The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) supports communities by offering planning and implementation technical assistance. Each year, CMAP takes on new projects around the region after a call for projects — happening now until Friday, March 22.
What do these projects look like in practice? Check out some highlights from projects happening around the region.
From left to right: Engaging with members of the public about the Calumet City plan at the Jesus Shepherd of Souls Parish's Shepherd's Fest, as well as the Calumet City School District 155's Back-to-School bash at Wentworth Intermediate School.
Calumet City Subarea Plan
Over the last year and a half, Calumet City, alongside CMAP and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, has been creating a community-centric subarea plan — a plan for a specific geographic area within the municipality — with goals to improve transportation, minimize local flooding and stormwater management, and create commercial streets that are more accessible and attractive to both people and business owners.
From left to right: workshop participants provide feedback on the types of businesses they would like to see along Grand Avenue; a fun coloring activity for youth; and a mapping exercise where participants were invited to place a dot where they live and where they like to visit along Grand Avenue.
Franklin Park Grand Avenue Corridor Plan
CMAP is partnering with the Village of Franklin Park to create a plan to transform Grand Avenue into a safe, accessible, and thriving corridor. The study area focuses on Grand Avenue from Mannheim Road to Elm Street. Recently, community members joined CMAP for a workshop to discuss their vision for the future of Grand Avenue, including the types of businesses that they would like to see, where unsafe intersections are located, and much more.
From left to right: The CMAP project team with Dixmoor Mayor Fitzgerald Roberts at the community's Valentine's Day Bingo event, as well as at the Dixmoor Social Club event. CMAP spoke with and collected survey responses from community members.
Dixmoor capital improvement plan
CMAP is working with the Village of Dixmoor to develop a capital improvement plan to help guide and prioritize large capital and infrastructure improvements over the next five years. The project includes training workshops that will equip Dixmoor staff and elected leaders with the tools to implement and update the capital improvement plan. Community input is an essential component of the planning process and will influence which projects will be included in the final plan.
From left to right: The Chinatown wayfinding project shows efforts to improve wayfinding; the MidAutumn Festival where CMAP engaged with community members; and an open house where CMAP presented and community members project feedback.
Chinatown NEXT project
The Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community (CBCAC) was awarded technical assistance to implement two of their past CMAP plans – the Community Vision Plan and the Parking Study. Three priority areas arose to be tackled during the NEXT project: (1) bike/pedestrian safety; (2) wayfinding improvements; and (3) an implementation resource guide. CMAP is working closely with the CBCAC, the Chicago Department of Transportation, and the Chicago Department of Planning and Development to coordinate implementation, funding, and resource allocation. CMAP is also creating interim deliverables, as well as a final transition plans, to set Chinatown up for success once the project concludes. The project is 16-months long and is expected to conclude by September 2024.
Diamond pavement management projects
Located along the I-55 interstate corridor near the border between Will and Grundy counties, the Village of Diamond is poised for future growth not just through commercial traffic but also traffic on local streets. Through a technical assistance award in 2023, Diamond developed a pavement management plan and PAVER software to assist in year to year budget and work prioritization. They also received a digital laser-assisted scan of local street network conditions. The pavement management plan and the PAVER system will help the village identify immediate pavement repair needs and will also assist in new and recently constructed surface preservation.
Read about this and more in the latest planning newsletter.
