Among the highlights from CMAP executive director Randy Blankenhorn, Energy Impact Illinois seeks Impact team leaders and members to spread the word on energy efficiency, news and updates on LTA projects in Blue Island, Riverside, Bronzeville and more, CMAP staff to speak at the American Planning Association national conference, and local governments receive awards for transparency. Subscribe to get Weekly Updates by e-mail.
First Off...
Reminder: CMAP meetings cancelled. As mentioned last week, the regularly scheduled April meetings of the CMAP Board and Regional Coordinating Committee have been cancelled. The Board will next meet as scheduled on May 9, when both the Regional Coordinating and Local Coordinating committees will also meet.
Energy volunteers needed. Energy Impact Illinois (EI2) is seeking Impact Team leaders and members to help spread the word about EI2 in their neighborhoods to help make homes energy efficient. Volunteers would help host neighborhood events, connect EI2 with local organizations, and be a face for EI2 at community events. For more information, contact Anna Markowski at CNT Energy (amarkowski@cntenergy.org or 773-328-7045) or sign up on-line.
Policy Updates. This week, we examined several transportation bills that are currently before the Illinois General Assembly, as well as a bill that would require municipalities to file reports with the Illinois Department of Revenue concerning sales tax rebate agreements. We also described the City of Chicago's $7.2 billion infrastructure initiative and a recent report from the Center for Neighborhood Technology that offers strategies on how to increase location efficiency and support job creation and economic vitality in the region.
Other News and Announcements
LTA updates. CMAP’s Local Technical Assistance (LTA) program has been working with the City of Blue Island to
update its comprehensive plan. The City and CMAP will host an open house for residents to review the draft plan on April 16 from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the East Annex of City Hall (2434 Vermont Street, Blue Island). On May 12 from 8:30 a.m. to noon, CMAP and the Bronzeville Alliance will host a community visioning meeting for the
Bronzeville Retail Development Initiative. The Metropolitan Planning Council, in partnership with CMAP’s LTA program, the Center for Neighborhood Technology, and the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant, has
completed the Village of Lake Zurich water resources plan, which will guide the Village’s current and future water decisions. Read more about the plan in the
Chicago Tribune and
Daily Herald.
LTA in the news. This week, the
Riverside-Brookfield Landmark covered the upcoming meeting for the
Village of Riverside’s LTA project to develop a downtown plan. The first public meeting will be held next Wednesday. The
Herald-News wrote about the redevelopment recommendations for the former
Joliet Correctional Center. The
Northwest Herald wrote about an on-line survey being conducted by the Village of Algonquin to collect public input for the development of downtown land use and redevelopment plan. The Village received a $90,000 grant from the joint CMAP/RTA
Community Planning Program. DC.StreetsBlog
described funding challenges facing the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Challenge grant program and mentioned the $4.25 million HUD grant that supports CMAP's LTA program.
CMAQ in the news. Two projects partially funded by our
Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) program were in the news this week. The Oak Park Patch
wrote about the Village's plans to put Madison street on a "road diet" to reduce car traffic and add bike lanes. A Northwest Herald article
covered the development of four roundabouts planned for McHenry County. Yesterday, the CMAP Project Selection Committee programmed $14.5 million to the Union Pacific Railroad to replace outdated switch engines at their Dolton Yard with energy-efficient, low-emission, GenSet engines, which will greatly improve air quality for nearby residents.
News coverage archive. Visit CMAP’s
News Coverage Archive for links to recent CMAP-related news stories that can be browsed by topic and date. For older stories, visit
CMAP Media Coverage 2007 to 2009.
Brownbag on parking and sustainable transportation. On April 11 at noon, CMAP will host Jeffrey Tumlin, principal and sustainability practice leader of Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, for a Soles and Spokes brownbag discussion on the role of parking in sustainable transportation planning. Tumlin is the author of
Sustainable Transportation Planning: Tools for Creating Vibrant, Healthy, and Resilient Communities. The brownbag will be held at CMAP's offices (233 S. Wacker Drive, Suite 800, Chicago). For information on registration, see
www.cmap.illinois.gov/bike-ped.
APA National Conference. The American Planning Association (APA) will host their 2012 national conference from April 14 to 17 in Los Angeles. On Sunday, April 15, CMAP's Amy Talbot will speak about “Food Systems and Regional Planning Activities” and Sef Okoth will describe "Transit-Focused Community Revitalization and Retail Development."
Public participation training course. From April 30 to May 4, training courses on public participation will be hosted by the League of Extraordinary Trainers at CMAP's offices. The course is for professionals in communications, public relations, public affairs, planning, public outreach, community development, or advocacy. There is a discount for registration by April 9.
Data Depot
Metropolitan rankings. Our region ranks third in the nation by total population, according to recent estimates from the U.S. Census. Among individual counties, Cook County ranked second, DuPage fifty-second, Lake eighty-fourth, and Will eighty-ninth nationally. CMAP county rankings by population within Illinois are Cook first (5.2 million), DuPage second (923,000), Lake third (706,000), Will fourth (682,000), Kane fifth (520,000), McHenry sixth (309,000), and Kendall sixteenth (117,000).
Graduation rate. Our MetroPulse data portal tracks graduation rate as a statewide indicator for Illinois. A higher graduation rate indicates the ability of schools to engage students in academic learning and support their success. The recent Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) study of our region observes that while our region’s overall high school dropout rate is lower than the national average, the dropout rate within the City of Chicago is well above that of other major cities. MetroPulse is a partnership of CMAP and The Chicago Community Trust.
Local transparency awardees. The Sunshine Review, a national nonprofit dedicated to government transparency, has given several Chicago-area government websites a 2012 Sunny Award. Websites were graded on a 10-point transparency checklist, and winners of the awards all received an “A” grade during the process. Illinois was among the leading states as DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will Counties received A+ ratings, along with awards to the Chicago and Evanston, as well as several local school districts.
CMAP Blogs
Green Signals. CMAP’s transportation operations blog highlighted the extension of Pace’s I-55 express bus routes.
Soles and Spokes. CMAP’s bike-ped planning blog announced the Village of Mount Prospect Board of Trustees' approval of a bicycle plan, developed by Village staff with help from the Active Transportation Alliance and Sam Schwartz Engineering. We also featured a report by the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy arguing the case for federal investment in active transportation.
Reminders
Save the date: LTA Ideas Exchange. Join us on May 24 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for the first Local Technical Assistance (LTA) program Ideas Exchange event. In addition to highlighting accomplishments and lessons learned in the program's inaugural year, this special event will be an opportunity for attendees to discuss the next LTA call for projects and additional grant funding opportunities. Elected officials, municipal planners, and other stakeholders are encouraged to attend. Watch for more details in the near future.
GO TO 2040 implementation report web page. We've created a web companion to the Moving Forward: 2010-11 report on implementation of GO TO 2040, which highlights projects from the full report. For copies of the report or the summary poster-brochure, please contact Hillary Green (hgreen@cmap.illinois.gov or 312-386-8619).
FLIP application. The 2012-13 application is now available for CMAP’s Future Leaders in Planning (FLIP). Selected high school students from around the region meet one Saturday a month and go behind the scenes to learn about what keeps our region strong, safe, healthy, and moving. Any freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior in the CMAP region is eligible to apply. For more information, contact Ricardo Lopez (rlopez@cmap.illinois.gov or 312-386-8766).
Events
Riverside planning meeting
April 11, 2012
7:00 to 8:30 p.m.
Riverside Township Auditorium: 27 Riverside Road, Riverside
More information
Chicagoland Green Collar Jobs Summit
April 12, 2012
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Arturo Velasquez Institute: 2800 S. Western Avenue, Chicago
Hosted by the Illinois Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council
More information
Lakemoor planning meeting
April 19, 2012
6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Lakemoor Public Works: 333 Wegner Road, Lakemoor
Hosted by the Village of Lakemoor and CMAP
More information
Transportation Conformity Workshops
April 24 to 26, 2012
8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
CMAP: 233 S. Wacker Drive, Suite 800, Chicago
Hosted by the National Transit Institute
More information
20th Congress for the New Urbanism
May 9 to 12, 2012
West Palm Beach, FL
More information
County Green
May 17, 2012
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
College of Lake County: 19351 W. Washington Street, Building C, Grayslake
More information
Blogs (Weekly Updates) 
