For previous Peters Fellow profiles, see the archive.

What attracted you to the Phillip D. Peters Regional Planning Fellowship Program?

I first became interested in the Peters Fellowship after learning that CMAP created a comprehensive plan for my hometown. Ever since I became exposed to planning, I made a commitment to return to the Chicago region and use planning as a tool for the change I want to see in my hometown. In 2019, I was assigned a comparative essay for my Urban History and Theory course at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This assignment allowed me to analyze the spatial and economic patterns of any city I wanted and compare it to a Global City. I took no time to select my hometown as my city of choice.  
 
As I was searching for materials, documents that CMAP created constantly popped up in my search with the first being my hometown’s comprehensive plan. I was so happy to learn about CMAP and its efforts to support my community and so many communities that surrounded my town. Determined to find ways to contribute to CMAP’s work and my home region, I immediately searched for career opportunities at CMAP. I jumped at the chance to be a part of Mr. Peters legacy after learning more about his background and the Peters Fellowship program.  

What kinds of projects did you work on during your fellowship?

CMAP was committed to offering me projects that aligned with my passions and interests. I worked on a community economic development existing conditions analysis for an equitable transit-oriented development collaborative in the City of Chicago. This opportunity provided me with the chance to coordinate and co-lead interviews with community members in the Chicagoland and propose equitable community engagement strategies for the Garfield Green Line South Station Action Plan.  
 
I also received the chance to participate in interviews of activists, advocates, and political leaders across the Chicago region for a podcast that was designed to inspire and organize Black, Indigenous, and Communities of Color in the region around the Census. Additionally, I facilitated a discussion session on inequity and justice in the city for the Future Leaders in Planning program and analyzed the nation’s 12 largest regional planning agencies response to COVID-19 and racial injustices. This analysis allowed me to propose strategies that CMAP could embody when elevating social justice in its COVID-19 recovery work.  

How did the Fellowship help to shape your career path and ambition?

From the first call I had with my CMAP Peters Fellow mentor to my final fellowship presentation, CMAP staff and the Peters Fellow Committee members were intentional about helping me achieve one of the ultimate goals of my fellowship. This goal was to learn how I could be effective in advancing equity and justice with communities who have been historically harmed and marginalized by broader social and cultural structures in the Chicago region.  
 
CMAP helped me get closer to achieving this goal by placing me on projects that served communities who are structurally disadvantaged. My mentor even connected me to an equity-driven project being led by a Peters Fellow Committee member. I was also given ample opportunities to build meaningful relationships with CMAP staff and connect with various people across the region to learn about the great equity and justice work they are doing. I even received the opportunity to attend various trainings and webinars that expose me to the radical equity and justice-based work planners can and are already doing. I ended my fellowship wanting to continue working in regional planning especially in the South Suburbs and feeling confident in my ability to embody radical practices in every step of my career.  

What did you find to be special about CMAP?

I found CMAP to be special in itself because it is made up of incredibly passionate people, who really love the work they do and the work that so many of our region’s communities, organizations, and partners are doing. Due to the staff’s passion and knowledge, I learned so much about regional planning efforts and was connected to wonderful planners in the region. These connections helped me gained incredible mentors that support me and my interests to this day.  
 
I found CMAP’s administration of my fellowship and projects to be very special. I was always reminded that my fellowship was a fast track to my passions in planning and felt supported in the work I was doing or wanted to do. I also loved that the CMAP team especially my CMAP Peters Fellow mentor and project managers were my biggest advocates. Their commitment to me and my growth and development helped me to end my fellowship with tangible steps that will support and pioneer innovations in my career and work practices. I appreciate that I had the opportunity to learn and grow from them and mutually support them in the process.  

What makes the northeastern Illinois region a special place to work as a regional planner (or related field)?

The northeastern Illinois region is a special place for regional planners to work because of the mass amount of planning projects that are happening in the region. Being at CMAP showed me, that there is no shortage of planning opportunities in the region. Many municipalities, communities, organizations, and partners are always looking for ways to build on their strengths and address challenges especially challenges that are rooted in injustices. 
 
I learned that CMAP is taking a lead role in supporting parts of the region that are most in need due to historical injustices like disinvestment and displacement. I know that this work alongside the work that so many communities are doing will make the northeastern region an unforgettable place to work in as a regional planner. There are many resources, groups, and organizations that are supporting planners who looking to work in the region. I was lucky to be able to join an incredibly special group due to a planner I connected with during my fellowship.  

What are you doing professionally now?

I’m finishing up my final year of studies in the University of Illinois at Chicago’s (UIC) Master of Urban Planning and Policy program. I will be graduating in May 2020 with a specialization in economic development and focus in community economic development. I’m also grateful and excited to be a planning intern at CMAP and research assistant for Dr. Stacey Sutton’s and Dr. Nebiyou Tilahun’s project on Chicago’s automated traffic enforcement system at the UIC Urban Transportation Center. I will be applying for jobs in the region and beginning my own community economic development initiatives in the South Suburban region soon. 

Why is regional planning an important function in a metropolitan region?

Regional planning is one of the most vital functions to a metropolitan region because it connects us across space no matter the block or neighborhood we’re from. It connects our transportation systems, economies, housing stocks, water infrastructure systems, and natural environments to one other and regions across the nation. It allows us to make collective decisions that contributes to and supports the stability and growth of our metro’s communities and households. Just as important, it has a fundamental impact on communities lived experiences, outcomes, and land as history continually shows. As we work to address the climate crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, and systematic racism, regional planning will be one of the most powerful tools we have to overcome if it is rooted in intention, equity, and justice.   
 

What attracted you to the Phillip D. Peters Regional Planning Fellowship Program?

I first learned about CMAP in a graduate course on regional planning, where the agency was lauded by a professor as being one of the most effective and innovative MPOs in the country. When considering where I might best spend my summer building skills while learning more about the region’s major planning issues, it felt like an obvious choice: CMAP is the perfect place to do so. The Fellowship program was created in the legacy of Phillip Peters, who worked hard to push traditional planning towards a more holistic approach and embodied the spirit of effective planning through collaborative partnerships and advocacy. I was quite drawn to this legacy and am honored to have served as the 2019 Fellow.

What kinds of projects did you work on during your fellowship?

I worked on a variety of projects during my summer as the Peters Fellow, from conducting policy scans to supervising a “planning treasure hunt” around the Downtown Chicago Loop with high schoolers from the Future Leaders in Planning program. But the two projects I spent the most time on were the Homes for a Changing Region project and an internal implementation guide for Inclusive Growth (one of the three guiding principles adopted in ON TO 2050). With Homes, I was able to visit multiple cities and neighborhoods throughout the region to meet with community members in service of assessing their local housing needs and making recommendations based on those assessments. Working on the Inclusive Growth guide allowed me to work closely with staff members on taking regional-scale principles and finding practical applications for them at the local level.

How did the Fellowship help to shape your career path and ambition?

The Peters Fellowship allowed me to gain exposure to and make connections with other leaders in our field, both through supporting my participation at conferences and workshops to directly connecting me with experts across the region. Through the fellowship, I engaged with staff from multiple non-profits, strategy firms, and even MPOs outside of Illinois. On a day to day basis, the Fellowship lent itself to deep flexibility regarding the skills I was able to develop and the content I felt most aligned with. By the end of summer, I had a much clearer picture of my professional goals and interests.

What did you find to be special about CMAP?

CMAP is so amazing because of its incredible staff—working with the planners, researchers, and policy analysts there was an inspiring and formative experience in my professional life. Their drive and expertise made me hopeful about the future of the region; on a more interpersonal note, so many colleagues were willing to discuss the intricacies of their work in order to help me better under how the agency functions and help me think through how to best make use of the time I spent there.

What makes the northeastern Illinois region a special place to work as a regional planner (or related field)?

The Chicagoland area is an incredible place to work as a planner—first and foremost because there are so many brilliant and compassionate people invested in the region’s future. Its unique set of challenges and assets as a longstanding economic center of the larger region means that it has the opportunity and responsibility to consider how deeper collaboration across communities can benefit from planning that prioritizes equity, resilience, and stability.

What are you doing professionally now?

I am currently finishing up my final year of graduate school, where I’m working towards a Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Michigan. Along with a group of graduate students and their advisors from UofM’s School of Social Work, I’m currently conducting research to document how refugees access housing assistance. I will be applying for jobs in the coming term and am expecting to graduate in May 2020.

Why is regional planning an important function in a metropolitan region?

Regional planning can be an effective tool for the equitable distribution of resources, long-range infrastructure projects, and planning for climate adaptation. While enabling local decision-making processes through assistance and funding, considering the issues facing Chicagoland from a regional perspective allows us to more deeply appreciate the interconnectedness between regional communities and the surrounding areas in an era of increasingly fragmented governance structures.

What attracted you to the Phillip D. Peters Regional Planning Fellowship Program?

I am passionate about restoring and protecting our natural resources, beautifying the built environment, and improving quality of life. My interest in the Peters Fellowship grew from CMAP’s commitment to transportation, economic development, renewable energy and other quality of life issues in the region I call home. Community engagement and public participation is essential to successful planning, and the Peters Fellowship encouraged opportunities to work directly with communities I truly care about in an innovative and cohesive way.

What kinds of projects did you work on during your fellowship?

I assisted with the Municipal Survey that CMAP administers biannually, reaching out to communities throughout the Chicagoland area to gather insights on their comprehensive planning strategies. I assisted with a LTA project for the McKinley Park neighborhood by attending a community meeting and facilitating community discussions, and helped with drafting the existing conditions report for the project. I also worked on drafting a policy update for the Inclusive Growth series.

I was fortunate to connect with the Peters Fellowship board members throughout the summer, and get involved in facilitating local community initiatives. I had the opportunity to collaborate with partner agencies and prepare a focus group to discuss improving access to the Chicago River, and support visioning exercises with the community.

How did the Fellowship help to shape your career path and ambition?

The Fellowship expanded my experience in data collection, policy analysis, and public involvement. It gave me experiences on which I can expand my career knowing I’m making informed, and responsible environmental planning decisions. I was given the opportunity to work directly with community members in diverse areas of the region, to create impactful change. In the future, I hope to build capacity in communities by encouraging affordable, sustainable, and resilient development practices.

What did you find to be special about CMAP?

CMAP is a visionary organization and has the ability to influence land use and transportation planning decisions for decades to come. The organization nurtures a culture of teamwork, and values collaboration and relationship building, both internally and with local agencies and stakeholders.

What makes the northeastern Illinois region a special place to work as a regional planner (or related field)?

The cultural vibrancy of Northeastern Illinois is makes it a consistently exciting place to work as a regional planner. Innovative transportation policies, inclusive economic and housing strategies, and the region’s consistent adaptability to new technology makes the region a fun and exciting place to work!

What are you doing professionally now?

I am the Clackamas County Planning Coordinator with the Department of Disaster Management, where I lead the county’s efforts in building recovery plans for hazards including flood, earthquake, wildfire, volcano, and climate change impacts. In coordination with the Portland Metropolitan Region, I am using a regional framework to guide rebuilding, redevelopment, and recovery efforts in communities locally and across the region. My work builds the capacity of local partners, organizations, governments and communities to be economically, socially and environmentally self-sufficient to be able to withstand and recover from hazards ranging from minor disruptions to major disasters.

Why is regional planning an important function in a metropolitan region?

It takes an understanding of the social and political components, as well as the analytical and technical skills of city planning to make decisions that are socially feasible, economically justified, and environmentally sound. I believe successful and effective planning acts at a level where communities in urban, suburban, and rural areas, are considered together with the natural environment.

Dijia’s interest in urban planning began with her fascination with how streets and transportation systems impact cities and urban life. Growing up in Tokyo, northern Indiana, and various Chinese metropolises, she experienced how transportation shaped the public realm and rhythms of life, through the design of streetscapes and the form of cities. This interest led her to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies at Bryn Mawr College, during which she concentrated on disaster planning in Japanese cities, solidifying her interest in resilient transportation systems and supportive land-use planning. Dijia returned to the Midwest to pursue a Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and will graduate in May 2018.

What attracted you to the Phillip D. Peters Regional Planning Fellowship Program?

I have always been interested in how transportation interacts with other fields in planning and how it could be integral for everything from job access to place-making. I was impressed with the depth and breadth of CMAP’s research and planning, and found myself drawn to the comprehensive frameworks that CMAP applied in their work to address those interconnected challenges and opportunities in planning. The Peters Fellowship seemed like a great program to get hands-on experience while also providing good networking opportunities.

What kinds of projects did you work on during your fellowship?

I worked on several different Local Technical Assistance projects, as well as policy initiatives related to the development of the ON TO 2050 comprehensive regional plan. My main roles were assisting with research and writing for the Health Equity Strategy Paper, developing Transit Oriented Development recommendations for the North River Communities Plan (focused on the Albany Park neighborhood in Chicago), and creating a policy update analyzing the relationship between walkability and regional development trends as well as housing affordability. I was also involved with several smaller projects, providing literature review and best practice case studies for freight and retail development policy research, and assisting in various outreach events throughout the region.

How did the Fellowship help to shape your career path and ambition?

The Fellowship helped me confirm my interests in transportation and land-use planning, and also opened up new possibilities. By working on a variety of projects, I was able to engage with diverse communities in the region, and the experience broadened my understanding of the possibilities of urban planning. The Fellowship has also strengthened my desire to work in regional planning for metropolitan areas, as well as to pursue professional opportunities that allow me to engage with a variety of topics and communities.

What did you find to be special about CMAP?

CMAP has much more capacity than traditional MPOs to tackle a wide range of planning-related issues (not just transportation). I also appreciated the “consultant” aspect of the LTA program, in which regional goals are not just on paper, but actively implemented in communities at the local level. I also valued the tight teamwork and the diverse expertise that team members brought to each project, and found the work environment to be sincerely enjoyable, due to CMAP’s friendly yet professional staff.

What makes the northeastern Illinois region a special place to work as a regional planner (or related field)?

Chicago and the northeastern Illinois region have served as crucial economic and transportation hubs throughout history. This makes thinking about regional connections and goals even more important, and presents many challenges and opportunities for planning, all of which have direct impact on the vitality of individual communities. There is a great network of planning and related organizations, along with strong regional collaboration, making it a dynamic and rewarding place to work as a regional planner.

What are you doing professionally now?

In May 2018, I will be graduating from my Master’s program in Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. I hope to pursue professional opportunities in regional planning or planning consulting, working at the intersection of transportation and land-use planning.

Why is regional planning an important function in a metropolitan region?

Just as information, capital, and people flow across cities, regions, and even countries in the contemporary globalized society, planning issues are increasingly unbounded by the borders of administrative jurisdictions. As regional social and economic ties generate even more complex challenges to the economic prosperity, transportation accessibility, and sustainability of our built environment, planning in isolation can fail to take advantage of opportunities for growth and address common needs shared by multiple communities. Regional planning can effectively respond to these issues, by tying together the strengths of different communities and establishing broadly-shared goals that can help communities prosper in the long-term.

Will has concentrated on housing and economic development in his graduate studies at the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is motivated by the disparities he has observed between Chicago suburbs such as his hometown of Oak Park and the South Side and West Side of Chicago. He came to CMAP seeking to gain hands-on experience at the local level to complement his academic studies at MIT, as well as extensive policy research experience gained in previous work at the Urban Institute in Washington, D.C. and his B.A. in Economics at Wesleyan University. Will seeks to work toward a more equitable regional distribution of affordable housing in Chicagoland's future—something which he sees as no easy task.

What attracted you to the Phillip D. Peters Regional Planning Fellowship Program?

I hoped to learn more about Metropolitan Planning Organizations and their role in planning for a city's future growth and addressing current policy issues. I was also interested in learning more about planning for the Chicagoland area specifically, as I grew up here.

What kinds of projects did you work on during your fellowship?

I worked on a handful of neighborhood plans for LTA and a few miscellaneous projects for Research and Analysis. My focus is on affordable housing and I worked on a number of projects relating to neighborhood affordability.

How did the Fellowship help to shape your career path and ambition?

I found that the greatest resource during my time over the summer was grabbing lunch with co-workers and inquiring about their career path, how they got to CMAP, and what they were currently working on. As someone with little experience in urban planning before grad school, it is helpful to learn about the multifaceted approach to solving urban problems.

What did you find to be special about CMAP?

Compared to other MPOs, CMAP has a great amount of capacity to pursue a broad array of regional planning issues. In particular, I appreciated the commitment to research broader socio-economic trends in the region, which can better inform planning practices.

What makes the northeastern Illinois region a special place to work as a regional planner (or related field)?

The history of Chicago makes it the quintessential city for studying urban planning, beginning with Daniel Burnham's Plan of Chicago over a century ago. As we look forward to the next century, it is inspiring to build on the great work of so many people before us.

What are you doing professionally now?

I'm finishing up my final semester of grad school in urban planning and hoping to work for an affordable housing developer.

Why is regional planning an important function in a metropolitan region?

Metropolitan areas consist of many individual cities and towns that only have jurisdiction within their own boundaries. In order to ensure equitable and efficient growth for the region as a whole, we need a body focused on all jurisdictions equally.