NEWS RELEASE:  MacArthur grant to CMAP's Full Circle program (12-13-06)
With a new MacArthur Foundation grant of $600,000, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) will expand its Full Circle community mapping and planning efforts. See the CMAP news release.  The project develops wireless web tools to help communities identify how land parcels are being used, and how they could be used more effectively through a coordinated local planning strategy.


NEWS RELEASE:  CMAP launches regional water supply study (11-16-06)
CMAP hosted an open forum on November 17, 2006, in Oak Brook to launch a three-year regional initiative to study water supply in Boone, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties.  See the CMAP news release.  That event represented a critical first step toward creating a new Regional Water Supply Planning Group (RWSPG), which will be charged with making recommendations on water resource policies and plans.


Blankenhorn testifies to House transit committee (11-16-06)
The Illinois House Mass Transit Committee held a subject-matter hearing on Thursday, November 16 at the State Capitol in Springfield. Topics included the Regional Transportation Authority and an update on CMAP by executive director Randy Blankenhorn.  Click here to see Randy's testimony.


CMAP introduces itself via Newsletter (11-2-06)
CMAP published a printed newsletter, which was mailed to several thousand stakeholders and agency partners across the region to introduce them to the new agency. It features stories on the CMAP Board's strategic report, the regional water-supply planning initiative, and the broad impacts of rising housing costs.


Blankenhorn speech to Illinois APA (11-7-06)
Randy Blankenhorn spoke as part of the American Planning Association's monthly lecture series. Randy's talk is an overview of CMAP and the merger of CATS and NIPC.


NEWS RELEASE:  Housing costs on the rise (10-2-06)
The percent of income spent on housing by residents of metropolitan Chicago continues to rise, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey. In a news release, CMAP staff note that the region's renters tend to spend a higher percentage of income on housing than homeowners do.


Blankenhorn speech to TFIC (9-20-06)
CMAP executive director Randy Blankenhorn gave the keynote address at the Transportation for Illinois Coalition's annual meeting. (See his prepared remarks in our Talks and Testimony section.) He called for a new approach to convince the public and decision makers of the urgent need for a capital program in Illinois.


NEWS RELEASE:  CMAP issues strategic report (9-1-06)
The CMAP Board's strategic report on vision, governance, and funding has been submitted to Governor Blagojevich and the General Assembly. See a CMAP news release or download the full report (500KB PDF) and executive summary (100KB PDF). 


MEDIA ADVISORY:  ECD summit (8-17-06)
CMAP hosted an economic and community development summit, "Working Together in the 21st Century," on Thursday, August 17, 2006, at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Read about it in a media advisory, and see www.chicagoareaplanning.org/summit/ for the agenda and a summary report.


NEWS RELEASE:  Citizens' Advisory Committee members are named (7-11-06)
Thirty-four residents of the seven-county region have been appointed as members of the Citizens' Advisory Committee of CMAP.


NEWS RELEASE:  RTP Update comment period (5-8-06)
The Regional Planning Board is hosting seven public meetings throughout northeastern Illinois to gather comment on the 2030 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) Update.


House Committee on Mass Transit (11-17-06)
The House Mass Transit Committee held a subject-matter hearing on Thursday, November 16, 2006, at the State Capitol in Springfield. Topics included the Regional Transportation Authority and an update on CMAP by executive director Randy Blankenhorn. See his remarks his remarks and those of RTA executive director Steve Schlickman (links will open PDF files).


"Tuesdays at APA" talk covers CMAP (11-8-06)
CMAP executive director Randy Blankenhorn spoke on November 7 at the American Planning Association's monthly lecture series. Click here to download the text of his remarks, which give an overview of CMAP and the merger of CATS and NIPC.


Sam Santell, 1954-2006
Everyone associated with the RPB was deeply saddened by the sudden death on April 19, 2006, of NIPC planning director Sam Santell, who was instrumental in completion of the 2040 Regional Framework Plan. Sam was honored posthumously on April 25 when his NIPC colleagues received the American Planning Association's national plan of the year award in San Antonio, Texas.  (Posted April 21 and revised April 26, 2006.)


NEWS RELEASE: Blankenhorn is new agency's first executive director (4-12-06)
As described in a news release, the RPB has named Randy Blankenhorn as executive director to lead its efforts in comprehensive planning for land use and transportation in northeastern Illinois. See a PDF of coverage in the Tribune and Crain's.


NEWS RELEASE:  Citizens' Advisory Committee members are sought (3-17-06)
Regional Planning Board is recruiting individual members for its Citizens' Advisory Committee.