Photo of water at the Lincoln Park Zoo by Flickr user thomas.merton from our Flickr pool

by Shana Alford
10/23/09

Aggressive efforts toward cleaning up water pollution are increasing across the nation. Although Congress enacted the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (Clean Water Act) decades ago, water pollution remains a critical issue. Regulators have been learning more about the sources of water pollution and are progressively making violators more visible and accountable.

A Chicago Tribune series on water pollution specifically highlighted dry cleaning facilities as contributors to air and water pollution. Illinois EPA identified slightly more than 400 dry cleaners statewide, where the toxic chemical perchloroethylene, also known as PCE or perc, has contaminated soil or poses a threat to nearby water supplies. Many of these sites are within the northeastern region. Exposure to perc could lead to to cancer, liver damage, neurological problems and other ailments. Although this chemical has been used for decades, little was known about its lurking contamination. A lawsuit filed by the Sierra Club against the US EPA further highlighted the role that regulation plays in keeping the environment healthy and clean.

View high priority cleanup areas in the Northeastern Region and statewide, as provided by the Chicago Tribune.

CMAP has included brownfield redevelopment and wastewater management in the GO TO 2040 plan because of their critical links to environmental health and safety in the region. Please also view the latest Air Quality Snapshot in the region.

Interested in finding eco-friendly dry cleaners in your area? Click Here.

New ARRA resource guide: where to go for information
CMAP created a useful ARRA resource guide for anyone interested in learning more information about the stimulus.  This guide provides a list of helpful websites to visit to track and map stimulus dollars and learn more about ARRA’s accountability and transparency from both governmental and non-profit independent resources.  To see past blog posts with additional resources, click on "Resources" under Topics to the right.

by Karin Sommer, MPC
10/20/09

With hundreds of parks and community gardens, miles of lakefront beaches, bustling neighborhoods and city centers, and world-class architecture, everyone is sure to have a favorite public space in the Chicago region.  This summer, the Metropolitan Planning Council asked residents to pick their favorite place and submit it to the "What Makes Your Place Great" contest.  The response was overwhelming – more than 50 submissions from around the region – from gardens and public plazas to coffee shops and hiking trails – were nominated. 

More than 8,000 votes later, four public spaces emerged as shining examples of the amazing public spaces in Chicagoland.  These four spaces exemplify the way people in the region use and love their public spaces, and the positive impact the spaces have on their neighborhoods. 

On Wednesday, Oct. 28, the people behind the four winning submissions will talk about the history of their space and how it has influenced their community at MPC’s .  Come learn about how a community garden in South Chicago is helping to make the neighborhood safe, ways the retail stores in the Shops of Long Grove contribute to a sense of community, how a garden in Albany Park has brought neighbors together, and the pride Aurora resident’s have in their beautiful and historic Phillips Park. 

Interested in learning more about the contest?  Check out this eight-minute feature from the Sept. 24^th broadcast of Chicago Tonight.

Space is limited, so register now!  Register online at http://www.metroplanning.org/calendar.asp?objectID=5053.  Questions?  Contact Karin Sommer at ksommer@metroplanning.org or 312-863-6044. 

Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Noon – 1:30 p.m.                      
Metropolitan Planning Council Conference Center
140 S. Dearborn St., Suite 1400, Chicago, IL. 60603
Cost for MPC donors: $15.00
Cost for non-donors: $30.00

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The first period of reporting for stimulus fund recipients has ended, and reports were due October 10, 2009.  Data is now available at Recovery.gov for the almost 9,000 recipients awarded contracts directly from the federal government.  This represents $16 billion of the $339 billion total already obligated by federal agencies or available as tax relief.  Over $470 million in funding has come to Illinois in the form of stimulus contracts.  Thus far a reported 30,383 jobs have been created or saved nationally, with over 287 jobs in Illinois, by the stimulus funds distributed via contract, according to Recovery.gov.  The remainder of recipient reporting for grants and loans distributed to states, nonprofits, universities, and companies will be accessible on October 30.  Approximately 112,000 recipients (primary and sub) of stimulus funding filed their first reports to FederalReporting.gov.  According to a news post from Recovery.gov, of the reports filed 8,927 were contract awards, 102,901 were grants, and 391 were loans.  Reports include summaries of stimulus funds received, funds expended, and jobs created or saved, along with descriptions of the projects and their locations.  Though the data can be downloaded on Recovery.gov in 183 different files by state/territory, ProPublica.org compiled the data into two spreadsheets for contractors and subcontractors.  The next reporting period will begin on January 1, 2010.

 

 

by Lindsay Banks
10/19/09

 

 

This week's photo is brought to us by Flickr user mastodont from our Explore Northeastern Illinois Flickr pool. This beautiful prairie grass is in Kloempken Prairie in Des Plaines.  Great capture!   

 

 

 

 

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View the latest regional Economic Recovery Update, produced by CMAP in partnership with the Regional ARRA Coordinating Council (RACC).  Be watching for it every other Wednesday, and click here to sign up for CMAP email updates.

ARRA funding for Transportation: An overview and expenditure update
The stimulus package allocated a total of $48.1 billion to fund national Transportation improvements.  This is an opportunity to develop northeastern Illinois rail, bus, and roadway infrastructure and to improve Transportation safety.  ARRA funding is distributed through various mechanisms including apportionment to the state, competitive grants, formula-based distribution, sub-allocation, and set-asides for Transportation projects. 

 

This chart shows how much national Transportation funding was included in the stimulus bill.

Northeastern Illinois has received a total of $180 million in ARRA stimulus funding for local road projects for the Council of Mayors and the City of Chicago.  The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Pace, and Metra received $414 million of formula ARRA stimulus funding for transit use.  This region competed for and won Transit Investment in Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction (TIGGER) competitive grant funding -- CTA received $1.5 million and Pace received $1.3 million.  ARRA funds of $321 million have also been allocated for state highway projects.  The table below shows the most recent expenditures of ARRA funds in the region as of September 2009.  These expenditures are compared to the program marks (allocated funding) to track spending across the region.

 

ARRA funding is subject to “use it or lose it” provisions.  The first redistribution of funding (50 percent apportioned to states) requires use and obligation within 120 days or amounts will be redistributed.  A second redistribution will take place one year after all unobligated balances are reallocated.  Recipients of these funds will have until September 2010 to obligate.  Northeastern Illinois has worked diligently to ensure that no funds allocated to the region will be left on the table.  To guard against the loss of local funding, the Council of Mayors has developed a methodology for redistribution of funding, if necessary.  As the expenditure chart shows, all of the available ARRA money has been programmed well within the given timeline, positioning the region to receive funding from other regions that don’t program their share of funding by the deadline. 
 

All $ are in millions.

 

For more information on ARRA funds in the region, please review the ARRA resource website.  For more information on ARRA Transportation funding across the nation, please review the Federal Highway Administration’s Recovery website.

On October 27, 2009, Mercy Housing, with the help of the Regional ARRA Coordinating Council, will host a reception and networking event recognizing the regional partnerships that are leveraging stimulus funding.  "Moving Forward Together: Leveraging the Chicago Region’s Economic Stimulus Funding" will be held at the JP Morgan Chase auditorium (10 S. Dearborn St., Chicago) from 4:30 to 8:00 p.m., with guest speakers from the FederalReserve and Home Loan Banks of Chicago, CMAP, Chicago Community Trust, the Center for Neighborhood Technology, the Metropolitan Planning Council, and Bank of America, including the Deputy Chief of Staff for Economic Development and Recovery in Illinois, Kristi LaFleur.  Awards are being given for collaboration in the commercial and non-profit sectors.  View the invitation here.  This event will offer a unique opportunity to learn about current implementation and potential opportunities for a wide audience, including:  local, county, and state government staff, service and technical assistance providers, private and non-profit sector entities, and policy and advocacy agencies.  For more information or to purchase tickets, please contact Michelle Friedman at 312-447-4500 ormfriedman@mercyhousing.org.

Stimulus in the News, Announcements

$1 billion invested in renewable energy production.  As of September 22, more than $1 billion in stimulus funds have been invested in domestic renewal energy production through awards to companies through Section 1603 of the Recovery Act through a program that provides cash assistance in lieu of tax credits to energy producers.  This announcement from Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and Energy Secretary Steven Chu highlighted the strength of public and private collaboration through stimulus funds.

Slight improvements in unemployment, GDP.  In August, the statewide unemployment rate decreased by 0.4 to 10.0 percent, according to figures released by the Illinois Department of Employment Security.  Sectors that posted job gains included manufacturing (2,100 jobs), construction (500 jobs), and information (900 jobs).  The country’s gross domestic product (GDP) shrank 0.7 percent from April to June of this year, which was less than earlier estimates of a one-percent contraction, according to The New York Times.  This is a noticeable improvement from the first quarter of the year, which saw the economy shrink at a rate of 6.4 percent.  Click here to see the report issued by the U.S. Commerce Department.

Good news from Philly.  The Philadelphia Inquirer published a great story on September 20 on how stimulus funds, especially those received by the Philadelphia Housing Authority, helped not only the city’s housing, but job opportunities and the energy efficiency of homes.  Philadelphia received $90.6 million of $3 billion allocated for public housing authorities from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.  This was the fourth biggest award after New York, Puerto Rico, and Chicago, which was awarded $144 million.

by Lindsay Banks
10/5/09

This week's photo comes from user Laurence's Pictures from our Explore Northeastern Illinois Flickr pool. The Commuter Car Curves photo was taken at the Joliet Union station, as the train waited for its turn to depart. 

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Morton Arboretum's Colors of the Sun by Flickr user Ginkgo7.

by Sean Glowacz
10/02/09

CMAP held an Invent the Future workshop on Thursday, August 27th at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle.

We began the workshop by asking participants to envision the region in 2040.  By 2040, the region is expected to realize an increase of 2.8 million residents.  What changes will we need to make to accommodate this expected growth?  Many participants voiced a desire to improve transportation policy throughout the region.  If everyone relies on their own personal automobile for transportation in the future, traffic congestion will reach unbearable levels.  CMAP has been researching many different strategies that can be used to improve regional traffic conditions.  Specifically, one of the strategies that we have been looking into is called carsharing.  Carsharing is a group of individuals or organizations that share the costs associated with car ownership. The majority of carsharing groups in the U.S. are membership based organizations, both profit and nonprofit, that give their membership access to a fleet of vehicles for short term use. The static expense of owning and operating a personal vehicle is turned into a variable cost of user fees based upon time and miles driven.  Carsharing is not only serving individuals. Businesses and governmental organizations are showing an increased interest in carsharing as a way to reduce their vehicle fleet costs.  The success of carsharing organizations has shown that carsharing works best in urban areas with high population densities that support other modes of transportation including transit, walking, and bicycling. These other modes are critical to the success of carsharing since users can not be solely dependent on the carsharing vehicles for transportation.  To read more about CMAP’s research in this area, please read our Carsharing Strategy Paper.

If you’d like to see the unique scenario participants created at the Morton Arboretum, click here.

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Click on the image to read recently released Snapshot Reports.

by Sean Glowacz
10/01/09

CMAP held an Invent the Future workshop on Tuesday, August 18^th at the Berkeley Public Library.

We began the workshop by asking participants to envision the region in 2040.  What changes would they like to see so that a more idealistic future can be realized by 2040?  Participants overwhelmingly expressed their concerns regarding the regional economy.  Some participants thought that we should focus on researching and implementing strategies that would encourage businesses to locate within underserved employment areas throughout the region.  If future growth were to eventually take place in underserved neighborhoods, many participants felt that this growth should take place as part of a wide-spread infill development effort.  Throughout the GO TO 2040 process, CMAP has been addressing both concerns raised by the participants.   The provision of financial incentives to influence business locations and retain existing businesses has long been a mainstay of economic development policy for state and local governments.  CMAP has looked at several different kinds of economic incentives used to retain and attract businesses in our Economic Development Incentives Strategy Paper.  Urban infill development is a planning strategy that redirects growth from the urban and suburban fringes, or greenfields, into more dense urban cores to create compact, livable, and sustainable communities.  To read more about urban infill development in our region, please read our Infill and Redevelopment Regional Snapshot Report (opens 1.4MB PDF).

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

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As promised, here's the return of your regional Economic Recovery Update, produced by CMAP in partnership with the Regional ARRA Coordinating Council (RACC).  Be watching for it every other Wednesday, and click here to sign up for CMAP email updates.

Photo of a Red Balloon by Flickr user stirwise

by Ingrid Danler, Fox Waterway Agency
9/29/09

We are an overscheduled people.  I’m sure I have kindred spirits out there—other folks that find so many topics interesting, yet, just simply run out of time and energy to give it an effort.  Kids, careers, husbands, dogs, and just the grind of staying fed, rested, and clothed, take a lot of time.  That is why I am always so impressed when people do take that time and energy to become educated and aware and become part of the solution and not part of the problem.

The FWA Task Force just finished its inaugural year and its Annual Report is now available online (www.foxwaterway.org ).  It was comprised of three counties (Lake, McHenry and Kane) and SE Wisconsin (Fox River Commission and SEWRPC), as well as a myriad of elected officials, AND general citizens.  Everyone’s basic premise going in was that there must be some magic pill that could prevent the persistent flooding that has hit northern Illinois for the past several years.  That everyone must be missing something in their analysis and research.  What they discovered, instead, however, is that the solution was in awareness.  Awareness that officials are at the helm and dedicated to communication and education.  Awareness that multilevels of officials and citizens continue to seek solutions and funding.  Awareness that each of us, doing incremental steps in the right direction, such as protecting shorelines, keeping structures out of the floodplain, and even, allowing buy-outs of properties, all contribute to the solution.  No magic pill, but no shortage of solutions, either. 

A balloon stretched can never regain its original dimensions:  An awareness cultivated will always be part of the solution.

 

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Invent the Future Workshop Recap: Chicago's 6th Ward

Photo of businesses along Halsted by Flickr user lbj79us

by Sean Glowacz
9/29/09

CMAP held an Invent the Future workshop on Wednesday, August 26^th at the Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills.

City of Chicago 6^th Ward Alderman Freddrenna Lyle and nearly 70 residents from Chicago welcomed CMAP on September 10^th to discuss GO TO 2040.  The group shared with us what is important to them as we plan for a better region in 2040.  Participants expressed many of the same ideas and concerns about how the region and their community could be improved upon the year 2040.  Supporting local businesses in the Chatham area but also throughout the whole ward was very important. Residents voiced the need for more sustainable business opportunities in the area. Like many of the other ITF workshops, residents of the 6^th Ward wanted opportunities for youth and a stronger investment in education.  The idea of promoting a stronger family unit was often mentioned. Many participants agreed that the 6^th Ward – Chatham and Englewood neighborhoods– have a distinct character and history. CMAP efforts should help communities like theirs to maintain and support that character through housing preservation and better connections to transit, like extending the CTA Redline to 103^rd. 

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.   How can we realize the goals and ideas expressed by the participants while concurrently accommodating for this expected growth?  As part of the GO TO 2040 process, CMAP has been exploring a variety of strategies to help tackle many of the issues expressed by the participants at this workshop.  For example, CMAP has been researching strategies to better prepare and educate our workforce so that our regional economy will be much more vibrant by 2040.  To maintain a workforce that is skilled, productive and competitive in this new environment, leaders in the Chicago area need to bring the region’s workforce systems and strategies to a new level. They need to create new mechanisms to foster regional analysis, cooperation and coordination and to make the system flexible enough to adapt to what are expected to be the ever-changing needs of employers and individuals. They also need to make sure there are enough accessible “on ramps” to careers and further education for the least skilled individuals.  To understand what kind of a system will be needed by 2040, it’s important to realize that there is no regional workforce development system now. Across the metropolitan region, workforce development services are delivered and funded by a variety of public and private entities. While there have been promising region-wide initiatives, there is no administrative body or jurisdiction charged with developing or implementing a regional strategy.  Creating a regional workforce development system will be an integral part of the GO TO 2040 plan.  To read more about CMAP’s research in this area, please read our Workforce Development Strategy Paper.

If you’d like to see the unique scenario participants created in Chicago’s 6^th Ward, click here.

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Economic Recovery Update Emails are Back!

Back by popular demand, it's the CMAP Economic Recovery Update, produced in partnership with the Regional ARRA Coordinating Council.  Every other Wednesday starting on September 30, we will send an email with updates and analyses of select ARRA programs.  These emails (which will also be posted at this Recovery blog) are meant to provide useful information on funding announcements, collaboration efforts, and tracking of where and how stimulus funds are being spent in the region.  Council member experts on energy, weatherization, job training, and housing programs will contribute to these updates, providing unique and timely information.  In addition, the updates will cover important developments and news on stimulus spending in other areas, such as Transportation, broadband, and education.  Please note that, if you receive the CMAP’s regular weekly email, you will automatically receive these updates.  See below to subscribe via email.
 

Click here to sign up for CMAP email updates.
 

More Homelessness Prevention Funding Comes to the Region
An additional $300 million in ARRA funding was awarded on Wednesday, September 23 to prevent families from becoming homeless or to rapidly re-house those that do.  Grantees of Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-housing Program (HPRP) funds in the region include McHenry County ($540,732) and Aurora ($506,883).  The announcement from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) also marked a milestone in total recovery funds awarded from HUD, which now exceed $10 billion and are nearly 75 percent of HUD’s $13.61 billion in stimulus funds (for a chart of HUD funding available, allocated and spent, click here).

For more information on the stimulus as it relates to housing, visit HUD.gov/recovery.  More details on the full HPRP plan and how to apply for grants can be found here.  Regional ARRA Coordinating Council member Housing Action Illinois provides valuable information related to HPRP grants, including links to grants submitted from the state, municipalities and counties in the region.  Stimulus HPRP grants are all the more valuable to Illinois residents since 78 percent of funding was cut from the state budget for Homeless Prevention this summer.

by Erin Aleman
9/23/09

Thirty-eight people came out to CMAP’s Invent the Future workshop at the Arturo Velasquez Institute on Thursday, September 3rd.

At this workshop participants imagined what their life might be like in 2040. Many participants shared a strong desire to have improved air quality in 2040, less crime, more jobs, and greater transit access. However, according to one resident “to create a brighter 2040 a lot of work needs to be done.” In light of this participants shared that they had a lot to offer in terms of helping to foster a better future, including ideas like educating their friends and families. While there was a sense that there is long road ahead in achieving these goals, the room was very positive about making change.

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. Participants also told us that they wanted to ensure that there would continue to be affordable housing. CMAP is looking into ways to preserve, and in some cases increase, affordable housing for the region. If you would like to read more about housing preservation, inclusionary zoning, or regulatory barriers to housing visit the strategy paper section on our website.

If you’d like to see the unique scenario participants created at the meeting, click here. To see more photos from the event, visit our Flickr page.

 

 

Grant Opportunity for Healthy Communities
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)  Procurement and Grants Office announced a new funding opportunity for “Communities Putting Prevention to Work” grants.  Approximately $373 million will be available in fiscal year 2009 to fund 30 to 40 awards.  The grant is to create healthier communities through sustainable, proven, population-based approaches such as broad-based policy, systems, organizational and environmental changes in communities and schools.  Eligible applicants include health departments of large cities, urban areas, or state-coordinated small cities and rural health areas, and tribal communities.

Two categories of issues can be addressed:  obesity, physical activity, and nutrition, or tobacco prevention and control.  Many of the strategies discussed in the announcement relate closely to community planning:  accessible places for activity, including enhanced bicycling and walking infrastructure;  promoting activity, public transit, and walking and cycling;  Transportation planning;  and pedestrian-scale signage for walkable and mixed use areas, among many others.

It is recommended by the CDC that awardees include a strong focus on the needs of populations who suffer disproportionately from the burden of disease.  A conference call regarding the grant for eligible applicants located in the Central time zone will be held on October 1, details of the call are listed in the grant announcement.  A letter of intent is required by October 30.

by Anne Holub

This week's photo is a foggy snapshot of a jogger in DuPage County's Forest Preserve area, Springbrook Prairie near Naperville. It was taken by Flickr user myn91 and posted to our Explore Northeastern Illinois pool. Feel free to add your pictures from Cook, Lake, Will, McHenry, DuPage, Kendall and Kane Counties. 

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