Nurturing the region’s industry clusters is one of the main recommendations from the Human Capital chapter of GO TO 2040.  The plan directs CMAP, with the support of its partners, to perform “drill-down” analyses into specific established industry clusters, including freight, advanced manufacturing, and biotech/biomed, to better understand them.  CMAP is focusing on freight as the first in...

Metropolitan Chicago’s freight system links the region’s industries and consumers to global markets.  Highways, railroads, waterways, and airports all provide important connections to the world.  Yet each of these modes of transport is intertwined with the livability of the region.  Therefore, planning for an efficient, regional, multimodal freight system is a key priority of GO TO 2040.

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GO TO 2040 places a strong emphasis on the region’s industry clusters -- firms that share common resources and technologies and depend on a similar labor pool and institutions.  Clusters provide a substantial amount of the “value added” that the Chicago region brings to the economies of the Midwest, the nation, and the world.  GO TO 2040 recommends that the region nurture its existing clusters...

Two significant bills supported by CMAP passed both houses of the General Assembly. The Freight Mobility Plan Act will support freight planning by assessing the state's current system. And the Public-Private Partnerships for Transportation Act will give Illinois the authority to enter into public-private agreements for transportation investments. Both bills await Governor Pat Quinn's action.