Three projects will be selected to serve as the topics for a trio of charrettes during the 2010 Upper Mississippi River Conference Aug. 26-27. Experts from various fields and led by Ed Freer of JJR, Madison, WI, will collaborate in real-time to plan and design novel solutions for the challenges posed by several projects submitted by participants.

Eligible projects may either be site specific (e.g. developing a municipal park, restoring and preserving a historical building), be focused on future planning (e.g. long-range transportation planning, infrastructure upgrades), or be program based (e.g. environmental education, sports leagues).

Projects exhibiting the following three characteristics will be given priority: 1) improves site usage and/or community education, 2) promotes community access and/or involvement, and 3) promotes the ecological and economical health of the community for present and future generations.