CMAP Media Tip Sheet

February 16, 2012

This tip sheet briefly summarizes newsworthy activities of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP). Reporters should contact Justine Reisinger (312-386-8802 and jreisinger@cmap.illinois.gov) or Tom Garritano (312-386-8609 and tgarritano@cmap.illinois.gov) for more information.
 

Sidewalk project in Fairmont community funded by Safe Routes to School

The unincorporated Fairmont community, located between Lockport and Joliet in Will County, will receive $75,500 for a sidewalk project from the Illinois Safe Routes to Schools program.  This caps off a year in which CMAP has provided assistance to residents and County officials who are working together on Fairmont's first-ever neighborhood plan.  CMAP's Local Technical Assistance (LTA) program helped them develop draft plan scenarios that are now under review prior to the plan's anticipated completion this spring. One year ago, CMAP's Future Leaders in Planning (FLIP) students helped to promote the sidewalk project by constructing a model and working with local students and leaders to help improve options for walking safely to school.  

 

South Cook communities plan collaboratively for future housing needs

The south Cook County communities of Hazel Crest, Lansing, Olympia Fields, and Park Forest have new housing policy plans created in partnership with Homes for a Changing Region.  Developed with support from the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, the Metropolitan Planning Council, and the CMAP LTA program, each plan contains analysis and recommendations tailored to a specific community, along with planning guidance pertaining to the south Cook subregion as a whole.  Hazel Crest, Lansing, and Olympia Fields will receive further technical assistance from the U.S. EPA's Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities program. Homes for a Changing Region has similar efforts underway in west Cook and the northwest suburbs.

 

CMAP's Policy Updates blog has latest details on federal transportation reauthorization

The future of billions of dollars in transportation funding for Illinois are being decided as the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate both develop transportation reauthorization bills.  CMAP's Policy Update blog has the latest news on the House's American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act (AEIJA) and the Senate's Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21^st Century (MAP-21) bills, with two-part analysis on both bills and their potential impacts for metropolitan Chicago (AIEJA parts one and two, MAP-21 parts one and two).  We also compare the two bills with current federal transportation policy.  Debate in the Senate on MAP-21 ended on February 9, clearing the way for floor amendments and a full Senate vote.  On Tuesday, Republican leadership in the House of Representatives indicated it would split AEIJA into three separate bills.  The White House also released its FY2013 budget proposal this week, which included $476 billion to be spent on surface transportation projects over six years, including $50 billion this year.  CMAP supports increased funding for transportation, and the six-year White House proposal of $476 billion compares favorably to MAP-21's proposal of $109 billion over two years or the AEIJA's proposal of $262 billion over five years. 

 

Energy Impact Illinois connects contractors and multifamily building owners

As part of the Energy Impact Illinois (EI2) alliance's mission, the Energy Savers program offers multifamily building owners numerous energy efficiency options including financing options, energy assessments, construction oversight, and annual energy performance reports.  EI2 also has a current series of video webisodes that feature "The Energy Bills" to show residents of northeastern Illinois how to save energy and money by improving their home's efficiency. The second such video is highlighted at the policy blog of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), which sponsors the CMAP-led EI2 alliance of government agencies, utility companies, and citizen advocacy groups.

 

MetroPulse enables visualizations of region's presidential voting data

CMAP has created a video that shows how to make visualizations of MetroPulse data on voter turnout in recent presidential elections across the CMAP region.  For example, in 2008 the percent of adults aged 18 years or older who voted was 56 percent.  That rate has increased in every county since 2000.  CMAP will feature MetroPulse news and other data resources in Data Depot, a new section of the CMAP Weekly Update.  Launched in November 2010 as a partnership of CMAP and The Chicago Community Trust, MetroPulse provides easy-to-access data that helps improve decision making and tracks progress in implementing the GO TO 2040 comprehensive regional plan.
 

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About CMAP

The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) is the comprehensive regional planning organization for the northeastern Illinois counties of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will. By state and federal law, CMAP is responsible for producing the region's official, integrated plan for land use and transportation. The agency's innovative GO TO 2040 planning campaign develops and implements strategies to shape the region's transportation system and development patterns, while also addressing the natural environment, economic development, housing, education, human services, and other factors shaping quality of life. See www.cmap.illinois.gov for more information.