
  a large (400 acre) property for a mixed density
  golf course subdivision and expressed an interest
  in exploring energy efficiency further and the
  development of more sustainable residential
  subdivisions

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Why West Hills in Fredericton?

• City officials were also receptive as they were
  in the process of undertaking a major review of
  its Municipal Plan and wanted to include policies
  embracing sustainable and energy efficient
  development
• The City had also just completed a Master Plan
  for the Northwest Fredericton area which included
  the Hill Bros. West Hills property and were
  anxious to get on with plan implementation

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What was the Charrette Process?

• Participants divided into three teams
• Participants provided with information on the
  site, maps, sustainable development guidelines on
  the web site
• Participants met for 2½ days

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What was the Charrette Process?

• Day 1 meet greet meal, presentations on Plan
  Area, site concept plans, bus tour of site
  environs, QA session
• Day 2 presentations on sustainable development
  strategies from experts in solar energy,
  watershed management, golf course design
  demonstrating that the charrette process could
  effectively change standard practices and
  translate sustainable development principles into
  concrete practical projects.

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What was the Charrette Process?

• Day 2 (contd) teams discussed the principles
  of sustainable development and how to integrate
  them into actual development on the site under
  review, including the general site, the street
  layouts, lot layouts, house designs, golf course
  integration, livibility and quality of life in
  the subdivision.

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What was the Charrette Process?

• Day 3 - Developed three revised subdivision
  layouts incorporating the objectives and
  principles discussed.

• Presented the integrated design options to the
  whole group

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What was the Charrette Process?

• Day 3 (contd) CMHC and Jacques Whitford
  compiled a report outlining the charrette
  process, objectives and results.

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The Sustainable Development Principles

• Environmental protection and enhancement
• Reduce the reliance on cars with linear trail
  links within the neighbourhood and to
  neighbouring communities/facilities
• Energy efficiency
• Economic Viability and marketability
• Financial accountability
• Listen to every voice in the design process
• Quality of life, safety, connectedness, access to
  daily needs

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Recommended Elements Integrated into the Designs

• Subdivision Design
• Orientation of streets to take advantage of solar
  exposure
• Design streets to reduce speeding motorists
• Orientation of lots and/or houses (irregularly
  shaped lots)
• Well landscaped rights-of-way

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Recommended Elements Integrated into the Designs

• Housing
• Mix of families, seniors, densities, ownership
• Flex housing (incorp. life cycle changes over
  time)
• Measures to reduce energy use, water consumption,
  waste disposal
• Homes on slabs
• Shared driveways
• Low maintenance yards, lawns, more gardens
• Solar orientation
• Strategic tree/shrub planting (deciduous on
  south evergreens on north)

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Recommended Elements Integrated into the Designs

• Movement
• Reduce use of cars
• Facilitate public transit through layout of
  streets
• Provide for safe pedestrian/cyclist
  movement/bicycle racks
• Provide trail, walking path linkages for internal
  and external facilities (shopping, clinic, golf
  course)

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Recommended Elements Integrated into the Designs

• Golf Course
• Integrate with storm water management
• Base design on Terra Choice and Audobon
  environmental programs, integrate best management
  practices, focus on pesticide use, water
  wildlife conservation, green clubhouse
  construction (healthy materials, biological
  wastewater systems, renewable energy sources)
• Address community needs shared use, meeting
  rooms, recreation facilities, parking lots,
  winter use, trail linkages
• Take advantage of aesthetics/views

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Recommended Elements Integrated into the Designs

• Environment
• Emphasis on maintenance and preservation
• Reduced use of chemicals on streets, lawns, golf
  course
• Protection of watercourses for multi-use
  corridors
• Reduce noise, air pollution
• Use of natural native species
• Use geothermal energy for heating
• Retain wooded yards, plant gardens

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Recommended Elements Integrated into the Designs

• Storm Water Management
• Integrated with golf course
• Retain natural drainage courses
• Use of permeable materials on lots, driveways,
  lawns, trails
• Low maintenance materials/landscape
• Reduced pavement widths
• Use of stormwater retention ponds as aesthetic
  features

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Recommended Elements Integrated into the Designs

• Community
• Address needs of all age groups housing,
  recreation
• Shared facilities with golf course, clubhouse to
  enhance community interaction
• Integrate community gardens, collect organic
  wastes/compost
• Integrate parks, playgrounds, trails
• Interpretive stations on trails/natural areas
• Create live/work community

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Benefits/Lessons Learned

• For Participants
• Knowledge exchange, broadened outlook and
  appreciation, discussion of options, conflicting
  objectives, reaching compromises

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Benefits/Lessons Learned

• For Developer
• Benefit of free advice on how to design or
  redesign elements to integrate more sustainable
  development
• How to meet sales, marketing challenges, public
  education while integrating more energy
  efficient, environmentally friendly and cost
  efficient development
• Open to new ideas and change but cautious with
  respect to cost, market realities

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Benefits/Lessons Learned

• For the City
• Will integrate sustainable development policies,
  proposals into Municipal Plan Review and Zoning
  By-laws
• Helps encourage consultants, designers,
  developers and builders to incorporate these
  lessons in their designs (key element)
• Challenge of public education on need for and
  acceptance of changes
• Results in more knowledgeable stakeholders
  consultants, developers, builders, residents,
  public, who will become more accepting and
  demanding of sustainable development practices

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Questions?
Amen !!