CMAP Media Tip Sheet

September 19, 2013

This tip sheet briefly summarizes newsworthy activities of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP). Reporters should contact Justine Reisinger (312-386-8802 and jreisinger@cmap.illinois.gov) or Hillary Green (312-386-8619 and hgreen@cmap.illinois.gov) for more information.
 

New local data profiles depict 284 local municipalities, seven counties in region

A new set of Community Data Snapshots from CMAP summarizes demographics, housing, employment, transportation habits, retail sales, property values, and land use in metropolitan Chicago's 284 municipalities and seven counties. Each snapshot is presented in an easy-to-print PDF, and they are grouped both alphabetically and by county. Data comes from sources that include the U.S. Census Bureau, the Illinois Department of Employment Security, the Illinois Secretary of State, the Illinois Department of Revenue, and CMAP. This fall, snapshots will be released for the 77 Chicago Community Areas.

Toolkit helps communities plan for arts and culture

CMAP's new Arts and Culture Planning: A Toolkit for Communities helps local planners to incorporate more arts and culture into their communities.  The step-by-step guide includes model ordinance language that planners can customize for their own community to set goals, identify assets, and evaluate needs and impacts. This resource is part of CMAP's Local Ordinances and Toolkits program.

Intertwined freight, manufacturing industries offer strategic economic advantages for metropolitan Chicago

In The Freight-Manufacturing Nexus: Metropolitan Chicago's Built-in Advantage, CMAP explores how the national freight system's convergence here offers distinct competitive advantages to our region's resurgent manufacturing cluster. This "nexus" consists of three core industries -- manufacturing, freight, and logistics -- that are responsible for transforming inputs from supply industries (including extraction and raw materials, power generation) into goods consumed by customer industries (wholesale, retail, and consumers). Read a Policy Update and see previous drill-down reports at www.cmap.illinois.gov/policy/drill-downs.

Lake County to consider local food amendments to UDO

Proposed amendments that support recommendations from the Lake County Sustainable Local Food System Report are under review for Lake County's Unified Development Ordinance (UDO). The County is considering new regulations that would allow the keeping of bees, hens, and hoophouses for local food production in unincorporated residential areas. An initial review and public hearing will be held September 24 and October 7, respectively. The Lake County Food Systems Report is the result of a two-year project through CMAP's Local Technical Assistance (LTA) program with nonprofit, public, and private groups throughout Lake County. CMAP is continuing to plan for sustainable local food production with Kane County and Openlands on two additional LTA projects.

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About CMAP
The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) is the comprehensive regional planning organization for the northeastern Illinois counties of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will. By state and federal law, CMAP is responsible for producing the region's official, integrated plan for land use and transportation. The agency's innovative GO TO 2040 planning campaign develops and implements strategies to shape the region's transportation system and development patterns, while also addressing the natural environment, economic development, housing, education, human services, and other factors shaping quality of life. See www.cmap.illinois.gov for more information.