Save the Date: Soles and Spokes Workshop. From 8:30 a.m. to noon on December 11, 2008, CMAP will host its 2008 Soles and Spokes Workshop, titled "The Nuts and Bolts of Implementing a Local Bikeway Plan."  The location is CMAP's offices in Suite 800 of Sears Tower, 233 South Wacker Dr.,  Chicago, IL 60606. For more information, contact John O'Neal (312-386-8822 or joneal@cmap.illinois.gov).

DRI reminder. Public comments are being accepted through December 1, 2008, on the draft Developments of Regional Importance (DRI) process document (420KB PDF). For more information, contact Tara Fifer (tfifer@cmap.illinois.gov or 312-386-8758).  Please send comments via email or postal mail to Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, Attention: DRI Public Comments, 233 South Wacker Drive, Suite 800, Chicago, IL 60606.

Technical Assistance Providers Directory. In my update last week, we omitted a link to CMAP's directory of technical assistance resources for local communities in the region.  Visit /providers-directory for the directory.  There is also a simple form (/providers-directory/add-your-organization) where technical assistance providers may submit their information.

Tollway Public Hearings.  The Tollway is holding a number of hearings November 6-14, 2008 and is encouraging the public to attend to learn more and express their views on the Illinois Tollway’s Congestion-Relief Program Phase Two – Tomorrow’s Transportation Today –a $1.8 billion capital program that includes a Green Lanes Plan and an Interchange Improvement Program designed to continue to reduce congestion, offer environmental benefits and reduce travel times, particularly during busy commuter rush hours.  For more information, including where and when, click here.  

Humanities festival.  Just a reminder that, as part of the Chicago Humanities Festival, CMAP is hosting a session about the GO TO 2040 regional planning campaign at the Chicago History Museum on Saturday, November 8, 2008, from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m.  Titled "The GO TO 2040 Plan: Bold Innovations for a Better Chicago," this is part of the festival's emphasis on Daniel Burnham's legacy as a prelude to next year's centennial of the 1909 Plan of Chicago.  CMAP Board member and Schaumburg mayor Al Larson will moderate the panel discussion, which also features transportation historian Andy Plummer, Andy Brubaker (Environmental Law & Policy Center), Rick Harnish (Midwest High Speed Rail Association), and myself.  Location is the Chicago History Museum 1601 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL 60614. Click here for a map and directions.

AIC Powwow. The American Indian Center's 55th Annual Powwow will be held November 14-16, 2008, at the UIC Pavilion, 1150 W. Harrison Street, Chicago.  This is billed as the midwest's largest and most colorful gathering of Native American culture, including singers, dancers, arts, and crafts. Admission is $12 per day for adults ($20 for a weekend pass), $6 per day for children 6-12 years old and seniors over 55. Students and groups are eligible for a $2 discount. Contact the AIC at 773-275-5871 or aic50@aic-chicago.org. 

New GO TO 2040 strategy paper and blog entries. The latest strategy paper addresses Solid Waste Disposal, which is also the topic of a new blog entry by CMAP's Lindsay Banks.  And our Annie Byrne also has a blog post about the dramatic effects that technology can have on our region's future.

Chicago 2016 video contest.  Through November 25, 2008, at http://www.Chicago2016.org/contest, the public can upload videos describing why Chicago should host the Games in 2016. Five Finalists will be selected by a panel of judges based on a combination of popular vote and the following criteria: originality, creativity, relevance to the "Why Chicago" theme and production quality. The Grand Prize winner will receive a trip for two to Vancouver for a behind the scenes tour of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. The Second Place winner will receive $5,000 worth of video production equipment of their choice. The winning video will be featured on Chicago 2016's Web site, and the winner will be announced on-air on the NBC 5 Today show the week of December 8. See http://chicago2016channel.com/why-chicago-competition/ for more information.

ITS Architecture web.  The Northeastern Illinois Regional ITS Architecture is a roadmap for intelligent transportation systems integration in the seven-county (Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will and a portion of Grundy) Northeastern Illinois region over the next 15 years. The architecture has been developed through a cooperative effort by the region's transportation agencies, covering all modes and all roads in the region. The architecture represents a shared vision of how each agency's systems will work together in the future, sharing information and resources to provide a safer, more efficient, and more effective transportation system for travelers in the region.  The architecture is an important tool that is intended to be used by:

• Planning agencies to better reflect integration opportunities and operational needs into the transportation planning process. 
• Operating agencies to recognize and plan for transportation integration opportunities in the region. 
• Other organizations and individuals that use the transportation system in the Northeastern Illinois region. 

The architecture provides an overarching framework that spans all of these organizations and individual transportation projects. Using the architecture, each transportation project can be viewed as an element of the overall intelligent transportation system, providing visibility into the relationship between individual ITS projects and ways to cost-effectively build an integrated transportation system over time.