One month left to "Invent the Future!"  We're now in the final month of our current public-input phase of GO TO 2040. Through early September 2009, people across the seven-county region can weigh in via interactive GO TO 2040 web tools, workshops,kiosks and booths at community festivals.  Please join us in doing whatever you can to get people to have their say.

What we've heard so far.  See a CMAP news release and a set of charts summarizing public inputto date.  People are clearly favoring more transit investments and compact development.  Do you agree?  Disagree?  Be sure to chime in while there's still time left.

iPod giveaway.  To help keep public participation strong through the remaining weeks, we'll be giving away iPods to randomly selected residents of the region who complete a simple entry form after submitting their preferred scenario for how the region should look in 2040.  Seehttp://www.goto2040.org/iPod for details of the giveaway, which is made possible by Harris Bank.

Invent the Future workshops.  There's still time to attend one of our many public-input workshops, which will wrap up in August.  This week we were in Bronzeville (Chicago) on August 4, Harvard on August 5, and Schaumburg on August 6.  Next week, we'll visit South Central Chicago, Joliet, Geneva, Bethel New Life (Chicago), Barrington, and DePaul University (a special youth workshop).  See the workshop schedule.  Registration is requested but not required. You can register online, via email, or by calling Joey-Lin Silberhorn at 312-386-8814. 

Elmwood Park event.  Thanks to CMAP Board member Alan Bennett, who helped get the word out about our upcoming Elmwood Park workshop on August 19.

APA coverage.  CMAP's Anne Holub had an article in the American Planning Association's Planning and Technology Today magazine, about our efforts to use the latest social-networking tools to build interest and involvement in the comprehensive regional plan.

On the Road activities.  We just finished another busy week at county fairs and community events, which included  the Lake County Fair, Kendall County Fair, North Chicago Community Days, and a Joliet Jackhammers baseball game.  We're also at the McHenry County Fair in Woodstock through August 9, 2009, another Jackhammers game on August 10, the Will County Fair in Peotone August 26-30, and Fiesta De Luces in Aurora, September 19. Click here for details.

Quarterly staff report.  The CMAP staff progress report for the previous quarter is now on our website.

Recovery web.  Don't forget to regularly check our Recovery web pages. New posts this week include $3 billion in additional stimulus money available for renewable energy companies and Illinois Recovery in the news:  the good, the bad, and the improving. 

Transportation in the news.  The Tribune's Rich Wronski wrote about how CREATE and regional freight in general will benefit from the new Illinois capital program.  Also in the Trib this week, columnist Eric Zorn explained why he's a fan of the city of Chicago's new parking system, which has taken so much criticism.  And as you probably know, the RTA and PACE are facing a serious shortfall that could affect about 40,000 paratransit riders in the suburbs and city.  

Freight survey:  input requested.  CMAP has contracted with Cambridge Systematics to develop Regional Freight System Planning Recommendationsthat will be considered within the GO TO 2040 process. The recommendations will assure that freight system development is consistent with our adopted Regional Vision. We are looking for transportation, freight, economic development, land development professionals and other parties interested and engaged in the region's freight system to participate in an online survey. The survey should take about 15 minutes to complete. Results will be utilized in developing the final set of freight related recommendations. You can find the survey here. For more information about the Regional Freight System Planning Recommendations Project, visit /freight-system-planning. 

CMAP Regional Bridge Conditions Report.  CMAP has prepared a report of bridge conditions in metropolitan Chicago as of 2007. Bridge conditions, while improving overall, vary greatly by owner and geography. This report shows regional trends and summary information for regional bridges from several perspectives. The report also explains the bridge condition rating system, allowing policy personnel and the public to understand this important issue. 

Housing Roundtable update.  Read a summary from the Housing Roundtableregarding effects from budget reductions announced by Governor Quinn on July 31.  Although housing-related programs didn't suffer the overall 50-percent reductions that had been feared, some programs -- including Homeless Prevention (cut 78 percent) and Homeless Youth (cut 22 percent) -- were hit hard.  The Housing Roundtable is coordinated by Business and Professional People for the Public Interest and Housing Action Illinois. 

Various reminders.  Don't forget that you can comment through August 29, 2009, on CMAP's proposed FY 2010 - FY 2011 Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) program. The comment period on a conformity amendment to the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) also ends on August 29.  (See a TIP cover memo and list of conformity changes.)  And click here for information about our August 22 Planning Leadership Conference for planning commissioners, elected officials, and municipal staff. 

CMAP web tweak.  The CMAP home page has a slightly new look, which will let us cram in still more information without requiring you to scroll down repeatedly.  Just click the "more" link under any item to see an expanded entry.

In the GO TO 2040 blog. It was another busy blog week, with a guest post by Emily Tapia Lopez of the Metropolitan Planning Council on their upcomingPay the Freight event. Erin Aleman and Sean Glowacz recapped recent Invent the Future workshops at the Florence Hotel in Chicago's Pullmanneighborhood, Argonne National Laboratory's TRAC Center in West Chicago, at the Active Transportation Alliance, in Rogers Park, and in East Hazel Crest. We discussed the recent mid-point results of the Invent the Future phase of GO TO 2040. And we highlighted a beautiful photo from our Flickr group taken in Union, IL.