| | by Anne Holub
3/8/10 This fun photo from our Flickr pool highlights a few brave folks who participated in last weekend's Polar Plunge at North Avenue Beach on Lake Michigan. The annual event, now in its tenth year, raises money for Special Olympics Chicago. Even with the small warm-up we had last week, I still give these folks lots of credit for splashing into that freezing water (note the guys in full wetsuits making sure everyone stays safe)! This, and other great photos of our region, can be found in our Explore Northeastern Illinois Pool on Flickr.  permalink
   
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| | by Erin Aleman
3/4/10
Time and time again we’ve heard from residents and stakeholders that youth are key to the future of our region. Last year The Burnham Plan Centennial successfully worked with partners and youth to educate everyone on a host of planning issues and leaving behind many wonderful resources for young people at the Centennial’s Kids Portal. From letters to Mayor Daley on ideas for making Chicago better to the hands-on "Build it with Burnham" event in Kenosha, CMAP wants to continue this legacy. On Friday, March 12 at noon, CMAP will host the second of a series of collaborative brownbag sessions with our GO TO 2040 Partners. This session will focus on youth initiatives. We will start this discussion with a little background on how CMAP started our Future Leaders in Planning (FLIP) program. We’d love to hear from partners who are working on youth programs and upcoming events to see if there are ways we can collaborate to continue to educate and inspire the region as we move forward with the completion of GO TO 2040. Whether it’s providing experts, supporting each other with event promotion, or something new, CMAP wants to hear from you. This brownbag session will be held at noon on Friday, March 12, 2010 at CMAP offices located in the Willis Tower, 233 S. Wacker Drive, Suite 800. To find out more about upcoming brownbag sessions, or to become a GO TO 2040 Partner visit www.goto2040.org/partnership.aspx. To sign up for any of these brownbag series, please contact Joey-Lin Silberhorn, 312-386-8814 or jsilberhorn@cmap.illinois.gov. permalink |
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| | by Anne Holub
2/25/10  | | Beautiful City. (Photo by John W. Sisson, Jr.) |
Thanks to a generous offer from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, we have two pairs of tickets to give away for the upcoming run of the play "Beautiful City" at the DCA Theatre. The play was written by George F. Walker, and will be directed by Rob Chambers and presented by Theatre Mir. From the DCA Theatre: "'This is the future' begins this darkly comic fable about urban developers, criminals, law enforcement, and even a witch, all fighting for the soul and vision of a city. Set in an urban landscape ripe for redevelopment, the parable blends off-kilter characters, fast-paced storytelling, and stinging social satire in a tale of greed, corruption, and civic responsibility. Theatre Mir's production marks the Chicago professional premiere of this work by George F. Walker, one of Canada’s most prolific and celebrated playwrights." The play opens on March 4 and runs every Thursday-Sunday through April 3, 2010. The performances will take place in the DCA Storefront Theatre at 77 E. Randolph St., Chicago, IL. To win a pair of tickets to a "Beautiful City" performance of your choice, just email your answers to these five questions along with your name and daytime phone number to Anne Holub, at aholub@cmap.illinois.gov. We'll pick two winners at random from the pool of correct complete quizes. Good luck! QUIZ: 1. Who authored the 1909 Plan of Chicago?
2. What Asian city is known for its plan by the same author? 3. On March 4th, the day "Beautiful City" opens, Chicago will celebrate a birthday. How old will the city be? 4. In what year was the Sanitary and Ship Canal finished, reversing the direction of the Chicago River?
5. What GO TO 2040 document did the CMAP Board approve on January 13, 2010, as the last major interim product before the draft comprehensive regional plan is released for comment in June 2010?
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| | by Anne Holub
2/25/10 As a part of the new “Let’s Move” campaign, the White House has announced an ambitious plan: to eliminate all food deserts in the United States in just seven years. What is a food desert? Well, it’s any area with limited access to affordable and nutritious food. Access to nutritious food can be hindered by many factors including income, proximity to grocery stores, and access to transportation. Food deserts aren’t just located in urban areas but can also exist in rural communities as well, and more than 23 million Americans live in one. Chicago Magazine wrote about the issue last summer and estimated that the problem affects 600,000 Chicagoans (Time magazine also covered the issue last spring). CMAP’s Full Circle technical assistance program has examined the potential food deserts of Logan Square and East Humboldt Park. First Lady Michelle Obama spoke recently about the administration’s ambitious plan to eliminate such areas where nutritious food is difficult to obtain. It’s just one component of the “Let’s Move” campaign, which aims to improve nutrition, daily physical activity, and school lunches, as well as the problem with access to affordable, healthy food. permalink |
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