Charrette mystery

The Scottish Government’s programme of design-led place making aka Charrettes is something of a mystery. Earlier this year, with no warning, the latest iteration – Making Places – was launched. This time, with little obvious budget in sight, it was offering community capacity building to encourage new charrettes and help for communities to deliver plans that have been drawn up in years gone by. Some cash was also available for new charrettes. Two questions arise. Firstly, why does this continue to feel so disconnected from other parts of Scottish Government and secondly, why call it a charrette?