In October 1998, the City of Vancouver Central Area Planning Department and its consultants organized a multi-disciplinary design charrette focussed on the redevelopment of city-owned lands in Southeast False Creek (SEFC). Twenty-eight professional architects, landscape architects, engineers, developers and planner-regulators (including four out-of-city participants), and twelve students, were organized into three design teams charged with providing various design options for evolving a sustainable community in SEFC. A team of specialists served as resources for the design teams. The primary issues requiring attention included: Land and water (fresh water, open space, soil); the built environments (e.g., public spaces, community facilities, streets/parking, buildings); building design and performance (e.g., energy, heights, site size, views); and wastes (greywater, black water, household and green waste).

In advance of the charrette, all participants were provided with: (1) a design brief describing the charrette goal, objectives, key issues and performance criteria; (2) an orientation package including the charrette agenda, team information, specification of roles and responsibilities, and various background papers including copies of the key source documents that informed development of the design brief; and (3) opportunities for site visits prior to the opening of the charrette. During the three days of the charrette, participants worked and ate together as they brain-stormed, sought team consensus, explored policies, and generated and tested ideas and plans in preparation for team presentations on the final day. Following the team presentations, an open discussion included reflections on various ideas presented, and on the opportunities and constraints provided by policies informing the charrette. The latter discussion provided valuable feedback for City Staff in their ongoing policy-development work. Post-charrette, teams were provided with time and resources to 'polish' their drawings and summarize their work; the drawings and summaries constitute the primary outcomes of the charrette.

What emerged from the charrette was impressive. Despite the challenges of time and task complexity, and variations in approach, each of the team's commitment to the guiding principles of sustainability was imparted in the designs. Differences in designs fulfill the charrette's goal of providing Council, staff, consultants and the larger community with various design options. Commonalities demonstrate a shared vision and emphasize critical elements of a sustainable community; some of these argue strongly for considering changes to certain City policies (including bylaws and regulations), plans, approaches, and even to the mandates/functions of some City department/operational units. The Charrette Synopsis and attachments provide further information on, and constitute a summary record of, the process and outcomes of the charrette.