Thursday March 25, 2010
After nearly a month of Charrettes across Scotland, the SSCI Charrette Series concluded on March 25, 2010, with a presentation at the Surgeons' Hall in Edinburgh. The event drew over 200 from Edinburgh and further afield, with an audience including representatives from the three Charrette sites, planners from across Scotland, Government officials, agency representatives and members of the Scottish design community.
The presentation, which was led by Andres Duany, introduced the challenges and proposed design solutions at each site. Specifically, Mr Duany offered more than 250 slides from the month-long Charrette Series, including masterplans, diagrams, illustrations, architectural plans, architectural renderings and affiliated photographs and analytical studies. Mr. Duany focussed on both the masterplans themselves and the 'lessons learned' from the three sites. Topics discussed included environmental design and solar orientation strategies in Ladyfield, High Street regeneration strategies and the 'whole-town' growth initiative in Lochgelly, and general placemaking practice at Grandhome. The chief representatives from each site also led a panel, in which they discussed the high points of the Charrettes throughout the month, with final comments by Jim MacKinnon, Chief Planner of the Scottish Executive, and John Swinney MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth.
Wednesday March 24, 2010
Representatives from the Grandhome design team stayed in Aberdeen for an additional day, to engage with any members of the public seeking follow-up after the closing presentation. Throughout the Charrette, each site's project managers stayed onwards for at least one additional day per site, in order to gain any final comments from the local communities.
Tuesday March 23, 2010
The presentation, held at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre, drew over a hundred individuals interested in the masterplanning proposals for the Grandhome site. Andres Duany unveiled the proposed masterplan for nearly 7,000 houses, discussing both the details of the masterplan and the design strategy which produced it, particularly in the context of the natural landscape and the work of Scottish planner Patrick Geddes. The plan, featuring several small neighbourhood hubs and a major new neighbourhood centre to serve the surrounding suburban developments, largely followed the patterns of the site's landscape and preserved many natural and built elements of the site, including its historic stone walls. Additional commentary focussed on the existing built environment of Aberdeen, and means of analysing existing well-loved neighbourhoods to understand their development patterns, especially in terms of building frontage design and thoroughfare design.
Monday March 22, 2010
The Charrette team continued with the masterplan development on the final day of production before the event closing presentation. A number of small groups also visited the Studio, including Councillors, planning professionals from Aberdeen City Council, and a number of others, including housebuilders.
Saturday March 20, 2010 
The Grandhome Charrette pin-up and review, held at the King's College Conference Centre, introduced the various master plans which have been developed throughout the first portion of the Grandhome Charrette. Design principal Andres Duany led the presentation, offering several potential masterplans as well as illustrations, and architectural drawings, with the lecture followed by a series of questions and answered. Of the community members convened for the presentation, a high proportion came forward with questions or with additional information intended to inform the development of the masterplan. These questions focussed on a variety of topics, including but not limited to transportation infrastructure, including bus and rail transportation; architectural coding; Aberdeen's current building regulations; and the plans for phasing and construction.
Thursday March 18, 2010
As the design team continued to move ahead with masterplan development, several special interest meetings convened in the Grandhome Charrette studio. These meetings, the first of which focussed on community facilities, services and employment space, and the second of which focussed on environment, landscape and open space, drew nearly 150 professionals.
Wednesday March 17, 2010
The Grandhome Charrette continued with a second round of site visits, as well as an initial public meeting focussed on transportation and infrastructure. These site visits extended beyond the Bridge of Don area, with the team visiting a number of Aberdeen landmarks, including the fishing village of Footdie, Union St and the city centre, and neighbourhoods such as Ferryhill and Rosemount. The specific characteristics of many of these historic areas may inform the masterplan, particularly with regards to the development patterns of the various neighbourhoods.
Tuesday March 16, 2010 
The final SSCI Charrette commenced at for the Grandhome site, a 260 hectare site strategically located between the Aberdeen airport and city centre. With the site envisioned to accommodate 7,000 houses over the next 30 years, the Grandhome Charrette will develop a site masterplan for a sustainable community in which residents can live and work locally, whilst taking advantage of public transportation for access to the city at large. The development is also intended to offer a 'second centre' to its suburban-style surroundings, many of which lack community facilities, retail and other amenities.
The Charrette team began the day by touring the site, as well as the surroundings in the Bridge of Don area, including the surrounding housing estates, adjacent commercial development and thoroughfare landmarks such as the Haudagain roundabout. The team also set up the Charrette studio, which is located at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre, accessed via the east entrance of the Press & Journal arena. All design work will be undertaken at the Exhibition and Conference Centre, with the opening presentation and interim pin-up and review held at the King's College Conference Centre.
More information about the Charrette, including the timetable, can be found within the Grandhome pre-charrette paper.
Saturday March 13, 2010
The closing presentation at the Lochgelly Charrette drew about 200 people to Lochgelly Town Hall. Whilst primarily featuring a presentation by DPZ, the presentation also included introductions and closing comments by Jim Mackinnon, Chief Planner for the Scottish Executive; Keith Winter, Head of Development Services for Fife Council; David Thompson, Lead Urban Designer for Fife Council and Councillor John Beare.
Design principal Andres Duany presented a wide variety of materials produced throughout the week, including regional master plans, detailed master plans, illustrations and schematic diagrams. Regional master plans offered proposals not only for the sites initially identified by Fife Council, but in fact stretched further onwards, in order to offer proposals for new thoroughfare networks which would connect to anticipated settlement expansions over an additional 30 years. These regional proposals addressed not only housing lay-out, but also offered strategic planning proposals for a new railway station, a new business park and several substantial new neighbourhood centres. All new development proposed was designed to offer a mix of uses and to encourage pedestrian activity and use of both regional and local public transportation.
The presentation also featured numerous proposals for the revitalisation of the Lochgelly town centre, particularly in the context of new retail, such as a major supermarket chain. The supermarket was proposed for a town centre site, with an entryway connected to a network of squares and plazas, which would foster a pedestrian trajectory which would support local retail and independent shops along Main Street and Bank Street. Other proposals included a proposed school expansion, design interventions for the existing square at the Miners' Institute and revitalisation strategies for other town centre sites which were discussed repeatedly throughout the Charrette. Beyond these town centre proposals, a number of architectural proposals were also offered, in order to improve the aesthetics of the existing housing stock in the town centre and thus avoid future demolitions.
Friday March 12, 2010
Members of the public re-visited the Charrette studio for an additional feedback session before the final presentation. Discussions continued to focus on many of the topics addressed throughout the week, including desired retail development and current industrial development. As the discussions carried on, designers continued to move ahead with the plans, modifying the schemes in line with additional information gained and beginning additional architectural and planning studies relevant to the wider discussions regarding the vision for the town centre.
Thursday March 11, 2010
The pin-up and review marked the half-way point of the design process, with the Charrette team's planning proposals presented to about 150 residents and local professionals. The presentation began with a discussion of possible patterns for regional growth, with the design team aiming to project possible growth patterns for the next 60 years. Specifically, the team offered proposals for both the development of the Strategic Land Allocation sites identified by Fife Council and the development of sites beyond, with the SLA thoroughfare networks designed to foster connectivity with future settlements. Plans for the regeneration of the town centre also featured prominently in the presentation, with proposals offering means of accommodating significant retail in the town centre, preserving and adapting a historic church and modifying and improving existing public spaces. Proposals for modifying existing housing also featured in the presentation.
Meanwhile, the design team continued to move ahead with the planning proposals, finessing the various planning schemes and visiting various relevant sites identified later in the process, including local parks further afield, and the town centre allotments.
Wednesday March 10, 2010
As the design team continued to move ahead with planning and design, special interest groups convened to discuss various topics relevant to Lochgelly's development, including transportation and the current state of the town centre. With individuals attending these meetings including representatives from Fife Council, Scottish agencies, the various site development teams, and the general public, a range of specific issues were discussed. Notably, the transportation meeting focussed on the ways in which Lochgelly residents currently travel within Fife and further afield, discussing the merits of the current bus and rail system and exploring the possible development of new public transportation options. Meanwhile, the group which convened to discuss the town centre team discussed the current state of the town centre, the interest in encouraging additional retail development and means of achieving this.
Tuesday March 9, 2010
The second day of the Lochgelly Charrette featured two public meetings, one of which brought together the Strategic Land Allocation site owners, and one of which brought together local and regional environmental professionals. The groups discussed the current housing market in Lochgelly, as well as the attributes of the town centre and of the region at large.
As the various special interest groups met to discuss current planning policy and the new development proposals, the design team moved ahead with preliminary design work. Design assignments included the development of proposals for the town centre, as well as concepts for the growth of the various SLA sites. All proposals aimed to integrate residential development with new shops and sources of employment, with a focus on making the railway station more accessible and improving the connectivity of the regional thoroughfare network.
Monday March 8, 2010
After the conclusion of the Ladyfield Charrette, the SSCI Charrette Series team travelled from Dumfries to Fife, to begin the second SSCI Charrette at Lochgelly. Led by Fife Council, the Lochgelly Charrette will primarily focus on generating masterplans for the Lochgelly Strategic Land Allocation, which proposes the development of approximately 1800 houses on sites around the town periphery. The Charrette team will also offer design strategies for the revitalisation of the Lochgelly town centre, aiming to propose a 'whole-town solution' which will offer a sustainable approach to the town's expansion and future development.
The team began the day with site tours and a preliminary design session. However, the clear focus of the day was the first public presentation, which drew over 150 residents to the Lochgelly Town Hall. With introductions by Fiona Hyslop MSP, Councillor Frances Melville, Councillor John Beare and Chief Planner Jim MacKinnon, the evening's key event was a lecture and Q&A session with design principal Andres Duany, with topics addressed including the ambitions for a revitalised town centre, the role of rail transportation in Lochgelly, and the design of recent housing estates. 'We really need your guidance to take us where we need to be,' said Duany, encouraging the public to visit the design studio and attend the scheduled public meetings throughout the week.
Saturday March 6, 2010 
After convening a meeting on regional housing strategy on Friday March 5, 2010, the design team spent the majority of Friday & Saturday producing masterplans and illustrations to be presented at the Charrette final presentation. Discussions centred primarily on masterplanning approach, as well as means of fostering a greater connection between the Ladyfield site and existing employment bases, such as at the hospital and Crichton campus. Such an effort would not only enable Ladyfield residents to access their places of work on foot but also alleviate some of the traffic pressures on Dumfries at large.
The masterplans produced introduced a range of visions for the Ladyfield site, all of which proposed developing a mix of housing types, alongside commercial, retail and community provisions and a well-conntected thoroughfare network. These plans were presented for public consideration on Saturday March 6, 2010 and included:
- A plan which built from previously commissioned work and proposed a retail and neighbourhood centre to the north of the site, with a gently curved high street (referred to as 'the peel') which would enable commuters and other visitors to 'peel' into the neighbourhood centre for shopping and leisure.
- A plan which proposed creating a strong connection between a northern retail centre and the existing Quay.
- A 'sustainable urban drainage' plan creating a street and greenway network that would enable stormwater run-off to follow the contours of the land, with ample opportunities for parks and landscaping.
- A picturesque plan proposing the creation of a central square and a street network primarily adhering to the site's gentle topography.
All four of these plans have been presented to the Crichton Trust for further study and development. These plans, and those developed at the next two SSCI Charrettes, will be presented at the final Charrette Series presentation in Edinburgh on March 25, 2010.
Thursday March 4, 2010
The second full-day of public engagement during the Ladyfield Charrette brought an additional 100 professionals and community members to the Charrette studio. Discussions focussed primarily on the emerging masterplans, with five different options presented and debated. Featuring proposals for a variety of housing types, shops, offices and community amenities, the masterplans exhibited a range of different approaches to building orientation, thoroughfare network design and drainage strategy.
Wednesday March 3, 2010 
More than 100 people visited the Ladyfield Charrette design studio during the first day of public meetings and design sessions. Specifically, the design team hosted two public meetings, during which professionals and members of the public convened to discuss masterplanning and sustainability, as well as transporation issues in relation to the Ladyfield site. Meanwhile, the design team began to develop several options for a site master plan, all to be presented at a public pin-up and review on Thursday March 4, 2010.
Tuesday March 2, 2010
Arriving in Dumfries to fresh snowfall, the Charrette Series began work at the Ladyfield site, starting with a site tour led by the Crichton Trust and consulting engineers Asher Associates. The team traversed the Ladyfield site, located adjacent to the Crichton Campus, and toured the general Dumfries area, including both the town centre and more recent developments on the town's edges. The evening concluded with an opening presentation, introducing the general goals of the Charrette.
For more information on the Ladyfield Charrette and the specific timetable, please consult the Ladyfield Charrette paper
Monday March 1, 2010
The SSCI Charrette Series opened with a presentation in Edinburgh, with nearly one hundred attending, including Scottish Government officials, representatives from Scottish agencies and leaders from the various Scottish Sustainable Communities Iniatitve development teams. With presentations by Chief Planner Jim MacKinnon, Nicola Sturgeon MSP, and Andres Duany, chief facilitator of the SSCI Charrette Series, the event launch largely focussed on the goals of the Charrette Series and the Scottish Sustainable Communities Initiative. After the conclusion of the event, the design team proceeded to Dumfries to begin work on the Ladyfield Charrette in Dumfries, the first of the three SSCI Charrettes.