On March 6, 2013, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 933 , a resolution to fund the federal government through September 2013.  The resolution would maintain FY 2012 funding levels for federal programs, minus the spending cuts required under “sequestration,” which put $1.2 trillion of automatic, across-the-board cuts into effect on March 1.  The federal budget is... Read More

Manufacturing accounts for a disproportionate component of the nation’s innovative activity: While it makes up only 11 percent of GDP, 90 percent of all the nation’s patents relate to manufacturing. In Illinois the link between manufacturing and innovation is even more pronounced. Nationwide 68 percent of all private research and development (R&D) spending comes from manufacturing firms;... Read More

With congestion pricing, toll rates in express lanes rise at times when more drivers want to use the highway, then tolls fall when demand is low. The simple logic of supply and demand can help to manage highway resources more effectively: Drivers will choose to enter or leave the express toll lanes based on the variable cost.  As described in CMAP’s congestion pricing campaign , a... Read More

On March 1, 2013, Governor Quinn issued an executive order to create a steering committee for the Millennium Reserve open space project that supports re-investment in ecology, economy, and community in the Calumet region of metropolitan Chicago.  Part of the America's Great Outdoors federal initiative, it will create and enhance urban parks and green spaces, as well as renew and... Read More

CMAP’s latest cluster drill-down report shows how, even in an era of increasing globalization, manufacturing continues to play a central role in metropolitan Chicago’s economy. While manufacturing employment did contract by a third during the past decade due to offshoring and automation, productivity continues to increase -- between 2001 and 2011, the region’s productivity per... Read More