April 30, 2010

Table of Contents

• First Off . . .
• Events
• Other News and Announcements
• CMAP Blogs
• Reminders

First Off...

Municipal Survey. By now, mayors throughout the region should have received CMAP's first Municipal Programs, Plans, and Operations Survey in the mail. We're asking each municipality in the seven-county region to please complete and submit this survey by May 7, 2010 via mail, fax, e-mail, or the web. CMAP intends to conduct the survey every two years to maintain a current, accurate repository of information, which we will make available as part of the Regional Indicators project website that will be launched this fall in partnership with the Chicago Community Trust. One of the project's main goals is to provide state-of-the-art data analysis tools to governments and others in the region as a resource to help inform local policy choices.

Please note that, while it's not likely that a single municipal staff person will know every answer, we suggest assigning it to a single staff member who can "shepherd" the survey through to completion by getting input from others at the municipality. To learn more and download a questionnaire, please visit www.cmap.illinois.gov/cmapmunisurvey.aspx.

Water in the news. Mindful Metropolis ran an interesting story on water supply issues in our region for their Earth Day issue. The article references our recently approved Northeastern Illinois Regional Water Supply/Demand Plan.

Transportation stats. Both The New York Times and Crain's Chicago Business wrote about the transportation statistics we compiled for the Earth Day summit. If you missed those, look at the CMAP Twitter feed entries from last week or click here. For example, did you know that families in our region spend more than $30 billion each year on transportation?

 

Events

Greening the Heartland 2010. From May 19 to 21, this conference will promote sustainable practices and strategies for the building industry and seeks to create connections between people, places, and ideas. Register at www.greeningtheheartland.org.

Other News and Announcements

Bay Bridge. Last Sunday, a CBS 60 Minutes segment described the fascinating project to complete a state-of-the-art, $6 billion Bay Bridge to replace the present aging structure that connects San Francisco and Oakland. As the story says, there's added urgency due to the possibility -- some even say "inevitability" -- of another major earthquake centered on that part of the region. Interview clips include Steve Heminger, executive director of the nine-county Bay Area's Metropolitan Transportation Commission.

Foreclosures. Metropolitan Chicago saw the largest number of foreclosures in the first quarter of 2010 of any quarter since the start of the mortgage crisis in 2006, according to new foreclosure data released by the Woodstock Institute. There were 9,302 completed foreclosure auctions in the first quarter of 2010, a 56-percent increase when compared to the first quarter of 2009.

How to track bills. IBM has a new tool, Many Bills: A Visual Bill Explorer, to track and explore U.S. congressional legislation from 2009. This web based visualization allows users to create and save their individual sets of bills or explore existing collections.

Spotlight on green communities. Two to three times per month, scouts, students, and neighboring communities come out to see Oak Park’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified public works building. The highlight of the tour is the building’s green roof, which is the topic of this month’s CMAP Spotlight on Green Communities.

CMAP Blogs

GO TO 2040 blog. Our Monday Flickr photo should inspire local joggers and gardeners of all types. (Remember you can always add your photos of the region to our Explore northeastern Illinois Flickr pool.) We started a series of FLIP presentation recaps with a post by Diana Torres on the FLIP Transportation group’s project.

Recovery blog. This week we posted a list of frequently asked questions about the Chicago Region Retrofit Ramp-up program, the latest Economic Recovery Update, and a new ARRA Implementation Spotlight, which focuses on the work being done by the Will County Center for Community Concerns with stimulus funds.

Soles and Spokes. This week, CMAP's bike-ped planning blog directs readers to an important new online resource to help law enforcement officials participate in local Safe Routes to School efforts. We also told readers about an upcoming bike ride in the Go Green Go Dutch Go Bike! initiative, sponsored by Active Trans and the Consulate General of the Netherlands. And the blog highlights the legislative success of Safety Bill 2951 and a new national poll showing strong support for transit, biking, and walking.

Reminders

Water dinner. On May 5, the American Society of Civil Engineers' Environmental Engineering and Water Resources Technical Group of Illinois is hosting a dinner and water supply pannel discussion. Contact Megan Elberts at melberts@cmap.illinois.gov for more information.

FLIP recruitment. We are seeking applicants for our Future Leaders in Planning (FLIP) program, offered free of charge for students who are interested in learning about and contributing to a better future for our region. Please pass along the 2010-2011 FLIP application to any potentially interested high schoolers (or their families and teachers). Applicants' materials must be submitted by Friday, May 28.

Bike week. Free registration is now open for Bike to Work Week, which runs from June 12 to 18 and is sponsored by Active Trans.

A Day for Zach. Jack and Manjula Pfingston invite you to "A Day for Zach," a charity golf outing and luncheon on Monday, June 28, at Seven Bridges Golf Club in Woodridge. Proceeds will benefit the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago (EFGC) and its week-long "Camp Blackhawk" for children and teens with epilepsy, in memory of Zach Pfingston who attended the camp and counted golf among his many sporting interests. See www.cmap.illinois.gov/zach/.