Design Wisconsin

Design Wisconsin is an award-winning community visioning program that builds and motivates positive community change. The program relies on a team of professional volunteers embedded in the community that use variety of public participation methods as part of an intense and fun charrette.

Community Design Charrettes are high-energy community planning activities that concentrate public involvement into a multi-day event (i.e., the charrette) in order to discover a shared vision for the future while generating the energy needed to pursue that vision.

Overview

Timeline

Reports

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2025 Outstanding Program Award

Design Wisconsin was awarded the 2025 Outstanding Program Award forat the Community Development Society‘s International Conference in recognition of utilizing the principles of good practice as adopted by the Society. The selection committee was particularly impressed by the high impact and longevity of the program for many communities throughout Wisconsin. The Design Wisconsin Team thanks the Minnesota Design Team for trusting their concept with us and for the thousands of community members and hundreds of planning and design professionals who have shaped it into this amazing program.

Design Charrette Overview

During the multi-day charrette, a team of volunteers with diverse professional expertise (e.g., architecture, landscape architecture, planning, design, economic development, art, and the natural and social sciences) live and work with a community to collaboratively develop short-, medium-, and long-term visions. UW-Extension works with the community for 3-9 months prior to the charrette with planning and logistical activities designed to prepare the community for the charrette and for implementation after the charrette to help bring the vision to life

A group gathers to explore design choices for Iron County Trail

Format

The format can be applied to a variety of settings as scales:

Community (3-day charrette): A 3-day charrette that addresses community-wide issues using a multi-disciplinary team of 10-20 professionals stays with host families from Thursday thru Saturday.
Area/Neighborhood (1.5-day charrette): A 1 ½ day charrette to address a smaller area using a multi-disciplinary team of 5-10 professionals.
Site-Specific (half-day charrette): A small 3-5 person team facilitates a half-day charrette with a local stakeholder group.

Cost

The cost of the program depends on the scale and location of the program. Program fees range from $2,500 – $7,500 (materials + travel for Design Team members) with additional costs for space rental, local meals, marketing, and lodging. Many communities provide host families instead of formal lodging and work with local organizations to provide in-kind donations that reduce other program expenses. UW-Extension works with communities to develop a program budget to keep costs as low as possible.

Process

Unlike a traditional strategic planning process, the community design charrette approach concentrates public engagement into a multi-day event. The charrette consists of a flurry of interactive activities that encourage the exchange of ideas while generating the energy needed for implementation. Like other planning processes, the community design charrette involves months of preparation and deliberation involving key stakeholders. Contrary to public opinion, the community design charrette process involves just as much time and effort as a traditional process – it merely projects the illusion that it is a quick, fun, and simple alternative. This illusion is by design and is critical for successful public participation and implementation.

Typical Timeline

Step 1

Community contacts local UW-Extension Educator (3-9 months prior to the charrette).

Community works with their local UW-Extension Educator and a Design Wisconsin Team Co-Leader to learn about the Design Wisconsin program.
Community works with their local UW-Extension Educator to develop a Community Planning Team.
The local UW-Extension Educator helps the Community Planning Team apply for a Design Wisconsin program.

Step 2

If the application is approved, the Community Planning Team works with their local UW-Extension Educator and a Design Wisconsin Team Co-Leader to build local capacity for positive community change and to prepare for a Design Wisconsin program (3-9 months prior to the charrette).

UW-Extension Educator and a Design Wisconsin Team Co-Leader provide on-site training modules (community leadership, change processes, public participation, “Community Capitals Framework”, stakeholder analysis, community placemaking, implementation, etc.).
A plan for meaningful public participation is assembled.
Charrette logistics are developed (budget, marketing, tours, lodging, food, facilities, etc.).
Post-charrette implementation workshop dates and location selected.

Step 3

The local UW-Extension Educator and a Design Wisconsin Team Co-Leader works with the Community Planning Team to develop background information for the Design Team. Responsibilities for the charrette are shared by the Community Planning Team, the local UW-Extension Educator, and the Design Wisconsin Team(see below).

Community Planning Team Responsibilities:
- Half of the fee is paid to Design Wisconsin prior to the assembly of the team, the other half is paid 1 week prior to the charrette.
- Preparations for the charrette begin with guidance from the local UW-Extension Educator.
Local UW-Extension Educator Responsibilities:
- Serve as the connector between the Community Planning Team and Design Wisconsin Team Co-Leader.
- Provide technical support to the Community Planning Team throughout all steps of the process.
Design Wisconsin Team Responsibilities:
- Develop a design team of volunteer planning and design professionals, engineers and scientists, along with UW faculty and students is assembled.
- Inform the Design Team about the local context (history, demographics, economics, and “Community Capitals Framework“).
- Develop, deploy, and synthesize a community survey, youth survey, and any other pre-charrette public participation processes.

Step 4

The Charrette (Community 3-Day Option)

Thursday, 7-9 PM: Design Team members meet Community Planning Team members and host families.

Friday, 9 AM – noon: Community presentations to Design Team members.
Friday, noon – 1:30: Working lunches with 3 different community groups.
Friday 1:30 PM: Bus and walking tour of the community.
Friday 3:30 PM: Design Team meeting to prepare for Town Meeting.
Friday 6 PM: Community supper.
Friday 7 PM: Community workshop.

Saturday 8 AM: Design Team meeting and work session.
Saturday 7 PM: Design Team presentation to the community.

Step 5

Post-Charrette Reporting (within 2 months of the Charrette)

Design Wisconsin Team:
- Evaluation and debriefing with the Community Planning Team and Design Team members.
- Slideshow distributed to the Community Planning Team.
- A Summary Report of the charrette is generated and distributed to the Community Planning Team and Design Team members.
- Community Planning Team, local UW-Extension Educator, and Design Wisconsin Team Co-Leader host an implementation workshop.
Community Planning Team and local UW-Extension Educator:
- Implementation/action groups begin working on outcomes from the charrette.

Step 6

Follow-Up Visit (6 months after the charrette)

Design Wisconsin Team Co-Leader meets with Community Planning Team and local UW-Extension Educator to assess impacts and collect feedback.

Summary Reports

The Design Wisconsin Team program provides communities with a Summary Report that documents the process and outputs. In some cases, short videos were created to demonstrate the process as well as its impacts. You may view and download past Summary Reports, videos, and other UW work built upon the Design Wisconsin program below: