CMAP Media Tip Sheet, 12-14-11
Our media tip sheet from December 14, 2011, includes the release of a video highlighting comprehensive planning in CMAP's Local Technical Assistance program, analysis of the MAP-21 highway reauthorization bill on the Policy Updates blog, debut of Energy Impact Illinois web series and pledge, and more.

NEWS RELEASE:  Millennium Reserve open space project features $10 million for bike trails, 12-9-11
The Millennium Reserve project's Calumet Core phase aims to restore 15,000 acres of open space in Chicago and south suburban Cook County.  Important aspects are funded by the CMAQ program, including more than $10 million for a continuous bikeway from the Chicago lakefront to Joliet.  At the event, CMAP executive director Randy Blankenhorn described the project's importance regarding GO TO 2040 priorities for quality of life, the environment, health, mobility, economic development, and more. 

NEWS RELEASE:  Federal, state grants of $7 million benefit west Cook housing, 12-3-11
The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity awarded $4.2 million to the West Cook County Housing Collaborative, a CMAP-supported effort of Bellwood, Berwyn, Forest Park, Maywood, and Oak Park. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will also provide $2.9 million to create or update the communities' comprehensive plans. 

CMAP Media Tip Sheet, 11-15-11
Our media tip sheet from November 15, 2011, includes the launch of MyHomeEQ energy calculator, a series describing modern boulevards on the Policy Updates blog, a new interactive map feature for the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), and more.

NEWS RELEASE: Five-year, $411 million transportation program funds 115 projects to reduce congestion, improve air quality in metropolitan Chicago (10-12-11)

The CMAP Board and MPO Policy committee voted on October 12, 2011, to approve the FY2012-16 Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) program. Through these transportation projects, residents of metropolitan Chicago will benefit from improved transit, roads, bicycle, and pedestrian facilities. The $411 million in federal transportation funds are being targeted to support the GO TO 2040 comprehensive regional plan's goals for reducing congestion and improving air quality. Read more in this press release.

CMAP Media Tip Sheet, 10-5-11
Our media tip sheet from October 5, 2011, includes CMAP programming more than $400 million in projects to reduce congestion and improve air quality, the addition of Census 2010 data sets to MetroPulse, the Lawn to Lake collaborative workshop, and more.

CMAP Media Tip Sheet, 8-24-11
Our media tip sheet from August 24, 2011, includes analysis from the Policy Updates blog on transportation bill and gas tax reauthorizations, CMAP's support for the Illinois Tollway capital plan, the upcoming National League of Cities event in Chicago, and more.

NEWS RELEASE: CMAP releases free MetroPulse iPhone app for on-the-go access to regional indicators data (8-15-11)
CMAP released the MetroPulse iPhone app, which allows users to view indicator data about the region's counties, municipalities, and Chicago community areas. Users can also use the iPhone's GPS features to locate themselves within a place and find data about that place. Read more in this press release.

CMAP Media Tip Sheet, 8-4-11
Our media tip sheet from August 4, 2011, includes information on the latest Census 2010 data (including analysis on the Policy Updates blog), the first video in a series highlighting the Local Technical Assistance program, the release of MetroPulse 1.1., and more.

Video Overview of the CMAP Local Technical Assistance Program (7-13-11) 
New in the GO TO 2040 video series is an overview of the Local Technical Assistance (LTA) program begun in March 2011 by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP), with support from a three-year, $4.25 million competitive grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as part of the federal interagency Partnership for Sustainable Communities.

CMAP Media Tip Sheet, 7-6-11
Our media tip sheet from July 6, 2011, includes information on community kickoff meetings for Local Technical Assistance projects; the latest video in CMAP's Resident Portrait series highlighting Rick Helwig, a business owner focused on making homes more energy efficient; the Chicago region receiving the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's "Preferred Sustainability Status," and more. 

NEWS RELEASE: Energy Impact Illinois Debuts Information Hub (6-1-11)
To improve the energy efficiency of residential, commercial, and industrial properties, EnergyImpactIllinois.org was launched this summer as an information hub for residents of the Chicago region and Rockford.  Visitors to the site will find resources to facilitate building improvements for homes or businesses, saving energy and money while reducing the region's carbon footprint.  The hub is an initiative of Energy Impact Illinois, an alliance of CMAP, utility companies, government agencies, and citizen advocacy groups working together to create a long-term market for improving the energy efficiency of the region's buildings.  The effort is made possible through a $25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) BetterBuildings Initiative.  Read more in this press release.

CMAP Media Tip Sheet, 5-24-11
Our media tip sheet from May 24, 2011, includes information on impacts the federal budget deal will have on Illinois transportation projects, GO TO 2040 capital project blog posts on our Policy Updates blog, an upcoming Water 2050 forum, locomotive retrofits that yield better air quality, on-time performance analysis of local transit, and more.

CMAP Media Tip Sheet 3-23-11
Our tip sheet from March 23, 2011, includes information on the first round of local communities identified for planning assistance from CMAP, and the re-launched Moving Forward section of the agency's website, which will now be the main location for information related to implementing the plan.  Also included is an upcoming MetroPulse webinar, information on a series of GO TO 2040 roundtables, and Soles and Spokes, CMAP's bike-ped planning blog. 

CMAP Media Tip Sheet, 2-18-11
Our tip sheet from February 18, 2011, includes information on Census 2010 redistricting data for Illinois, the report Economic Impacts of GO TO 2040, Fox River Basin watershed plans that aim to protect groundwater, and CMAP's allocation of federal funding to reduce diesel emissions.

CMAP Media Tip Sheet, 1-12-11
Our tip sheet from January 12, 2011, includes information on the preliminary results of CMAP's first annual Municipal Plans, Programs, and Operations Survey for all of the municipalities in the seven-county northeastern Illinois region; the new Policy Updates blog, redevelopment goals for the region, and more.