The Chicago Charette

The MCD summer studio aka ‘Chicago Charrette’ offers a hands-on field-based immersive environment for learning the craft of community engagement working with various community partners to co-design meaningful design solutions. Students learn how urban planners and city designers identify potential opportunities for civic improvement and utilize diverse techniques to invite the engagement of community members and relevant stakeholders into the plan-making process.

Program Overview Heading link

Seven people are gathered around a table with maps and drawings. Two students appear to be explaining the maps.

Probing the various meanings and definitions of ‘participation’ and ‘community,’ such efforts often require a rethinking of planners’ traditional roles and conventional methods. Students explore and employ a broad spectrum of public engagement strategies – from the one-way process of soliciting information through careful consultation, to active collaboration in the plan-making process, leading finally to a co-created plan showcasing the ideal of community empowerment via meaningful design.

Working closely with a variety of community, professional and institutional partners such as the UIC Institute for Policy and Civic Engagement (IPCE), Design Workshop, and Muse Community Design, design efforts span various built environment topics such as public infrastructure / civic realm improvement projects,  district plans, climate adaptation plans, corridor plans, and neighborhood revitalization plans.  

Download the PDF Chicago Charrette View Book.

Who is the Chicago Charrette for? Heading link

The Chicago Charrette is open to UIC and non-UIC students who want to learn the craft of community engagement and work with a wide variety of stakeholders on the ground. Students from a wide range of disciplines such as architecture, landscape architecture, urban studies, urban planning, civil engineering, real estate, geography, environmental studies, fine arts, and related disciplines can enroll in the studio.

Chicago Charrette Highlights Heading link

We Invite you to learn more about our three Chicago Charrette programs! Heading link

  • The Chicago Charrette is 4 credit hours.
  • The Chicago Charrette is held M-F, 3:30-7:30 p.m.
  • Community engagement events are in the evening or on the weekend.
  • Students need to plan their academic and work schedules accordingly to accommodate 12-15 hours of work outside of class per week.
  • Check out the syllabus here.

Option 1: 4-week summer program for UIC and UIUC students

Option 1 is open to all UIC students for the 4-week summer session. Register at my.uic.edu.

*University of Illinois at Urbana – Champaign (UIUC) students can enroll through the Intercampus Registration Program.

Option 2: 16-week fall or spring program for UIC students

Option 2 is open to all UIC students for the 16-week fall or spring sessions. Register at my.uic.edu.

Option 3: 5-6 week summer program for non-UIC students

Programs for International Partnerships (PIP) is dedicated to assisting the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) in developing educational programs for students worldwide while expanding UIC’s international presence. PIP develops and supports programs that are academically excellent and that enhance UIC’s global reputation as an academic and professional development destination.

PIP will coordinate the 5-week summer Chicago Charrette for non-UIC students. Students will attend on-campus in-classroom studio for a maximum of 15 hours per week. Time spent on off-campus site visits, professional visits, and social / cultural events is not subject to a maximum number of hours per week.

Students will be encouraged to live on-campus in the ARC residence hall. This has demonstrated to be the more cost-efficient option for students for our populations. This option requires a meal plan to allow students to eat on-campus. Students, however, will have the option to choose other locations for their stay such as Tailor Lofts, UIC Guest Housing, and local hotels that offer discounts to UIC. PIP will assist students in locating housing for the program.

Based on the information from the most-recent Charette schedule, there are 21 on-campus/in-class meetings and five site visits. This is subject to change based on the needs of the partners and their academic calendars.

Transportation

PIP will arrange for airport transfer as the start and end of the program. Participants will be encouraged to travel as a group, when possible. If students arrive individually, transportation will also be arranged by PIP.

Students will be required to purchase CTA transit passes to be used to travel to site visits, as well as for their personal use during their stay. This expense was not included in the budget breakdown below. However, as PIP has done in the past, we can purchase the passes for the participants and add this cost to an updated budget.

Group transportation, such as vans or buses, can be arranged for long-distance site visits or social/cultural events. These amounts are not listed in the expenses below.

Following the program, participants will be awarded a “Certificate of Completion” signed by the Vice Provost for Global Engagement and Head of Urban Planning and Policy.

 

Meals

PIP will host the participants and Charette and PIP staff to welcome and farewell lunches. Other meals will be at the participant’s expense.

 

Social Activities

PIP will host the students to one social/cultural activity each week of the Charette. In the past, this have included the Architectural River Cruise, events in Millenium Park, visits to the beach, visits to

Museum and the Art Institute of Chicago, and outlet mall shopping. PIP will survey the group to see if there is a particular event of interest and make arrangements, when possible.

Download the PDF Charrette fees without housing.

Download the PDF Charrette fees with housing.

Dr. April Jackson, Director City Design, Associate Professor, Urban Planning and Policy: ajacks29@uic.edu

 

Erica Mann, Academic Graduate Advisor, Urban Planning and Policy: elmann@uic.edu

 

Jeff Wang, Director of Programs for International Partnerships: jwang7@uic.edu

 

Christopher Biehl, Associate Director of Programs for International Partnerships: cbiehl@uic.edu