Randy Blankenhorn

Springfield legislative openhouse. Although the crowds were not overwhelming early Wednesday morning at our briefing in Springfield, we had a successful event to update our legislators and their staff on a number of our initiatives including GO TO 2040, the Regional Water Supply Planning Study and the need for a capital bill. We hope that these forums will be the start of a tradition that will continue for years to come.

USDOT award to City of Chicago. As you no doubt heard in the news, on Tuesday the U.S. Department of Transportation announced a $153.1 million grant to the City of Chicago, aimed at reducing congestion downtown. The grant will facilitate Bus Rapid Transit and a parking pricing strategy aimed at encouraging motorists to come to the Central Business District outside peak hours. I believe that innovative transportation solutions such as these are an importan part of the regional discussion about how to reduce congestion. We look forward to working with our partners -- including the City of Chicago, the 283 municipalities, seven counties, the transit agencies, IDOT, and the Illinois Tollway -- to improve the overall transportation system through our GO TO 2040 comprehensive regional planning process.

Accessibility workshops set for June 9-10. Accessible communities are critical to assure full mobility for our citizens. CMAP is sponsoring "Designing Pedestrian Facilities for Accessibility," a 1 1/2 day workshop. It gives an overview of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and how it applies to the public right-of-way. Despite recent progress, current practices in much of northeastern Illinois do not fully comply with requirements to provide accessible pedestrian facilities. The class will cover public right-of-way accessibility practice so that design, construction, and operations in our communities, as well as local ADA Transition Plans, can be appropriately updated. The workshop is for Illinois engineers, planners, and other design professionals who plan, design, and/or build pedestrian facilities in the public right-of-way. Registration requires a nominal fee, and space is limited. Click herefor more information and to register.

Growing Forward. This year's Chicago Matters media series, "Growing Forward," continues its focus on sustainability. Recently, it has emphasized the region's climate exchange programs, air quality, wind power, noise, airports and air traffic. Click here for a page of information resources, including a link to The Smog Blog, a daily diary of air quality in the U.S. Initiated and funded by The Chicago Community Trust, Chicago Matters is an annual exploration -- via television, radio, print and community dialogue -- of an issue of broad concern to the Chicago region.

Lake Countybriefing. In conjunction with State Senator Susan Garrett, we convened a briefing earlier today in Libertyville with Lake County elected officials on the progress of the Regional Water Supply Planning Study.

"Designing Streets for Pedestrian Safety" workshop. Register now for the two-day course "Designing Streets for Pedestrian Safety," to be held in Schaumburg, Illinois on June 3 and 4. This IDOT-sponsored workshop will address pedestrian safety issues through design and engineering solutions. Instructors will cover the significance of land-use, sidewalk and walkway design, signs, signals and crosswalks. Participants will also take part in a field exercise of a nearby intersection. There is no fee for attending this course, but space is limited. The course includes 15 Professional Development Hour (PDH) units. See /bike-ped/pedestrian-and-bicycle-safetyto register.

Transport Chicago. This year's Transport Chicagoconference will be held Friday, June 6, 2008, at the Illinois Institute of Technology. The keynote speaker will be Jonathan Levine, professor and chair of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Michigan's Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning. His research focuses on the relationships between transportation systems and land use in metropolitan regions, factors that drive the development of such systems, and the efficiency of public transit. Reduced-fee registration ends on May 18, and credit card registration via the Internet ends on June 4. (Only cash and checks will be accepted at the conference.) For more information, contact Andrew Parker (847-228-2366 or andrew.parker@pacebus.com).

Climate change symposium. On the evening of Wednesday, May 14, the Field Museum will host "A Global Warming: Understanding Climate Change." A panel of experts in geophysics, ecology, and policy will include Timothy E. Wirth of the United Nations Foundation and Better World Fund, Dr. Ray Pierrehumbert of the University of Chicago, and Dr. Doug Stotz of the Field Museum. The moderator will be WGN radio host John Williams. This symposium is part of a five-year series at the museum sponsored by the Gary C. Comer Family. Admission is free, but pre-registration is recommended (call 312-665-7400). The panel begins at 7:00 p.m. in the museum's James Simpson Theatre, following light refreshments in the west lobby at 5:30 p.m.

Preservation Compact. I have been invited to serve on the advisory committee of the Preservation Compact, which is seeking to preserve 75,000 rental housing units by 2020. This effort is geared to directing incentives toward current investor-owned properties to ensure an adequate supply of rental units for the region as the housing market continues to fluctuate.

Third Quarter Progress Report. Please see /fy-08-work-planfor this report on CMAP staff progress made in the third quarter of FY08.