Posted on October 29, 2010 10:51 AM
Weekly Update, 10-29-10
Table of Contents
First Off...
Federal approval of GO TO 2040. This week we received the good news that GO TO 2040 has passed all necessary federal reviews. That involved certifications from the U.S. Department of Transportation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that the plan and the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) conform with federal air-quality standards.
ActiveTrans on GO TO 2040. Ron Burke, executive director of the Active Transportation Alliance, weighs in on the GO TO 2040 plan.
Chicago-Iowa City passenger rail. On October 27, 2010, $230 million in federal funds were designated to build passenger rail service between Iowa City, Moline, and Chicago. The project is expected to create more than 2,100 jobs in Illinois, according to this press release from the State of Illinois. Read more in the Chicago Tribune and Crain's Chicago Business.
Events
Livable communities and wellness. On November 3, the Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) will host a roundtable, "Alternative Medicine: How Livable Communities Promote Health and Wellness." The event beings at noon at 140 S. Dearborn, Suite 1400 in Chicago. Register online.
Housing model brownbag. On November 4, the University of Illinois at Chicago will host "Creative Housing Models for Changing Times," a brownbag lunch discussion. The event, which costs $10, begins at 11:45 a.m. at 18 S. Michigan Avenue in Chicago. RSVP by November 1 to Annie Ginzkey at ginzkey@uic.edu. Unregistered attendees are welcome as space remains available.
Urban biking culture panel. On November 6, the Chicago Humanities Festival will host a panel, "Bicycling and the Body (Politic)," about the history of the culture of urban biking. CMAP's John O'Neal will moderate the event, which begins at 1:00 p.m. at 77 W. Washington Street in Chicago.
Design guidelines workshop. On November 10, the American Planning Association (APA) Chicago Metro Section and the Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development are co-hosting a workshop, "Design Guidelines: Empowering Effective Place-Making." Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. at 8770 W. Bryn Mawr Avenue in Chicago, RSVP by November 5 to apachicagometrosection@yahoo.com
News and Other Announcements
Enhancement Grants. Governor Quinn announced nearly $90 million in federal transportation enhancement funds for bike paths, streetscape beautification, and other improvement projects. The funding is part of the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program. For more information, see the press release and the list of the projects from IDOT.
CNT to develop online retrofit tool. Congratulations to the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) on their recent Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Grant. CNT will use the award to develop an online tool, MyHomeEQ, to help homeowners who would like to retrofit their homes for greater energy efficiency. Last week, CMAP selected CNT Energy, a division of CNT, to coordinate the implementation of the Chicago Region Retrofit Ramp-up (CR3) grant over the next three years.
Target Hunger Now. On October 25, Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) director Marc Miller announced a new effort to feed hungry families throughout Illinois. Through the support of some dedicated corporate, individual, and not-for-profit partners, IDNR is working with sportsmen and meat processors to provide donated venison, and with commercial fishermen and processors to provide donated fish, through the Illinois food bank network to put healthy meals on the tables of struggling Illinois families. Programs like this that link hunger assistance programs to local food efforts is one of the recommendations in the GO TO 2040 plan section Promote Sustainable Local Food.
CMAP Blogs
Green Signals. This week, CMAP’s transportation operations blog informed readers about a report, “Measuring Transportation Network Performance,” by the Transportation Research Board’s (TRB) National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP). This report reviews ways to track transportation network performance through the development of new, or integrating existing, performance measures from different sources.
Soles and Spokes. This week, CMAP’s bike-ped planning blog announced the publication of a new study examining the magnitude, direction, and statistical significance of the relationship between active travel and rates of physical activity, obesity, and diabetes. We also informed readers of a new funding opportunity for parks and recreational open space construction projects. Finally, we alerted readers to a great opportunity to learn more about Walk Friendly Communities (WFC) through a downloadable webinar introducing and describing the program.
Reminders
Safe Routes to School. November 1, at 5:00 p.m. is the deadline for communities applying for Safe Routes to School (SRTS) funds to submit a school travel plan to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) for review and comment, with the opportunity to resubmit a revised plan. More IDOT information about how to submit school travel plans and apply for funds is available at http://www.dot.il.gov/saferoutes/saferouteshome.aspx.
CW Congress. On November 4, Chicago Wilderness (CW) will host its seventh Biennial Congress, which will include a session on conservation in regional comprehensive planning with CMAP's Jesse Elam. Online registration closes today, October 29.
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