Photo "Go West Young Man" of the Open Studio Project's Community Mural in Evanston, IL by Flickr user Renee Rendler-Kaplan

by Sean Glowacz
8/14/09

CMAP held an Invent the Future workshop on Tuesday, August 4th at the Bronzeville Visitors Center on Chicago’s South Side.

We discussed how the region might be affected by the estimated 2.8 million new residents that will be living in our region by 2040. What changes do we need to make to better accommodate this anticipated growth? The participants discussed a variety of topics that covered various areas of Transportation, environmental, and land use policy. However, I found the comments regarding the provision of human services throughout the region to be most interesting. Specifically, one participant mentioned a need to continue to stress the importance of maintaining a diverse cultural experience throughout the region well beyond 2040. As part of the GO TO 2040 process, CMAP has been exploring ways to expand the region’s arts and culture sector through 2040. Metropolitan Chicago is home to a rich, robust, and diverse cultural ecosystem, with a varied tapestry of artists, nonprofit cultural organizations, for-profit commercial enterprises, arts service organizations, funders, institutions of higher education, and “unincorporated arts” including street fairs and festivals. Study after study has revealed that the arts are an important tool for community development – a stimulus for economic investments, tourism, recruitment of a creative, knowledge-based workforce, improving the quality of life, neighborhood revitalization, building community identity, and promoting cultural diversity. To learn more about CMAPs research into how to expand the role of arts and culture in our region, please read the Arts and Culture Strategy Report [PDF].

If you’d like to see the unique scenario participants created in Bronzeville, click here.

To register to participate in a free Invent the Future workshop near you, simply visit our workshops page.

  permalink 

Photo "Rides" by Flickr user BrianHagy

by Sean Glowacz
8/13/09

CMAP held an Invent the Future workshop on Thursday, July 30th at the Bartlett Village Hall.

We began the workshop by asking people to imagine what 2040 should look like. Participants voiced a variety of opinions regarding how they would like the region to develop between now and 2040. One participant said that, “Development needs to be sensitive to community needs. We should encourage development in local community centers. The purpose of this is to provide the community with a visible center to promote a ‘sense of place’ within the community.” Another participant added that, “Future development should provide for a mix of densities that range from single-family homes to low-rise condominiums, to provide opportunities for a variety of residents.”

We discussed how the region might be affected by the estimated 2.8 million new residents that will be living in our region by 2040. What changes do we need to make to better accommodate this anticipated growth? One of the major points of discussion that arose was a desire for a more diverse assortment of transportation options. Specifically, one participant said that there should be a greater “emphasis on alternative transportation options and more support for implementing transportation integration measures.” As part of the GO TO 2040 process, CMAP has been exploring several options to diversify the transportation options that are available within the region. With an expected increase in population of 2.8 million residents between now and 2040, we will need to find a way to more efficiently move people throughout the region or risk living in a future that may be marred by unprecedentedly congested streets and highways. To learn more about CMAP’s efforts, please read our strategy papers on bicycling, car-sharing, and interregional transportation [PDF].

If you’d like to see the unique scenario participants created in Bartlett, click here.

To register to participate in a free Invent the Future workshop near you, simply visit our workshops page.

  permalink 

by Sean Glowacz
8/13/09

CMAP held an Invent the Future workshop on Thursday, July 30th at the Kallsen Center in the Village of Tinley Park.

We discussed how the region might be affected by the estimated 2.8 million new residents that will be living in our region by 2040. What changes do we need to make to better accommodate this anticipated growth? Participants discussed a range of topics, including education, taxes, and the economy. One topic that surfaced through our discussion that seemed to resonate with many of the participants was wastewater management. Specifically, one of the participants commented that upgrading the region’s wastewater infrastructure is paramount to creating a better future. CMAP has been exploring various strategies to address the region’s wastewater system as part of the GOTO2040 process. Comprehensive wastewater planning and management is critical to protecting public health and the environment, maintaining a high quality of life, and promoting a sustainable economy. With the population in northeastern Illinois expected to grow significantly by 2040, there will be an increasing demand for homes, schools, roads, and other infrastructure improvements to serve the population, including wastewater services. Expanding the sewer service area or the capacity of wastewater treatment plants will impact land use patterns which, in turn, degrades the region’s water quality (both surface waters and groundwater). To learn more about wastewater infrastructure and how it affects our region, please read CMAP’s Wastewater Planning Strategy Report.

If you’d like to see the unique scenario participants created in Tinley Park, click here.

To register to participate in a free Invent the Future workshop near you, simply visit our workshops page.

  permalink 

Photo "Cloud Front Moving East Over Chicago" by Flickr user phototravel1.

by Gerald D. Skoning, IHC Board Member
8/12/09

[Mr. Skoning is a Chicago lawyer and member of the Board of Directors of the Illinois Humanities Council. His post comes to the GO TO 2040 blog as a part of our ongoing guest blogger series.] 

Over the past year, the Illinois Humanities Council has been examining the past, present, and future of our relationship to oil and water through its series All-Consuming: Conversations on Oil and Water. While we have not yet come to terms with the world's dwindling supply of oil, many experts predict water will be our next resource to become scarce. And for many developing nations, as well as wide areas of the western U.S. and elsewhere in our country, it already has. The increasing scarcity of these essential resources calls for public education, conversation, and reflection. As with many complex and controversial issues, the humanities can bring fresh and unique perspectives to the discussion.

In examining the issues of abundance and scarcity of oil and water, the humanities encourage us to examine a wide variety of complex questions vital to our future. Some of the previous programs in the series have examined such questions as:

• How does the access to and control of oil and water shape the past, current, and future geopolitical environment?
• How can we understand the changes that are unfolding and how do we think about national and international policies as they relate to oil and water resources?
• What does it mean to "own" a natural resource? What are the responsibilities of stewardship?
• What are the ethics of oil and water? Are we fated to see a future where oil and water are indeed scarce commodities? Can individual choices make a difference?

The next program in the series, “Not a Drop to Spare: Oil and Water Scarcity in Popular Culture” is scheduled for Thursday, August 13 at 6:00 PM at Columbia College. It will address resource scarcity as it has been portrayed in the popular culture as a common feature in post-apocalyptic scenarios. How has scarcity of water or oil resources been depicted in films and television programs such as Mad Max, Waterworld, and many others. What do these depictions tell us about our concerns about these resources? How do they reflect the times in which they were produced? The panel will review clips from various films and discuss Hollywood’s take on resource scarcity.

We encourage you to come to this program, and we also hope you will keep learning about these issues on our online resource section and keep talking about them on our online discussion board. The challenges posed by scarcity of resources cannot be solved overnight, but through reflection and conversation, we can achieve ethical, equitable solutions to these problems.

As you’re thinking about resource scarcity, be sure to visit CMAP’s online regional water supply study. They are currently writing Northeastern Illinois’s first comprehensive water supply plan, and this study provides crucial information about water demand from 2005 to 2050.

Founded in 1973, the Illinois Humanities Council (IHC) is a 501(c)3 organization that promotes greater understanding of, appreciation for, and involvement in the humanities by citizens of Illinois, particularly those whose economic resources, cultural background, or geographic location limits their access to the humanities. Statewide conversations like these have become the hallmarks of IHC programming and have received rave reviews from audience participants and scientists and scholars as both speaker and planners.

  permalink 

Workforce Investment Competitive Grant Deadlines Rapidly Approaching

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act includes $750 million in competitive grants for worker training and placement in high growth and emerging industries;  $500 million is split between multiple grant programs focused on green jobs, and $250 million is focused on the health care sector and other high growth and emerging industries.  Application deadlines are coming quickly.  The grant programs are administered by the Department of Labor (DOL) Employment and Training Administration (ETA);  click here for all full announcements.    Click here   or on the image for a brief description of the purpose, eligible applicants, information on the deadlines, and links to the application webpage.     

In addition, these competitive grant opportunities emphasize collaboration and strategic partnerships with a wide range of agencies as well as other ARRA-funded programs.  DOL is partnering with other Federal agencies to support the goals of the Recovery Act and encourages applicants to form similar partnerships locally, connecting workforce development strategies to other ARRA-funded projects and initiatives. Additional details on this important emphasis are also described below for each program.

CMAP, ARRA Coordinating Council Commended for Work on Stimulus
CMAP and other local agencies in the ARRA Coordinating Council, including the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT), the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus (MMC) and the Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC), were praised in a recent brief by the Brookings Institute for leadership and innovation in the spending and coordination of stimulus funds.

The Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institute released the report Implementing ARRA: Innovations in Design in Metro America at the end of July. “Prosperity flows from a network of 366 diverse metropolitan economies,” the report said, “[w]hich is why it is hugely important that creative urban and regional leaders across a number of U.S. regions are currently working to make the most of the… [ARRA] resources.” Local creativity was cited as a major source of innovation, and one of the main contributors to such creativity was the preexistence of a regional vision or plan, as well as strong leadership from bodies such as CMAP and the ARRA Coordinating Council.

Highlights of the brief include:

• CNT’s work to build a region-wide energy efficiency system was praised for its multi-jurisdictional approach in working with 42 municipalities, CMAP, community and economic development non-profits, philanthropies, workforce training organizations among other organizations. Brookings issued a short report about these activities. CNT was also praised for its use of data to maximize stimulus performance in the region. The agency creates a local energy profile with basic consumption data and a matrix of energy efficiency strategies for each community for short-term Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant guidance. Over time, CNT predicts it will become a leader in the region for mapping local energy efficiency demands and developing performance indicators for a variety of subjects, including energy savings and emissions reductions.
• The brief commended CMAP’s inter-jurisdictional cooperation with both the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) 1 and its continued inter-jurisdictional approach creating a joint application for the NSP 2, as well as for “helping to convene key regional stakeholders for broader ARRA coordination” through the ARRA Coordinating Council.
• MPC, MMC and the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association (SSMMA) were commended for their cooperation with local leaders and key partners by “layering new stimulus dollars for energy efficiency, workforce development, transit improvements and neighborhood stabilization into the same focused areas for investment” as identified by the joint applicants for NSP 1. Brookings also issued a short report about these activities.
• The region won more high praise for its ability to create private and public sector partnerships in the usage of stimulus funds. The City of Chicago’s Multi-Family Energy Retrofit Program, which uses the a model of private sector energy companies in application to the affordable, multi-housing market, created partnerships between the mayor’s office and the city’s environment and community development agencies with a range of private organizations, including JP Morgan Chase, Community Investment Corporation, and Enterprize Community Partners, among others. Brookings issued a short report about these activities. 

Monday Flickr Photo, Aug. 10

by Lindsay Banks
8/10/09

The photo chosen today from our Explore Northeastern Illinois Flickr pool is by Flickr user Wayne Gunn.  This photo shows the success of ongoing conservation efforts in our region.  Baker's Lake Nature Preserve is an island in the middle of Baker's Lake supporting one of the most significant heron rookeries in the Midwest.  It was dedicated as a state nature preserve in 1984. 

Baker's Lake is located in Barrington, where CMAP will be co-hosting a GO TO 2040 Invent the Future workshop in partnership with the Barrington Area Conservation Trust, the Fox River Ecosystem Partnership, the Barrington Area Council of Governments, and the Lake County Council of Mayors on Thursday, August 13th at 6:30 pm.

Other workshops this week include: Avalon Park (Chicago), Joliet, Geneva, Bethel New Life (Chicago), and a youth workshop at DePaul University on Friday.  Check out our workshops page for more information, and to find one near you and have your say!

  permalink 

by Sean Glowacz
8/7/09

Twenty-two people came out to the Hotel Florence located in historic Pullman on Chicago’s South Side on Wednesday, July 22nd to participate in an Invent the Future Workshop with CMAP.

We discussed how the region might be affected by the estimated 2.8 million new residents that will be living in our region by 2040. What changes do we need to make to better accommodate this anticipated growth? Participants voted overwhelmingly to support maximizing programs that enhance our management of natural resources and minimize environmental impacts. Finding a way to protect our environment has been a major part of the GO TO 2040 process from the very beginning. CMAP has been creating a series of snapshot reports that are meant to depict where the region stands in measurable terms, regarding fundamental issues that will shape our communities in years to come. CMAP is currently in the process of creating a snapshot report that focuses on the quality of air in our region. Poor air quality can impact our health, economy, and environment; regulations governing air quality play a role in where industries locate, how much energy is used, how we travel and how our Transportation systems grow. It is an issue integrated into our daily life. Learn more about the Air Quality Snapshot Report.

If you’d like to see the unique scenario participants created in Pullman, click here. To see more pictures from the event, check out our Flickr page.

To register to participate in a free Invent the Future workshop near you, simply visit our workshops page.

  permalink 

by Sean Glowacz
8/7/09

CMAP held an Invent the Future workshop on Wednesday, July 29th at the Argonne National Laboratory’s TRAC Center in West Chicago.

Participants were asked to share how they thought the region could best accommodate the predicted 2.8 million new residents that will reside here by 2040. What changes would they wish to see? What things would they like to stay the same? One participant expressed a strong desire to see a region that is characterized by tight knit neighborhoods that are easily accessible to multiple modes of Transportation. “We should encourage development along Transportation corridors so we can decrease Transportation time, cost and environmental impact.” How and where new development is constructed in the future will have a significant impact on our region. Increasingly, planners, developers and municipal administrators are looking to the benefits of compact, easily accessible developments that offer a mix of land uses and Transportation options. Such developments rely much less on the construction of new infrastructure and thus are less likely to increase taxes. As part of the GO TO 2040 process, CMAP has been researching various types of urban design principles in hopes of finding a way to encourage development that is conducive with the vision of the region’s residents. To learn more about the effects of implementing urban design, rather than conventional development, throughout the region, read CMAP’s Urban Design Strategy Report.

If you’d like to see the unique scenario participants created in West Chicago, click here.

To register to participate in a free Invent the Future workshop near you, simply visit our workshops page.

  permalink 

Illinois Recovery in the News: the Good, the Bad, and the Improving
The state’s handling of the stimulus found some supporters and a few detractors over the last month and a half. Illinois received positive reviews for how it has spent Transportation stimulus funds in comparison with other states. Though the Illinois recovery website received some negative feedback, changes are being made for the better.

The Good: Illinois spent and prioritized wisely when it came to Transportation projects funded by the stimulus. Public interest group Illinois PIRG, in conjunction with Smart Growth America and Gamaliel of Illinois, released a report evaluating how obligated funds were spent within the first 120 days. (Of ARRA’s $26.6 billion in flexible Transportation money, half of it was required to be obligated by Monday, June 29.) Illinois did a good job at prioritizing the repair of roads and bridges over the construction of new projects and committed to the ARRA goal of generating new jobs, according to the report. It said, “Road and bridge repair generates 16 percent more jobs than new bridge and road construction, and because repair work can generally be started faster, these jobs would come on-line faster.” Many other states chose to build new roads rather than repair their already damaged roads. Of Illinois roads, 54 percent are not in “good condition,” and these roads cost Illinois drivers $297 a year, according to the report.

The Bad: The State of Illinois recovery website is among the very worst in the country, according to a report released on July 29 by Good Jobs First, a national policy resource center. The report said that most states are failing to use their websites effectively to educate taxpayers on how the stimulus money is being spent. transparency is a major component of ARRA, so this represents a major shortfall on behalf of many of the states, including Illinois. Illinois was deemed the worst recovery website in the country because it only showed “national figures and nothing on how much is being spent in the state.”

The Improving: In response to the negative review of the website, a spokesperson for the state said that new content would be on coming to the website within a week and that a redesign is on the way, according to Chicago Public Radio.

by Erin Aleman
8/6/09

On Wednesday, July 29th we held an Invent the Future workshop at the Active Transportation Alliance’s office in downtown Chicago. I began the workshop by asking participants what they thought 2040 should look like. Visionary participants told me that by 2040 they want municipal composting, affordable broadband for everyone, businesses to have zero waste policies, energy generation occurring at the household level, local ordinances will be “green” — and believe me the ideas didn’t stop there. The future looked pretty bright to this group. As an urban planner (and Active Trans member) it made me excited to hear everyone’s innovative ideas.

Next we used keypad polling devices to let participants to create a scenario based on six different inputs: development density, development location, road investments, transit investments, transportation policies, and environmental policies. For instance, did the group want to increase spending on environmental policies, which could ultimately lead to an increase in regulations? The answer for this group was to overwhelmingly “yes” – let’s increase these policies to achieve best practices. 

Wondering how the rest of the region has been voting? You can see the preferences of regional participants on CMAP’s website.

During the last portion of the meeting participants really got in to how to make this happen and what they thought CMAP’s role should be in the process. One participant voiced that we should not just protect land, we need to be actively acquiring it so that it will be preserved and protected for generations to come. This has been an issue that CMAP has been carefully considering. You can read our Parks and Open Lands strategy paper or our Agricultural Preservation strategy paper for more details. We have also been working with regional experts to consider strategies to address preservation and modeling what different scenarios impacts are on land preservation. Another participant suggested that CMAP’s role should be to help improve the expansion of innovation by work with unions to overcome barriers to issues such as the installation of waterless urinals in Illinois (just Google “waterless urinals Illinois” and you’ll be bombarded with people who share similar concerns).

If you’d like to see the unique scenario participants created at the Active Transportation Alliance workshop, click here. To see more photos from the event, check out our Flickr page.

To register to participate in a free Invent the Future workshop near you, simply visit our workshops page.

  permalink 

by Sean Glowacz
8/6/09

CMAP held an Invent the Future workshop on Tuesday, July 28th at the Rogers Park Library in Chicago’s north side.

We began the workshop by asking participants to envision the region in 2040. What changes would they wish to see? What things would they like to stay the same? Several participants expressed a desire to see a much smaller portion of the region that relies on private automobile use as their primary form of Transportation. CMAP has been exploring several ways to get more vehicles off of the road and more people onto alternative forms of Transportation – trains, busses, car-sharing programs, bicycling, etc. One specific policy that we have been researching is called Transportation demand management. Transportation Demand Management (TDM) is a strategy to reduce demand for single occupancy vehicle use on the regional Transportation network. As a regional strategy to improve Transportation system performance, TDM can reduce highway congestion and traveler delay; improve air quality; and improve access to jobs, schools, and other opportunities. (Read our strategy paper on Transportation Demand Management.)

If you’d like to see the unique scenario participants created in Rogers Park, click here. To see more pictures from the event, see our Flickr page.

If you'd also like to see what we've heard so far from workshop and online participants, click here.

To register to participate in a free Invent the Future workshop near you, simply visit our workshops page.

  permalink 

by CMAP Communications

8/5/09

You can now read a CMAP news release based on preliminary data describing feedback from our current "Invent the Future" phase of GO TO 2040.  Through early September 2009, people across the seven-county region can weigh in via interactive GO TO 2040  web tools, workshops, kiosks and booths at community festivals. 

Input so far indicates residents' strong preference for more transit investments and policies to promote compact development.  See this page of charts summarizing input received in our workshops and on the web.

Photo CSX freight in snow - Franklin Park, IL by Flickr user Lawrence's Pictures

by Emily Tapia Lopez, MPC Associate
8/5/09

[This blog entry comes to us from the Metropolitan Planning Council, one of CMAP's GO TO 2040 partner organizations. On occasion, we ask our partners to share information that would be of interest to the GO TO 2040 blog's readership.]

The most recent opportunity to boost investment in our nation’s freight rail infrastructure, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, directed just two percent of stimulus funds for transportation to freight. Economic forecasts predict the freight volumes handled by America’s ports, roads, waterways, and rails will be 70 percent greater in 2020 than they were in 1998. It’s time to make freight rail infrastructure a priority to keep our economy growing and allow our communities to thrive.

The Metropolitan Planning Council, along with the Canadian Consulate General of Chicago and the Union League Club, will be hosting U.S. Rep. Tom Petri (R- Wis.) to discuss the importance of freight infrastructure investments and explain how freight will factor into the next federal surface transportation bill. U.S. Rep. Petri, a longtime champion of freight infrastructure investments and member of the House Transportation and Investment Committee, understands the bottlenecks choking the Chicago region’s rail network are a problem for the entire Midwest economy. To contrast these U.S. realities – and their effects – with our neighbor to the north, Ms. Kristine Burr from Transport Canada will discuss Canada’s recent $2 billion investment in freight rail infrastructure using public-private partnerships. Vice President of Planning at McCain Foods Ltd. (a global leader in the frozen food industry), Mr. Ron Pillsbury, will join the panel representing the private sector, which relies on seamless multi-modal transportation.

This past June, U.S. Rep. Petri and Chairman of the House Transportation and Investment Committee Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.) introduced a bill that would provide $450 billion in much-needed investment in the nation’s entire transportation network. Whether new surface transportation funding is approved now or 16 months from now, funding for freight needs to be a national priority.

The “Pay the Freight” roundtable event will take place on Tuesday, August 11, 2009, at the Union League Club (65 W. Jackson Blvd., 2nd Floor, Main Lounge) from noon to 1:30 p.m. Register online today!

  permalink 

$3 Billion in New Grants Available for Renewable Energy Companies

Renewable energy companies will soon qualify for $3 billion in grant money from the U.S. Department of Treasury. Companies are eligible if they are willing to forgo a 30% investment tax credit in exchange for the equivalent amount in cash payments. Applications are now being accepted. Guidelines and a sample application are currently available online. The program will enable businesses struggling to line up money for renewable energy generation projects to do so. Businesses may apply directly to the U.S. Department of the Treasury Web site. Any questions regarding “Payments for specified energy property in lieu of tax credits” may be sent here.

by Sean Glowacz
8/4/09

On Thursday, July 23rd, CMAP held an Invent the Future Workshop for the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association in East Hazel Crest, drawing out twenty-two participants.

The workshop was used to get the crowd to think more deeply about how the region might look in 2040. What aspects of the region would we like to preserve for 2040? What are some of the issues that we need to address so that our ideal region can be realized by 2040? Several of the participants voiced concerns about job growth in the region. We expect the region to see a growth of 2.8 million new residents by the year 2040. What policies and programs can we enact to create enough jobs to support both the region’s existing and future population? As part of the GOTO 2040 process, CMAP has been evaluating a variety of strategies to tackle the many issues that our region faces. One of the strategies that we have been exploring to help create more jobs in the region has to do with the provision of economic incentives. Incentives are a widely used economic development tool; in an ongoing study of incentive expenditures at the state and local government levels, it is estimated that as much as $50 billion is expended annually by state and local governments in the U.S. for these purposes. The role incentives play in job creation and retention is important, and strategic incentive programs may achieve significant benefits. To learn more about how economic incentives can effect job growth in the region, please read CMAP’s Economic Development Incentives Strategy Paper [PDF].

If you’d like to see the unique scenario participants created in East Hazel Crest, click here.

To register to participate in a free Invent the Future workshop near you, simply visit our workshops page.

  permalink 

by Anne Holub
8/3/09

This week's Flickr photo, taken by our Explore Northeastern Illinois Flickr pool, is titled "X-18" and was taken by Flickr user thomas.merton in Union, IL in McHenry County. The train was located at the very cool Illinois Railway Museum in Union, just a bit east of Marengo, IL.

CMAP will be in McHenry County this week as we present a free GO TO 2040 Invent the Future workshop in Harvard, IL on Wednesday, August 5th at 7pm. Check out our workshops page for more information, and to find one near you!

  permalink 

by Sean Glowacz
7/31/09

Twenty-seven people came out to the Avalon Park Public Library in Chicago’s South Side on Wednesday, July 15^th to participate in an Invent the Future workshop with CMAP.

We began the workshop by asking the participants to envision the region in 2040.  What aspects of the region do they feel need to be changed to accommodate the anticipated 2.8 million new residents that will come into the region by 2040?  Throughout the discussion a variety of subjects surfaced, but one topic seemed to top most participants priority list – job creation.  The participants expressed a desire to see the redevelopment of the abandoned steel mill sites in the southeastern portion.  Redevelopment of these sites could potentially bring new economic opportunities into the region, providing jobs for its residents.  Industrial sites have historically been difficult to redevelop due to their potential brownfield status.  A brownfield site is a piece of property that’s development “may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.” (USEPA)  Brownfields are prevalent throughout the region, and although they present challenges, they are usually in desirable locations with great potential for redevelopment. Federal, state, and local governments have recognized this, as well as regional non-profit groups and private investors, situating our region at the forefront in creative brownfield redevelopment strategies and partnerships.  To learn more about brownfield redevelopment, read CMAP’s Brownfield Redevelopment Strategy Report”.

If you’d like to see the unique scenario participants created in Avalon Park, click here.

To register to participate in a free Invent the Future workshop near you, simply visit our workshops page.

  permalink 

Michigan Avenue, North to the Magnificent Mile (Chicago) photo by Flickr user phototravel1

 

by Daniel H. Burnham V
7/30/09

The summer debut of GO TO 2040 has been making waves throughout the city even in its as-yet unfinished state. For me, it has been akin to watching an engine in motion: diverse belts, gears, and pistons coming together into a single flurry of activity directed toward a common end. As the residents of the Chicago region voice their opinions online and in workshops led by CMAP planners, it becomes clear that the metropolis is headed toward a new urban model, much as it was a century ago with the Burnham and Bennett Plan in 1909. Such comparisons are perhaps inevitable, though from our perspective at CMAP such a position can be a daunting one, carrying with it a much responsibility.

It is probably no coincidence, however, that the summer of the Burnham Plan Centennial has brought with it a republication of the 1909 Plan by the Great Books Foundation, available in a commemorative cloth binding as well as paperback for the very first time. The new edition includes high-resolution imagery of Jules Guerin’s watercolor renderings of Chicago as well as Burnham and Bennett’s numerous diagrams and photographs in color and sepia, respectively. While my old 1993 Princeton edition of the Plan still carries with it an air of quiet dignity, it is to be hoped that this modern reprint will revive the spirit of the 1909 Plan not only for those of us involved in city planning but for the residents of Chicago itself.

Thus, as a prelude to this autumn’s One Book, One Chicago and next year’s completion of the GO TO 2040 plan, take the opportunity to explore Chicago’s urban past in crisp clarity and sharp detail with the Plan of Chicago: Centennial Edition, and then have your say in its future alongside CMAP and your fellow citizens.

  permalink 

by Sean Glowacz
7/28/09

Twenty-nine people came out to the Gail Borden Public Library in Elgin on Tuesday, July 21st to participate in an Invent the Future workshop with CMAP.

To begin the workshop, we asked participants to share how envision the region in 2040. What changes would they make to help create a better future for us all? One participant mentioned a desire to see more economic equality throughout the region. “I would like to see more redevelopment in economically disadvantaged areas. Any public funds that are invested into these areas should stay there (e.g. TIF districts), so that these areas can continue to see economic growth well into the future.”

We discussed different development strategies that should be considered to better handle the estimated 2.8 million new residents that will be in the region by 2040. While many topics surfaced in our discussion, participants seemed to be most concerned with how the anticipated growth will affect the region’s economy. What can we as a region do now to strengthen our economy in the future? One idea that was mentioned was that more programs should be established to prepare the existing workforce for growing employment industries, especially the green job industry. Workforce development is an area that CMAP has been exploring as part of the GOTO 2040 process. We are trying to find ways in which we can better educate the region’s workforce so that it can grab a larger portion of the nation’s emerging employment sectors. Check out our strategy paper on Workforce Development to learn more about this topic. In addition, keep a lookout for a strategy paper on Green Jobs to be posted at a later date on our GOTO 2040 website.

If you’d like to see the unique scenario participants created in Elgin, click here. For more photos from our Elgin workshop, check our Flickr page.

To register to participate in a free Invent the Future workshop near you, simply visit our workshops page.