First Off...

CMAQ meetings. CMAP will hold two informational workshops on December 17 and 18 in Orland Park and Des Plaines, respectively, for the new Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ) call for projects, which was released on Monday. Local sponsors (municipalities, counties, park districts, forest preserve districts, etc.) must submit an application to their Council of Mayors planning liaison by January 22, 2013. The final deadline to submit all applications to CMAP is February 8, 2013. Visit our main CMAQ page for more details. Local sponsors should direct questions to their planning liaison, and all other sponsors should contact Doug Ferguson (dferguson@cmap.illinois.gov).

Congestion pricing campaign. CMAP estimates that implementing five GO TO 2040-recommended congestion pricing projects would provide substantial economic benefits by expanding the labor and consumer markets that can be reached within a 40-minute drive, improving access to airports, and providing better access to intermodal facilities. Read more about the campaign for congestion pricing at www.cmap.illinois.gov/congestion-pricing. To support this effort, please contact CMAP principal planner Erin Aleman (312-386-8816 or ealeman@cmap.illinois.gov).
 

Other News and Announcements

LTA news. Civil Eats featured efforts to support sustainable local food systems in the region, including our work with Lake County through the Local Technical Assistance (LTA) program. The article quotes CMAP's Jason Navota. A few weeks ago, WBEZ covered the Green Healthy Neighborhoods land use plan under development for the neighborhoods of Englewood, Woodlawn, and Washington Park. The City of Chicago, LISC/Chicago, Teamwork Englewood, and Washington Park Consortium are partners on this project. A December update for all LTA projects is now available at www.cmap.illinois.gov/lta.

CMAQ at work. On Wednesday, I joined Union Pacific (UP) officials, Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle, and others at an event featuring new low-emission Genset locomotives partially funded through the CMAQ program. UP developed the technologies that allow Genset locomotives to use less energy and fuel while reducing pollutants and noise, as described by Progressive Railroading.

Featured case study. The Lake County Division of Transportation worked with local municipalities to construct the Prairie Crossing Bike Path, a regional non-motorized connector route, to implement recommendations from the County's 2020 Transportation Priority Plan. If you know of an exemplary project for the GO TO 2040 case studies library, please contact Lindsay Bayley (312-386-8826) or submit it on-line.

BRT newsletter. The Chicago Transit Authority released a newsletter on bus rapid transit (BRT) this month, featuring information on its Jeffrey Jump express bus service, as well as other efforts to implement BRT.

Conservation, native landscaping awards. This Tuesday, Chicago Wilderness and the U.S. Environmental Agency -- Great Lakes National Program Office held a reception for winners of their Conservation and Native Landscaping Awards, a program supported in part by CMAP.
 

CMAP Blogs

Soles and Spokes. CMAP’s bike-ped planning blog highlighted three Active Living Research briefs on policies, programs, and practices that support walking and bicycling to school.
 

Reminders

EI2 rebates. Energy Impact Illinois (EI2) is offering rebates up to $1,750 (an estimated 70-percent cost savings) for upgrades you can make to improve the comfort of your home. 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.

IDOT survey ends tomorrow. IDOT is conducting a public survey regarding the potential for a managed lane in each direction on the I-55 Stevenson between I-355 and I-90/I-94. CMAP is encouraging IDOT to make congestion pricing an integral part of its design and engineering for additional lanes on I-55 and on the I-290 Eisenhower.

Due TODAY: Green infrastructure proposals. Applications for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency's third round of Illinois Green Infrastructure Grants (IGIG) for stormwater management are due today.

Events

Single-Family Rental Housing: Managing the Next Step of the Foreclosure Crisis
January 30, 2012
10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago: 230 S. LaSalle Street, Chicago
Hosted by the Regional Home Ownership Preservation Initiative, the Home Ownership Preservation Initiative, and CMAP's Housing Committee
More information