Late on Wednesday, June 27, 2012, top congressional negotiators announced they had reached an agreement to reauthorize and finance federal transportation programs through September 2014.  The conference report was filed early in the morning on Thursday, June 28, 2012; the full text and a summary document are available on-line.  According to an article from the Hill, the... Read More

The U.S. Census recently released 2011 population and housing unit estimates by county. CMAP analyzed the regional changes between the 2000 to 2010 census data in a prior set of blogs on changes in housing unit counts and tenure , housing unit vacancy , change in the senior population , and changes in the Latino population . The regional trends in population and housing unit change... Read More

Local news coverage this week has highlighted how difficult it can be to understand the process of assessing property taxes.  The Chicago Tribune and Crain's Chicago Business both looked at the issue as it pertains to Cook County, and the County Clerk issued a tax rate report with details about the assessments in Cook.  Earlier this year, a Regional Tax Policy Task Force... Read More

On June 14, 2012, the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University released its annual State of the Nation’s Housing for 2012. The study compiles a number of demographic, economic, and housing indicators to assess the current and upcoming conditions of the U.S. housing market. This year’s report projects a modest recovery in the nation’s housing market for 2012, based in large... Read More

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced the fourth round of the discretionary Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery  (TIGER) program grants.  These grants include $10.4 million to support the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency  (CREATE) freight rail program and $20 million for improvements to the Chicago Transit Authority... Read More