CMAP’s 2005 Land-use Inventory (Version 1.0) has been completed and is now available for download free of charge. The inventory was created using 2005 digital aerial photography, supplemented with data from numerous government and private-sector sources. The inventory covers Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry and Will counties, identifying areas as small as one acre using a 49-category classification scheme.
Additionally, we are releasing a revised (Version 2.1) 2001 Land-use Inventory; numerous small inconsistencies were discovered since these data were released three years ago, and this new file is substantially more accurate. This file is available for download as well, and should be used for any comparative studies with the 2005 Inventory.
The inventory is an essential input for CMAP's own plans and research regarding land use and transportation. Other users of the data include:
- County planning departments
- Regional transportation agencies
- Federal & State agencies
- University researchers
- Non-governmental organizations
- Environmental consulting firms
- Civil engineering firms
The forecasting community focuses on broad land-use categories, but local officials, planners, and non-profit organizations can also benefit from having the data available at a greater level of detail. A deeper understanding is desirable both in terms of information (“single-family” and multi-family,” as opposed to simply “residential”) and spatial resolution (acres instead of quarter-sections). CMAP's land-use inventory aims to fulfill these higher expectations.
The 2005 Inventory and the Revised 2001 Inventory can be downloaded from the CMAP FTP server in both ESRI shapefile and personal geodatabase (v9.3) format. The link to the data is below. You will be asked first to provide your name, the name of your organization, and an email address. The email address will be used only to contact you regarding further updates to the data, and will not be used for any other purpose. If you have any questions please contact David Clark at (312) 386-8682.
Click here to proceed to the Land Use Inventory download page.
Some regional facts:
(Click on chart images to view full-size.)
Over 44% of the 4,071 square mile CMAP region is occupied by a developed land use. The following chart shows the breakdown of developed and other major categories by sub-region:
Of that developed land, nearly two-thirds (1,179 sq. mi.) is residential. This chart depicts the proportions of the various developed land uses by sub-region:
In the seven counties, construction activities were identified on over sixty square miles of area, with more than three-quarters of that area dedicated to residential construction. Sub-regional proportions of residential/non-residential activity are shown below:
Nearly 95 square miles of land identified as Agricultural in 2001 converted to another use by 2005. Here is what that land was converted into: