This fall, CMAP is developing the "preferred Regional Scenario" that describes key policy directions that the GO TO 2040 plan will address. The current draft (updated 11/09) is being presented and discussed at all of our working committees, as well as with partners around the region, in October and November. Please let us know if you have any feedback or comments on it as we continue our work on it, prior to the CMAP Board and MPO Policy Committee considering it for endorsement at their January 2010 meetings.
Be sure to check in regularly at CMAP's GO TO 2040 blog. There you'll find engaging posts by CMAP staff and others writing about issues related to 
the region's official comprehensive plan.
As part of the Chicago Matters: Beyond Burnham series, Eddie Arruza of WTTW's Chicago Tonight interviewed CMAP executive director Randy Blankenhorn regarding the proposed Illiana Expressway. For years, since the 1909 Plan of Chicago by Daniel Burnham, a major connector has been considered to link I-57 in Illinois and I-65 in Indiana. See the video by clicking the "more" link below.
CMAP has updated the booklet that summarizes the GO TO 2040 planning process. October 2010 is when the comprehensive regional plan will go to the CMAP Board for approval, immediately after which the implementation phase will begin. Among the coming year's important milestones:- January 2010: Approval of the preferred Regional Scenario
- April 2010: Approval of capital projects
- May 2010: Release of draft plan for comment
- October 2010: Approval of final GO TO 2040 plan, start of implementation phase
At each step, input from the public and stakeholder groups is vitally important. There are many opportunities to stay engaged at the GO TO 2040 website.
CMAP has issued a short document, "Comprehensive Regional Planning in Metropolitan Chicago: Helping to Create a Context for Federal Reform." It describes how planning efforts here can be magnified by U.S. government programs -- and vice versa. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have agreed to implement joint transportation, housing, and environmental initiatives across the nation in a new "Interagency Partnership for Sustainable Communities." In that effort, USDOT, HUD, EPA, and the federal government in general will need strong regional partners like CMAP.
Now nearing the end of its third year, CMAP's series of Regional Snapshot reports summarizes important issues that will be part of the GO TO 2040 comprehensive plan. The latest snapshots include Air Quality, Jobs-Housing Balance, and Industry Clusters.
Be sure to visit our Idea Zone pages for the latest opportunities to participate in the GO TO 2040 comprehensive regional plan. For example, you can comment on strategies for implementing the 2040 regional vision. You can also weigh in at the GO TO 2040 blog.
Throughout the summer of 2009, residents across the seven counties of northeastern Illinois weighed in about their preferences for how the region should plan to accommodate a projected 2.8 million new residents by 2040. We can’t solve everything at once, so it’s all about trade-offs, and that's why the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) is developing the GO TO 2040 comprehensive regional plan to preserve and enhance quality of life. In 57 workshops across the region (see embedded video below), on the web at www.goto2040.org, via multimedia kiosks, and at community fairs and festivals, you joined your neighbors in creating scenarios for a brighter future. CMAP and its partners appreciate your input -- please keep it coming!
After many months of collaboration with partners and stakeholders, CMAP has begun a two-year trial of the agency's process for evaluating Developments of Regional Importance (DRIs).
The trial period started on August 1, 2009, and ends on July 31, 2011, at which time the CMAP Board will review the process and its effectiveness. CMAP’s DRI process provides an opportunity for regional partners to comprehensively assess the regional implications of large-scale development proposals, reconcile regional priorities associated with these proposals, and coordinate independent actions in support of regional goals. Examining these impacts from the regional perspective offers an opportunity to align projects and create consistency with regional plans and programs.
CMAP Board chairman Gerald Bennett is also co-chairing the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus 2016 Olympic Regional Coordinating Committee. In September 2008, he appeared on the Comcast Network's Political Update, along with committee co-chairman Karen McConnaughay and caucus executive director David Bennett. Click here or on the "more" link below for the embedded video, which is about 30 minutes long.
CMAP executive director Randy Blankenhorn was interviewed in June 2008 on Comcast's "Political Update" public affairs show. He talked about CMAP's vision for metropolitan Chicago, and the agency's innovative GO TO 2040 planning campaign to implement that regional vision.