home > projects > galveston futures > Charrette Session 06/14/06

In conjunction with the Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC), the CTBS participated in a planning session in which a broad section of Galveston residents, architectural experts and professional urban planners collaborated to design a park for the east end of Galveston Island.

The day-long workshop began with a welcome by Galveston Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas. Dr. William Merrell then presented including a description of the geography, existing structures and environmental conditions of the study area. Cutting edge keypad polling technology allowed participants to answer questions about how the area is currently utilized and amenities that would make the area more appealing to the public. The results of each poll would appear within seconds on one of two large screens.

After Merrell's presentation, participants worked in six small groups with designated facilitators to assemble a priority list for the park design incorporating their areas of highest concern, such as ecological protection, use of current facilities, further development, maintenance and funding. Each group's results may be found in the Charrette presentation file below. Additional polling exercises assisted participants in further defining high priority concerns for the area.

As an example, Merrell introduced the "East Lagoon Nature Park," a preliminary design study of the area conducted over a semester by graduate students in the Marine Resource Management program at Texas A&M University, Galveston. Participants worked in their groups to identify priority amenities and design elements they desire in a park. Each group drew their designs on large maps, using stickers with predetermined symbols to identify key elements and markers to define roads and trails.

 

- Charrette Presentation including the poll results. (4.31 MB pdf)

- The fly-in and 3D visualization for Google Earth. "Galveston 3D.kmz" (2.31MB) and "Galveston Flyin.kmz" (2.02kb)
Download and open the files with Google Earth (http://earth.google.com). To start the tour, simply select the folder in the places menu on the left and push the play button underneath this menu.

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Photos from Charrette Section (click to enlarge)

Dr. William Merrell explains a polling question meant to determine the direction of Galveston Futures.		Full view of the Charrette in progress.
Merrell explains the results of a poll.		Galveston Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas peruses the detailed maps on display.
Facilitator Dr. William Seitz writes his groups priority list.		Facilitator Walter Peacock lists priorities for group 6.
Facilitator Dr. John Jacob placing a post-it on the map as part of step 2.		Facilitator Seth McGinnis oversees step 2 with his group.
Group 2 at work on their final design map.		Group 4 at work on their final design map.
Members of group 3 explain their final design.		Group 1 final map.
Group 2 final map.		Group 3 final map.
Group 4 final map.		Group 5 final map.
Group 6 final map.		A map displaying step 2 (post-its with design ideas).

 

 

 

 

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