by Ylda Capriccioso
6/26/09
Hey what’s the best thing about summer in metropolitan Chicago?
Neighborhood fairs and festivals! We love the funnel cakes, brats, pizza, elephant ears, face painting and the rides just as much as you do, so CMAP decided why get some fun in the sun and talk to residents about GO TO 2040 at some of our favorite neighborhood festivals.

While filling up on those carb-filled goodies we are talking to residents about how we should plan for the next 30 years. With a booth, tent and tables, we are asking critical questions and spreading the word about GO TO 2040.org. All the feedback we receive will help us develop better recommendations for the GO TO 2040 Regional Comprehensive Plan.
So what are people telling us? Well, first we ask them two critical questions about land use and transportation.
“For the next 30 years, how would you plan for new development?”
Residents get to select from three options––Unfocused, Community Focus, or Metropolitan Focus.
- Unfocused means placing new development, like buildings, malls, schools, houses, and the like in places where there is available land, regardless of location, resources, and cost.
- Community Focus means placing new development in medium to smaller communities in the region where there is a consideration for existing resources and assets.
- Metropolitan Focus means concentrating new development in larger cities in our region, like Joliet, Elgin, Waukegan, or Chicago.
“For the next 30 years, how would you plan for more trips?”
Again, residents get to select from three options––Automobile Focus, Transit Focus, or Combined Focus.
- Automobile Focus means investing in new roads and highways and providing more parking to accommodate more cars.
- Transit Focus means investing our resources in enhancing, expanding, and improving our existing transit system, like Pace, Metra, and CTA.
- Combined Focus means investing our resources in both cars and transit, while considering alternative transportation options like walking and bicycling.
So, who are we talking to? Well, recently, we were out at Memorial Park in Matteson (pron: Mat-te-son, three syllables) for their annual summer festival. Even in the rain folks know how to have a great time with a talent show, pie and cookie contests, pony rides, and good music.
On a sunny and warm Saturday morning in June we trekked out to Villa Park, for their annual SummerFest. This suburban fest is located right along the Illinois Prairie Path, a regional trail. While setting up we got to see how many residents take advantage of the trail and path, with bikers, young and small, runners and more. The coolest thing about the VP Fest was the mini skate park. In 2007 the Villa Park Villa Park Skatepark Committee was created to help raise awareness and money to help build the park. The cost of the park is about $100,000 and the village agreed to match the fundraising dollar-for-dollar to build the park.
And today on this super-awesome weather Friday, CMAP will be hanging out with residents in Downers Grove at the Heritage Festival.
Next stop: Kane County Fair - July 15-19. For more information, check out our On the Road page.
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