DESIGNING FROM THE CENTER OUT
Please come join us to design Stratham from the Center out!!! Help us create the vision and plan for Stratham’s Historic Town Center. Be a part of this two-day event November 4th and 5th at the Stratham Fire Station. The Board of Selectmen and the Planning Board hope to re-make our traditional Town Center BACK into a traditional town center. We want your help and cannot succeed in this effort without you! See the attached flyer below for more information.
What does this have to do with Parks and Recreation you might ask? Our Community could benefit from a community center. We could use more gymnasium space for youth and adult programs. Winter is long in New England and having an indoor recreation space would make those cold winters go by so much faster. How about an expanded trail system that connects to Stratham Hill Park? These topics could be discussed at the Charrette- if town residents cite these as needs in the community. This is a great way to have your ideas heard.
What Is a Charrette?
Simply stated, a Charrette is a brief, yet intense, brainstorming session in which information and many ideas are brought together for the purpose of defining potential planning recommendations and possible design solutions for an identified need. The charrette is typically of a short duration. And most importantly, it involves the combined efforts of planning and design professionals, or others with related areas of expertise, with local residents, community representatives or “stakeholders” to collect information needed to develop conclusions about how to solve a problem.
The broad range of experience and knowledge represented in a charrette results in general and overarching planning and design recommendations, rather than specific, “how to” construction directions. Most often the outcome of a charrette is described as a “vision”: an expression of how things might be and the features, conditions, qualities and characteristics that would need to exist in order for it to come true. The charrette provides an overall framework within which final solutions can be developed. It sets a tone and provides a direction against which future decisions may be measured.
Who Is Plan NH?
Plan New Hampshire, The Foundation for Shaping the Built Environment (Plan NH) is an association of professionals working in the built environment. The organization includes architects, planners, engineers, landscape architects, builders, historic preservationists, construction managers, as well as others who concern themselves with sustainable communities and buildings. Plan NH was established to create a forum for bringing together these different professional groups and to serve as a catalyst for spurring interest in participatory community development. Part of Plan NH’s mission is to make a positive contribution to New Hampshire communities. One way in which Plan NH does this is by providing planning and design assistance to communities with a demonstrated commitment and need. It was for this reason that Plan NH
accepted Stratham’s application and selected the community as one of the charrette sites for the 2010 – 11 year.
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