Household travel survey offers special incentives for schools
Sign up to take the My Daily Travel survey at www.mydailytravel.com/cmap or by calling 1-855-981-7286. The survey asks households in northeastern Illinois to report how they get from place to place in our region. The resulting data will help ensure that computer models of traffic flow are accurate so transportation investments can be based on sound analysis. The survey helps our region meet federal requirements and remain eligible for federal transportation funding. Households that complete the survey by May 2019 will receive $50. In addition, school districts that partner with My Daily Travel to promote the survey to their schools’ communities will receive $10 per household that completes the survey. School districts that would like to participate must call the survey hotline (1-855-981-7286) to receive a customized URL, which will enable surveys to be “marked” as benefiting their district. 

Recreational trails grants
Projects in 11 Illinois communities, including our region, received $1.5 million in Recreational Trails Program grants this week. Supported with federal funding, the program is administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and Illinois Department of Transportation.

RTA Halloween video
The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) has re-released their Halloween video, It’s Scary Not Much Has Changed With Transit Funding. The video asks individuals to imagine a region without a public transit system and concludes that we need our public transportation because #wecantallrideabroom.

Cook County freight plan
On Wednesday, October 17, the Cook County Board received the county's new Freight Plan. Developed by Cook's Department of Transportation and Highways, it supports the long-range Connecting Cook County transportation plan.

MPC events
The Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) is hosting two upcoming events, a screening of the documentary “’63 Boycott” and an interactive conversation on the Folded Map Project. The screening on Monday, October 22, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at MPC offices (140 S. Dearborn St., Chicago) will focus on the 1963 boycott of Chicago Public Schools to protest racial segregation and will feature a conversation with the film's producer and director. Register to hear about the Folded Map Project on Wednesday, November 7, from 6:00 to 7:15 p.m. at the South Shore Cultural Center (7059 S. South Shore Dr., Chicago). The event will feature the project’s creator Tonika Lewis Johnson and architectural and urban designer Paola Aguirre.

GreenTown Will County
Seven Generations Ahead and a5 Inc. will host the annual GreenTown conference on Friday, October 26, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Joliet Junior College (Renaissance Center, 214 N. Ottawa St., Joliet). Public and private sector participants will share best practices in creating healthy, sustainable communities. Register here.

El Paseo event
On October 4, the APA-IL Diversity Committee hosted “Bike-Ped Trails and Affordability: El Paseo Panel & Garden Tour.” Cindy Cambray of CMAP organized the event about El Paseo, a proposed four-mile multipurpose trail that would connect Chicago’s Pilsen and Little Village neighborhoods. Followed by a walking tour from Lacuna Lofts to El Paseo Community Garden, the panel discussion made frequent comparisons to The 606 trail, which has been associated with steep increases in housing prices. Read more in Streetsblog Chicago. 

Summit on Regional Competitiveness
The Alliance for Regional Development will host the 6th Annual Summit on Regional Competitiveness on Monday, October 29, from 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in partnership with the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. Discussion will focus on significant private sector investments in southeast Wisconsin and northwest Indiana, as well as global trends that frame local economic opportunities. For information about getting on the guest list for this invitation-only event, contact Kelly O’Brien at kobrien@allianceRD.org.

Reducing Water Loss Workshop
The Illinois Section of the American Water Works Association is hosting a Water Loss – Best Practices and Loss Control Workshop on Wednesday, October 31, from 7:30 a.m. to noon at Lombard’s Village Hall (255 E. Wilson Ave., Lombard). Learn more and register here.

Future City Competition
Registration for the Future City Competition -- which engages middle school students across the country in imagining, designing, and building virtual cities of the future -- is open through Wednesday, October 31. Visit futurecity.org to apply.

Bike Walk Suburban Advocacy Summit
Registration is free for the Active Transportation Alliance walking, biking and transit advocacy summit (Bike Walk Every Town) on Saturday, October 27, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Elmhurst Public Library’s Large Meeting Room (125 S. Prospect Ave., Elmhurst).

ADA 25 Chicago Leadership Institute deadline approaching
The Advancing Leadership Institute fellowship provides Chicago residents with disabilities and an interest in civic engagement the opportunity to develop leadership skills. The deadline is Tuesday, October 23.