Michigan Harbor Study

Community Charettes

In 2015 the team hosted four charrettes (facilitated community planning sessions) in New Baltimore, Au Gres, Ontonagon and Pentwater. The communities underwent a six-month engagement process with the research team to help the research team identify strategies to improve economic, social and environmental sustainability of Michigan’s harbor communities.

Project Objectives

The charrettes and additional data collection will be used to develop a financial model that will lead to a toolkit and planning resources to help public harbors pursue financial sustainability. The resources will then be applied at two additional harbors to demonstrate the transferability and use of the toolkit and accompanying documents. 

The toolkit will help bridge the gap amongst various public harbors in their varying ability to develop a realistic long-term vision. Special emphasis will be placed on incorporating concepts from Michigan’s “Placemaking” programs (currently led by Michigan State Housing Development Authority) as well as economic development initiatives (such as Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s Redevelopment Ready Program) to make the toolkit relevant to today’s need.The project will identify opportunities for both generating revenue and cutting costs, and the economic model will enable communities to measure the financial viability of their harbors. 

Outputs

• Identification of the key barriers to the sustainability of small harbors.
• Tools that will assist communities in planning, including:
  • A summary report
  • Presentations
  • Case studies and fact sheets
  • Websites
• A sustainable small harbor management strategy for Michigan’s coastal communities, based on their stated needs.

Example community design charrettes took place in New Baltimore, Pentwater, Au Gres, and Ontonagon in 2015.

Charrette Process:

Day 1: Introduction presentation to community members and identifying community constraints and cautions.

(A few weeks later)

Day 2: Community members participate in activities identifying strong and weak places, aspects of their community they would like to change, and identifying locations.

Day 3: The design team generates three alternative designs based on information gathered during day 1 and 2. In the evening the public return to vote on their favorite design and give feedback.

Day 4: Community feedback from the previous evening is incorporated into the highest voted alternative and the design is further developed by the design team. The final design is presented to the community and evaluated by them. 

(One month later)

Day 5: Final design with additional graphics is presented at a Municipal Meeting.

Results:

The community receives a final report containing graphics and descriptions of the alternatives and final design. The process is documented for inclusion in the sustainable small harbor management study.

FAQ