First Off...

CMAP meetings. The CMAP Board and the MPO Policy Committee will meet jointly on Wednesday, October 10, 2012, at 9:30 a.m. At 8:00 that morning, both the Local and the Regional Coordinating Committees will meet. All materials can be found by clicking the respective links.

Save the date: UIC Urban Forum. The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) will host its annual Urban Forum, "Metropolitan Resilience in a Time of Economic Turmoil," on December 6. I serve on the Forum's Board of Advisors and will moderate an afternoon panel on interjurisdictional competition.

Policy Updates. Eligibility requirements for New Starts funding for transit have changed through the recently passed two-year transportation reauthorization bill Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21). We also posted new analysis from the U.S. Census on population changes in Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical areas (MSAs) between 2000 and 2010, which highlighted the Chicago-Joliet-Naperville MSA for several reasons. Additionally, we wrote about the recently launched local food systems microsite and video. In related news, the Metropolitan Planning Council wrote about new fuel economy standards and their impacts on transportation funding, referencing GO TO 2040 and a Policy Updates blog we wrote on the topic.

Illinois Innovation Index. Yesterday, the Illinois Innovation Index released its Annual Report. The Index is published by CMAP, the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, the Illinois Science & Technology Coalition, and World Business Chicago, in partnership with the Illinois Innovation Council. Leaders from the organizations, including myself, participated in a video about the publication and its importance in measuring and tracking economic innovation in the region and state. At last night's event, we demoed a new Innovation Dashboard for MetroPulse that will make it easier for data users to find indicators on innovation, including metrics featured in the Index. The indicators will be grouped into four themes: talent, business climate, capital, and dynamism.

National Manufacturing Day. Today is National Manufacturing Day, and manufacturers and training colleges around the country are opening their doors to community members, students, parents, and educators. Many factories have advanced significantly in the last quarter century into clean, technologically rich workplaces. Palatine's Harper College is participating with a tour of its training facility and a presentation on their programs. Read about Harper College’s new investments in advanced manufacturing job training on our Policy Updates blog. CMAP's next industry cluster drill-down report in early 2013 will focus on manufacturing.

Other News and Announcements

LTA updates. The recently adopted Evanston water conservation and efficiency plan is now available on-line. On October 20 from 9:00 a.m. to noon, the Bronzeville Alliance -- in collaboration with CMAP, the City of Chicago Department of Housing and Economic Development, Chicago Transit Authority, and Metropolitan Planning Council -- will host an open house for the Bronzeville Retail land use plan at the Illinois Institute of Technology Auditorium (10 West 35th Street, Chicago). And the Village of Norridge comprehensive planning process was covered by the Sun-Times News Group. Each of these plans is part of CMAP's Local Technical Assistance (LTA) program. A summary of current LTA projects is available.

Chicagoist. The Chicagoist blog gave a shout-out to our new local food systems microsite and video.

Freight talk. The UIC Great Cities Institute's Real Time Chicago Speaker Series has posted audio from my presentation and question and answer session last month. I spoke about CMAP's freight work, including the freight cluster drill-down report and MetroPulse Jobs data portal. For upcoming GCI events and podcasts, see www.uic.edu/cuppa/gci.

Tri-state coordination. Michael Mullen of CenterPoint Properties will chair the Tri-State Alliance for Regional Development, an outgrowth of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's recent territorial review. Read more in the Chicago Tribune.

Featured case study. Kane County launched the Fit for Kids campaign in 2008 to fight a growing obesity epidemic using land use planning strategies, access to local food, and healthy lifestyle promotion. If you know an exemplary project for the GO TO 2040 case studies library, please contact Lindsay Bayley (312-386-8826) or submit it on-line.

Urban ag workshop. On October 10 from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m., the Chicago Architecture Foundation and Chicago Ideas Week will host a panel discussion "Controlled Environment Sustainable Urban Agriculture: State of Play." Register on-line. Registration is also open for additional Chicago Ideas Week events (October 8-14) at www.chicagoideas.com

Sustainability conference. On October 18, I will speak at an all-day conference on sustainability planning strategies and implementation examples hosted by the Chicago Metro Section of the American Planning Association's Illinois Chapter and the Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development's Municipal Design Review Network. RSVP by October 11.

Transportation and trees workshop. On October 24 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Morton Arboretum and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) will host “Transportation, Trees, and Vegetation” at IDOT District 1 offices (201 West Center Court, Schaumburg). The workshop is for anyone who constructs, designs, or maintains roadways. For more information and to register, contact Lydia Scott (lscott@mortonarb.org or 630-719-2425).

State multi-year program. The Trib described upcoming IDOT public input meetings on the State's 2014-19 multi-year program, which is to be unveiled next spring.

CMAP Blogs

Green Signals. CMAP’s transportation blog highlighted the truck PrePass program.

Soles and Spokes. Our bike-ped planning blog highlighted a new report from the Michigan Department of Transportation, which looks at roadway improvements designed to optimize bicyclist and pedestrian safety and, at the same time, vehicular mobility. The report offers a multimodal approach to safety and mobility on roadways.

Reminders

EI2 rebates. Energy Impact Illinois (EI2) is offering rebates up to $1750 (an estimated 70-percent cost savings) for upgrades you can make to improve the comfort of your home. To get the message out, EI2 now has 20 field staff conducting outreach throughout the region. Keep an eye out for them, organizing house parties or community events. For more information, contact Emily Plagman at eplagman@cmap.illinois.gov. To see if you qualify for the rebate, please call 1-855-9-IMPACT.

GreenTown. An event to help create sustainable communities, GreenTown, will be held October 18-19 in Highland Park. One of the panels, which will be moderated by CMAP's Jason Navota, will focus on LTA program projects from Park Forest and Lake County. A representative from EI2 will participate in a panel on energy efficiency programs and financing models for local communities.

Public Participation Plan. CMAP staff, in collaboration with the agency's Citizens' Advisory Committee and the Regional Transportation Authority, drafted a 2012 Public Participation Plan, which is now available for public comment through November 9, 2012. Send comments to Erin Aleman (ealeman@cmap.illinois.gov).

Events
 

CitiesAlive Green Roof and Wall Conference
October 17-20, 2012
Congress Plaza Hotel: 520 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago
Hosted by the City of Chicago and Green Roofs for Healthy Cities
More information

Soles and Spokes workshop: Designing Pedestrian Facilities for Accessibility
November 1-2, 2012
CMAP: 233 S Wacker Drive, Suite 800, Chicago
Hosted by CMAP
More information