First Off...

Transportation reauthorization. Last week, the House and Senate passed the long-awaited transportation reauthorization bill Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century. Our Policy Updates blog details some of the specific programmatic and policy areas of the bill and compares them to the last major transportation reauthorization passed in 2005. In the near future, look for an overview piece that compares CMAP’s principles for reauthorization and the final outcome of MAP-21.

MPC annual luncheon. On July 25, 2012, the Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) will hosts its annual luncheon from noon to 2:00 p.m., where CMAP will be presented with the Burnham Award for Excellence in Planning for our GO TO 2040 comprehensive regional plan. The theme of the luncheon is "The Cities That Work," and invited speakers include the mayors from Chicago, Gary, and Milwaukee.

Other News and Announcements

LTA updates. Through our Local Technical Assistance (LTA) program, CMAP and the Urban Land Institute Chicago are working with the Village of Hanover Park on a corridor study to explore the revitalization of Irving Park Road between Astor Avenue and Wise Road. A business focus group meeting will be held on July 10 from noon to 1:00 p.m. at the Municipal Center (2121 West Lake Street, Hanover Park). The Village of Round Lake Heights will kick off the development of a comprehensive plan through the LTA program on August 7 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Round Lake Middle School (2000 Lotus Drive, Round Lake Heights). The Village of Riverside is seeking public input for the development of plan for its downtown. Residents can provide feedback at a kiosk in the Riverside Public Library (1 Burling Rd., Riverside) or submit comments on-line at http://www.riverside.metroquest.com/.

LTA in the news. The Morton Grove Patch wrote about a recent public meeting held for the development of an industrial areas plan for the Village. The article quotes CMAP's Nicole Woods. TribLocal also wrote about a bicycle and pedestrian plan in development for Downers Grove. This project is supported by a Community Planning program grant through our LTA program.

Work commute. CMAP has complied data on the modes of transportation used by residents to get to work within the region from 2000-10 on our Congestion Management Process performance monitoring page. The data indicates a decrease in carpooling and an increase in working at home over the analysis period.

Save the Date: Soles and Spokes workshop. On August 24, CMAP will host a Soles and Spokes workshop “Designing for Bicycle Safety,” which will provide an overview of bikeway design and the new AASHTO Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities. To support the event, we are seeking outstanding bicycle and pedestrian projects and plans to include in our Case Studies Library. One or more of the accepted case studies may be invited to present at the workshop. Please submit bicycle and pedestrian project case studies by July 20 to be considered for presentation, and more information on the workshop will be available in coming weeks.

Municipal survey deadline extended. The deadline for CMAP's 2012 Municipal Plans, Programs, and Operations Survey has been extended from June 29 to July 20, 2012. This survey is designed for municipal governments in the seven-county region and enables CMAP to track the progress of GO TO 2040 implementation. Findings of the 2010 survey are available on our Policy Updates blog (parts one and two).

Metra strategic plan. Metra is developing a new strategic plan and is seeking input. Individuals can complete a short on-line survey or attend one of many public meetings throughout the region in July.

FPDCC Recreation Master Plan. The Forest Preserve District of Cook County (FPDCC) is creating Recreation Master Plan that will provide the District with a blueprint for how to enhance existing recreation opportunities and identify new ones. The District has over 68,000 acres, offering a wide variety of recreation opportunities including hiking, biking, fishing, birding, golfing, cross-country skiing, and more. FPDCC is seeking input through upcoming focus groups. Register on-line, or contact Kindy Kruller (kindy.kruller@cookcountyil.gov) for more information.

Placemaking contest. MPC is holding its fourth annual Placemaking contest. This year's contest, "Space in Between," will recognize the most creative and interactive temporary uses of vacant space in metropolitan Chicago, northwest Indiana, and southeastern Wisconsin. Submissions are due by August 31, 2012.

Air quality alerts. The Illinois Partners for Clean Air and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency declared an Air Pollution Action Day for the Chicago Metropolitan area for three days in a row. This means weather conditions are such that widespread ozone or fine particulate matter levels are expected to be at or above the “unhealthy for sensitive groups” category for multiple days. Read more at http://www.cleantheair.org/, which is supported by our Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) Program.

CMAP Blogs

Green Signals. CMAP’s transportation operations blog told readers about the upcoming managed lanes incident management webinar hosted by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Operations.

Soles and Spokes. CMAP’s bicycle and pedestrian planning blog highlighted a report released by the U.S. PIRG Education Fund and the Frontier Group, which looks at why young people are driving less than previous generations and what this trend could mean for transportation policy.

Reminders

LTA 2012 call for projects. For the second year, CMAP is making staff resources and grants available for community-based projects through the GO TO 2040 Local Technical Assistance (LTA) program. Municipalities, counties, multijurisdictional groups, or nongovernmental organizations (in partnership with local government) are encouraged to apply for CMAP staff assistance by responding to the new LTA 2012 Call for Projects. Applications are due by Wednesday, August 1, 2012. For more information, please contact Pete Saunders (psaunders@cmap.illinois.gov or 312-386-8654). Applicants that would prefer to receive grant funds should consider applying for funding through CMAP's Community Planning program -- see http://rtachicago.com/community-planning/community-planning.html for more details.

Decoding property taxes. Last week, CMAP launched the first in a series of two issue briefs that shed light on the process of property tax assessment classification. Decoding Property Taxes and Classification explains how property tax rates are determined, what the taxes pay for, which government units get the revenue, and why property tax assessment classification matters. Using the brief's interactive, data-driven graphics, you can also compare the formula used in Cook -- where ratios vary depending on land use (residential, industrial, or commercial) -- with the across-the-board 33-percent rate in the region's other counties. Later this month, the second in this series will look in greater detail at classification's effects on economic activity.

FLIP applications. Applications are now available for our Future Leaders in Planning (FLIP) program. Through the program, high school students from throughout the region meet one Saturday per month to learn about the issues that shape our region’s economy and quality of life. Students who will be sophomores, juniors, or seniors in the 2012-13 school year are eligible. F or more information, contact Ricardo Lopez (rlopez@cmap.illinois.gov or 312-386-8766).

Events

I-GO at 10: The Future of Multimodal Transportation
July 11, 2012
11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Union League Club of Chicago: 65 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago
Hosted by I-GO Car Sharing
More information

Niles planning meeting
July 25, 2012
7:00 to 8:30 p.m.
Niles Senior Center: 999 Civic Center Drive, Niles
Hosted by the Village of Niles and CMAP
More information