Posted on February 25, 2011 2:17 PM
February 25, 2011
Table of Contents
First Off...
House T&I hearing. Last Sunday, I was invited to testify at a field hearing in West Chicago of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Chaired by Rep. John L. Mica, the committee is considering options for a new transportation bill to replace SAFETEA-LU, which expired more than two years ago. See my written testimony, which is very consistent with the original (and current) principles adopted in September 2009 by the CMAP Board. The Chicago Tribune and Aurora Beacon News covered the hearing.
City of Chicago. Congratulations to Rahm Emanuel on being elected to succeed Mayor Daley, who has set a high standard of regional cooperation. For that, I thank him on behalf of everyone at CMAP, and we look forward to our continued work with the City of Chicago on many important fronts.
Events
“Reshoring” jobs. CMAP is partnering with Medusa Consulting group to host "RETHINK Sourcing, RESHORE Manufacturing and REBUILD the Economy," onMarch 16, at Wojick Conference Center, Harper College, 1200, W. Algonquin Road in Palatine from 7.30 to 11.30 a.m. Over 30 regional and national trade associations and business organizations have formed the Illinois Reshoring Initiative (IRI) to help bring more than 300,000 jobs back to Illinois over the next five years. This launch event is for CEOs, economic development professionals, manufacturing business owners, supply chain managers, and company owners interested in improving their own bottom line while helping the regional economy. Registration is $149.00, which includes a copy of the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) software, which was developed by IRI co-founder Harry Moser to help companies understand the hidden costs of sending jobs off-shore. Contact Medusa Consulting at 630-204-9795.
Green Streets. A free webinar by Region 5 of the U.S. Environmental Protection agency (USEPA) and U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) will highlight how federal and state funding can help communities implement green streets projects. Based on about livability principles from the Partnership for Sustainable Communities and aimed at municipal staff, local officials, and technical consultants, "Green Streets as a Community Revitalization Strategy" will be held from noon to 1:30 p.m. central on Tuesday, March 1, 2011. Advance registration is required.
Other News and Announcements
Water resources appointment. The Illinois Section of the American Water Resources Association has elected CMAP principal planner Tim Loftus to a four year term as its president. The ILWRA aims to be a microcosm of the national American Water Resources Association, whose broad multi-disciplinary focus on water resources management and policy links engineers, policymakers, academics, economists, hydrologists, and biologists with staff from government at multiple levels.
Urban forestry news. The latest issue of the Wilson Quarterly traces the history of quantifying the benefits of urban forestry in the Chicago region. In groundbreaking research, scientists calculated that in 1991 that tree canopy covering just 11 percent of the city "removed an estimated 17 tons of carbon monoxide, 93 tons of sulfur dioxide, 98 tons of nitrogen dioxide, 210 tons of ozone, and 234 tons of particulate matter." One of the people highlighted in the piece is Edith Makra Kusnierz, now at the Morton Arboretum, who along with John Dwyer wrote about the region’s precious arboreal resource in CMAP’s urban forestry strategy paper. In other urban forestry news this week, the Morton Arboretum and the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, in conjunction with Senator Durbin’s office, announced recipients for grants for technical assistance and reforestation for communities in northeastern Illinois affected by the Emerald Ash Borer.
Smart cities. SmartPlanet included metropolitan Chicago in its list of "smartest U.S. regions for transportation innovation."
Transit history. National Public Radio has a current series of stories through Marketplace, WNYC Radio, and TransportNation about the role played by public transportation -- historically and currently -- in the struggle for equity.
I-55 interchanges. Patch has a story about two I-55 interchanges intended to reduce congestion in Will County. Residents can learn more and comment through a related website or by contacting V3 Companies, Attn: Dave Heslinga, P.E., Director of Transportation & Municipal Engineering, 7325 Janes Avenue, Woodridge, IL 60517, who may also be reached at 630-724-9200 or airportand126study@v3co.com.
More census. The Daily Herald had a story yesterday looking at how residents are seeking new amenities and transit-oriented development in suburban areas. The quotes from realtors reinforce that people are trying to cut down their commute times and gravitating to walkable communities.
CMAP Blogs
Policy Updates. In "Being Proactive About Water Conservation," we delved into some complexities of water policy in our region, which contrast with some very simple steps -- including adoption of high-efficiency toilets -- that could be taken to head off potential shortages. Also, in a brief post this week, we told readers about arecent Lincoln Institute of Land Policy feature about regression analysis of property tax assessments. Authored by the institute's visiting fellow Daniel P. McMillen, the article looks at the effects of differing assessment classifications, which can create inequity and undermine confidence in the tax system.
Soles and Spokes. This week, CMAP’s bike-ped planning blog included a post giving readers the chance through March 8 to win a signed copy of Mia Birk’s new book, Joyride. In our ongoing monitoring of WalkScore.com, we alerted readers to the new, improved methodology behind the web-based, interactive tool to rank walkability. It’s called Street Smart Walk Score and a white paper explains the details.
Green Signals.This week, CMAP’s transportation operations blog informed readers about the upcoming International Roundabouts Conference hosted by the Transportation Research Board (TRB) on May 18, 2011. The conference will provide a forum for transportation professionals to discuss all aspects of roundabouts.
Reminders
Transport Chicago. Abstracts should be submitted electronically by March 4 to abstracts@transportchicago.org in response to the call for papers issued by Transport Chicago 2011. The annual conference will be held on June 3.
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