The Urban Design Center (UDC) is responsible for initiating and carrying out Small Area Studies in the unincorporated area of Miami-Dade County. The tool that the Department has chosen to conduct these plans is known as the charrette process.  A charrette is an intensive, public planning workshop that seeks the consensus of all the stakeholders of the subject area and that takes place over a week.

Through the charrette process, the Department seeks to develop the community's vision for its growth and future development.  The UDC has a core group of urban designers that work in collaboration the Department's planners, local architects and designers and the staff of other relevant agencies. Upon completion of a charrette, the UDC develops the charrette report which includes the community's vision and a prioritized set of recommendations for Board of County Commissioners acceptance. Upon acceptance of a charrette report, the staff of the Section's Area Planning Implementation Unit (APIU) in the development of the implementation strategies for the charrette area.

In the case of the land use recommendations and when feasible, the Section's staff develops a unique set of graphic zoning regulations that would ultimately result in the community's vision.