Tuesday Flickr Photo: August 24, 2010

"Taking the Plunge" by Duane Rapp from our pool.

The humidity's going down (slowly) but it's still not the end of summer till Labor Day (or, depending how you look at it, September 23rd, which is the official first day of Autumn). How are you spending time while the weather's still warm? At the Chicago Air & Water Show, Duane Rapp captured a joyful jump into Lake Michigan. Add your favorite summertime shots to our Explore Northeastern Illinois Flickr pool!

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Photo from Genesis Growers

Helping a Farmer in Need

by Lindsay Banks
7/14/10

This post originally appeared on The Local Beet.

Last week, I saw a post on Slow Food Chicago soliciting volunteers to help Genesis Growers spend the day pulling weeds.  I convinced a couple of my friends to join me on the excursion to St. Anne, IL, 70 miles south of Chicago.  Genesis Growers is run by “Farmer Vicki” with the help of her son Jon; her head worker, Jay; and 6-8 employees.  They also have the help of volunteers like us who get a chance to see how much hard work goes into growing food organically. 

Genesis Growers practice sustainable, natural farming and they are on the rigorous path to organic certification.  Vicki told us about the recent tornado that came through St. Anne; she watched it tear down her street! The tornado left the farm rain-soaked and in serious need of weeding.  A nearby farmer joked with her that he could get rid of her weeds for just $5 an acre.  She winced; her dedication to organic farming means that weeding must be done by hand, without the use of chemicals.  And Genesis Growers pay their workers a living wage, so five dollars on her farm doesn’t go very far.  Our group of 6 volunteers pulling weeds for 4 hours didn’t quite make it halfway through 4 rows of eggplant!  Vicki laughed and said, “And people ask why organic is so expensive!”

Ignoring our blackened fingernails and sweat-soaked clothes, we chatted over tasty Southport Grocery sandwiches (provided by Slow Food Chicago).  From the bike-riding vegan to the urban planner, to the food enthusiasts, we all have reasons for supporting local farmers and ideas for making our region (and our world) a better place.  I currently subscribe to get fruit and vegetables from a variety of local farms, but the experience on Vicki’s farm made me want to join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture).  Becoming a CSA member involves a deeper commitment to your farmer.  When a hailstorm destroys the pepper crop (as was the case for Vicki this summer), you hear about it in your newsletter and forgo peppers until the next batch is ready for harvesting.  You also know that you are giving the farmer a guaranteed wage at the beginning of the season; you are investing in their endeavors.  At the same time, until we see significant policy changes, “voting with your fork” will not be enough to keep small-scale organic farmers afloat.  

Spending the day on the farm is something I’d recommend to anyone who questions farmer’s market prices.  It is hard work; my fingers were sore, my neck was burnt, and I didn’t even put in a full day!  

The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) recognizes the importance of local food – from environmental impacts to health benefits.  The GO TO 2040 long-range comprehensive plan recommends promoting a sustainable local food system (PDF).  Specifically, the plan focuses on three implementation areas: facilitating sustainable local food production and addressing policy changes; increasing access to fresh, affordable, and healthy foods; and increasing data, research, training, and information sharing.  The draft regional comprehensive plan is the result of a six step planning process that began in September of 2007 with the development of a Regional Vision that outlined our desired future in terms of the region’s quality of life, natural environment, social systems, economy, infrastructure, and governance.  The GO TO 2040 Plan is open for public comment through August 6^th, so let us know how you feel about our recommendations!

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Posted by: steven vinezeano on 07/19/2010

Posted by: autovit on 07/25/2010

TransMilenio - Hereos station , by Jorge Lascar

BRT is Coming to Chicago

by Lindsay Banks
7/12/10

Last week, the Chicago Department of Transportation was granted over $35 million to launch a bus rapid transit system traveling through downtown and also between the South Side and the Loop.  The concept of bus rapid transit (BRT) is not new to the Chicago region; the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) and Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) have been studying BRT throughout the metropolitan region and have done planning for pilot areas (which did not get implemented due to missed deadlines). 

BRT is high-quality, high-capacity bus service that would travel on dedicated lanes. As our GO TO 2040 public input showed, many people want transit, but they usually insist on rail transit while remaining apprehensive about buses.  But buses can be much more cost-effective at moving people.  Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff cited an estimate of the deferred maintenance backlog for the entire transit universe at about $78 billion, 75% of which is needed to replace rail assets.  He emphasized that communities currently thinking about laying down “shiny new rails” should think about the long term maintenance costs that they will face down the road, before committing to new transit.  Alternatively, BRT could be a solution to fulfill the demand for transit without incurring such high infrastructure costs.

Local and regional transit planners are facing the same budget shortfalls everywhere, and are often forced to make service cuts.  Aaron Renn of Urbanophile.com, cites Rogoff making a good point when talking to communities seeking federal transit funding:

If you can’t afford to operate the system you have, why does it make sense for us to partner in your expansion? If you can’t afford your current footprint, does expanding that underfunded footprint really advance the President’s goals for cutting oil use and greenhouse gases? Does it really advance our economic goals in any sustainable way? Are we at risk of just helping communities dig a deeper hole for our children and our grandchildren?

High-quality BRT bears little resemblance to POBS* (Plain Old Bus Service).  My fellow transit riders who despise POBS have typical complaints: it’s too slow, it’s unpredictable, and buses will be 20 minutes late and then 3 will show up at the same time (“bus bunching”).  I agree with those points, but a well-devised BRT system would change that. 

An oft-cited example of high quality BRT is Bogotá’s TransMilenio, explained in a great video on StreetsBlog.org. Modernized buses make the experience almost identical to a subway system.  In Bogotá, they have major terminals that integrate multi-modal transportation (with free secured bike parking), free feeder buses, and a high-tech control room.  The CEO of TransMilenio said that in 1998, a trip of 30 km used to take about 2 hours, and now with TransMilenio, they can make the same trip in just 55 minutes.  She estimates that the system is transporting about 1.3 million people per day.  The Chicago project will not be as extensive as TransMilenio, but it will use transit signal priority, Bus Tracker real-time arrival signs at stops, and would include bus-priority lanes on two miles of downtown streets, which currently serve seven CTA bus routes.  An off-street transportation center just south of Union Station is also part of the plan. 

For communities in northeastern Illinois who desire new transit, BRT could be a cost-effective solution.  CMAP supports strategic investment in transportation (PDF), and increasing commitment to public transit (PDF).

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Posted by: MrBrownThumb on 07/12/2010

Posted by: Lindsay on 07/13/2010

Posted by: Jake Fessler on 07/14/2010

Posted by: steven vinezeano on 07/19/2010

Wednesday Flickr Photo: July 7, 2010  

by Lindsay Banks
7/7/10

opthamologist vs optometrist , by clarkmaxwell

Have you seen the new downtown sculpture in Pritzker Park?  Has it seen you?  The exhibit was revealed today and will be up through October.  This week's Explore Northeastern Illinois Photo of the week, by clarkmaxwell, captured workers installing the giant EYE at the end of June.

The sculpture was created by Tony Tasset, a Chicago resident and art professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. According to CNN, the cost of the installation was in the six figures and was paid for through a special tax paid by property owners on State Street.   In addition to the 30-foot tall EYE, Tasset designed a series of lamppost banners that show our state bird CARDINAL, in flight via 156 flipbook - style banners along State Street.  

(Get ready for bad pun number 2) Whether you think this sculpture is an urban eyesore or a cultural treat, public art has always played an important role in the Chicagoland area and is one aspect of the city that continues to bring millions of tourists to the region year-round, although perhaps fewer in the winter!

Read more about the importance of arts and culture in our strategy paper. For more puns and reflection on the exhibit, visit thewanderkind.com. 

Our Flickr Photos of the Week are chosen from the Explore Northeastern Illinois photo pool.  Submit your photos today!

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Monday Flickr Photo: June, 28, 2010 

Photo "summer storm 1" by Monika Thorpe from our Flickr pool.

This week, we simply can't forget those epic storms that just rolled through northeastern Illinois and the midwest. This awesome shot by Monika Thorpe shows some amazing lightning striking around the back of a set of clouds in Chicago. Remember to always stay safe in severe weather! The Chicago Red Cross has some great tips on not only emergency preparedness (including an emergency kit you can put together) during thunderstorms, but on what to do during a tornado warning, and flash floods.

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My 2040: Michael Lambert

by Diana Torres
6/22/10

Planning can be abstract, so the “My 2040” blog series aims to connect planning to real people throughout the region.  The following is one in a series of interviews with residents throughout the region.  The views expressed are not necessarily those of CMAP itself. To learn more about this series or to participate, please read more about the program. 

Special thanks to Michael Lambert for taking the time to share his thoughts and ideas with CMAP staff.  Michael can be contacted directly at 815-436-8133, ext. 12 or mlambert@arrisarchitects.com.

Michael Lambert is the president and founding principal of ARRIS Architects + Planners, P.  C., located in Plainfield, Will County.  Michael helped to found the Plainfield Historic Preservation Commission and served as chair from 2004 to 2010.  In addition, he has served on the Illinois Historic Sites Advisory Council, the Will County Historic Preservation Commission (which he chaired from 1992 to 1999), and served as an advisor to the Joliet Historic Preservation Commission.  He also participated in community service efforts with the Plainfield Historical Society, Landmarks Illinois, and on preservation awards juries for Geneva, Hinsdale, Oak Park, and Western Springs.  Michael obtained his Masters in Architecture -- Preservation Studies from theUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 

To learn more about how historic preservation relates to GO TO 2040, read the Historic Preservation strategy paper.

Q:  What aspect of GO TO 2040 excites you most and why?

A:  I grew up on a farm outside of Plainfield on a one-lane gravel road, now Weber Road, in the Village of Bolingbrook.  I’ve always had an interest in historic preservation.  I was fascinated how stand-alone communities can get absorbed into the suburban ring and make that transition while maintaining their identities.  An aspect of planning that is inevitable throughout our region is how communities integrate both historic preservation and new development.  New people have come to the outer suburban rings, and they often don’t get engaged [with their communities].  When people get attached only to a particular school and a particular house instead of a community, the importance of local historical places has no meaning in a community.  With a lack of understanding or interest, those important historic places are lost.  

Advocates are important to help promote awareness of these [historical] areas.  For example, when the Plainfield Historical Society partnered with Plainfield Schools and took third graders on a walking tour, we received many comments of surprise at the number of historical sites that exist in Plainfield.  In order to have successful historical preservation, it is important that the GO TO 2040 plan emphasizes the importance of preservation, where possible and appropriate, in order to maintain our community identities.  A community like Plainfield is a good model of the type of innovation that is possible when you get a group of passionate individuals on commissions.  Some communities do historical preservation really well, such as the City of Aurora and Kane County, where the municipal government has typically been supportive.

Q:  How does the GO TO 2040draft connect to your community in terms of topics such as enhancing transportation options; increasing housing opportunities; addressing issues related to water, wastewater, stormwater, open space, and energy; the importance of density in future development; investment in education and workforce development?

A:  Community and municipal plans are important.  But in my opinion, boundaries are less significant when speaking of historic preservation because history occurs regionally without respect to imposed borders.  As the GO TO 2040 plan shows, [many issues related to planning can occur] on a regional and global level, even as we try to refine our [local] communities.  The balance between historic preservation and our existing communities is relevant; historic preservation is not only about keeping the best of a particular time, but rather maintaining the representation of some of the best thinking of each period so that the major developmental trends in the life of a community are preserved and integrated into the continuing community story.  It is unfortunate when the past is eradicated for the sake of contemporary development.  Oftentimes we see subdivisions naming a street in honor of a historical site, but the actual site is destroyed instead of making an effort to save it. 

Elected officials need to support these preservation efforts and create innovative programs to celebrate history and our historic resources on their original sites instead of moving them to another location, as is often the case.  Instead of allowing historic places to be encountered by our residents as part of their daily routine, buildings that are artificially assembled in museum-like parks become an attraction, to which residents of the community must be enticed to visit.  These often result in only a small percentage of the local population having contact with those historic places.  The bottom line is that the Chicago metropolitan region is one of the greatest areas, and we need to allow each community to have its own sense of place.  As a region, we have tremendous potential to be tourist-friendly with enough distinctive places that are connected.  We should connect our communities by bike and mass transit so that all our livable communities -- with their unique historic resources -- are integrated into the greater region.

Q:  Identify an issue that is important to you personally, your community or our region and share how you think CMAP is addressing it in the plan.

A:  In many ways, historic preservation promotes positive impacts for the regional economy and environment.  As the GO TO 2040 plan highlights, these are areas of importance to our region and should be enhanced in the future.  Economically, historical preservation demands more creativity in order to retain community character.  It also employs specific trade skills in order to restore sites.  People from across this country and the world want to visit authentic American places.  Respecting and promoting our historic sites can be a significant tool for regional economic development.  Even in today’s slowed economy, we find that heritage tourism is still highly ranked within the industry.

Q:  Are there additional recommendations for our region as we continue with the GO TO 2040 plan?

A:  Thereare several strategies that can be employed to promote historic preservation throughout the region.  The first is education, where elected officials, community residents, and students can learn more about the history of their communities.  Part of the education effort is to ensure adequate funding of programs that promote education; we see increasing demands being placed on the limited resources of existing programs of volunteer-based organizations.  Local ideas that have successfully promoted education about our history include the restoration of building facades in Plainfield; cell phone tours in Aurora; tours of locally-important buildings and places; and collaboration with local schools. 

The second strategy is employing local preservation ordinances that are understood by our elected officials and that actually protect historic buildings and sites.  There is an impression that restoring buildings and places yield no economic return, but it’s simply not true.  Many people have grown tired of malls; we have seen the growing trend of “lifestyle malls” that attempt -- sometimes very successfully -- to replicate the qualities of our historic downtowns.  Integrating historic preservation with the changing face of our communities as we grow in population has proven to be a successful community development strategy in many regions.

Q:  Please share any additional thoughts, ideas, or comments you may have.

A:  Historic preservation should not be the last consideration when reviewing proposed development plans within our communities.  Too often, that strategy dooms the success of creatively integrating history into contemporary places.  Evaluation of and thoughtful consideration of the adaptive use of our historic places is not only environmentally responsible in many cases, but also serves to retain identifiable communities that stand out.  CMAP should have this at the forefront of implementation efforts for the GO TO 2040 plan. 

This is not to say that every building can be saved, but rather that everyone needs to be honest about the value of the historic resources in our communities and work cooperatively to protect community identity.  Unfortunately, preservation options are often discussed at “the midnight hour” because projects have been planned without consideration of preserving our historic buildings.  Once the threat is realized, advocates are often unfairly criticized as trying to stop a project at the last minute “when it is too late.”  Portrayed often as obstructionists, most preservationists are consulted only at the point when time is limited and information must be transmitted quickly… often with the inability to counter months of organized efforts on the part of those who do not value our historic resources.  In reality, many local preservation organizations have well-informed members who could provide valuable insight if included early in the development process. 

As a regional agency, CMAP should, in my opinion, help define historic preservation on a regional level to empower preservation efforts.  It would also be advantageous to make use of our scenic byways like Route 66, the Lincoln Highway, or the I&M National Heritage Corridor to strengthen the connectivity between our region’s communities.  I would like to see our region’s communities talking more with each other about their preservation efforts; I see that now with communities collaborating between the Des Plaines River and the Fox River, some west suburban communities, and some eastern Will County communities.  But, municipal planners and governments need to be more involved with and aware of these collaborative efforts as well. 

Historic preservation should be integral to the planning process and should be thought of from the beginning, not as an afterthought.  By working with organizations like Landmarks Illinois and the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, as well as local commissions and societies, historic preservation can have a timely voice in the regional and local community planning process.

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Monday Flickr Photo: June 21, 2010 

by Lindsay Banks
6/21/10

Volo Bog Boardwalk, by Irina Hynes

This shot was taken in Volo Bog by Irina Hynes. Volo Bog is an example of unique habitat that has been protected in order to preserve biodiversity.  Located in western Lake County, Volo Bog has been protected since 1958 through efforts of The Nature Conservancy and local citizen activism; it is currently a National Natural Landmark.

A bog is a wetland formed by the accumulation of dead plant material, usually moss.  The resulting acidic peat creates a biologically diverse and very sensitive habitat.  This bog is significant because it exhibits all stages of bog succession, and boasts a wide variety of plant and animal life. On the Department of Natural Resources website, Volo Bog boasts that it is the only "quaking" bog in Illinois to have an open water center.  In a quaking bog, the vegetation creates a layer about a foot and a half thick, that floats over water or very wet peat.  Volo Bog's Visitor Center offers educational programs, trails, and picnicking.

Read more about the preservation of parks and open space in our strategy paper or in the draft GO TO 2040 plan section on expanding and improving parks and open space (opens PDF).

Our Flickr Photos of the Week are chosen from theExplore Northeastern Illinois photo pool.  Submit your photos today!

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Tuesday Flickr Photo: June 15th, 2010  

by Lindsay Banks
6/15/10

On Friday, June 11th, the streets of Chicago were temporarily transformed into a sea of red for the Blackhawks' Stanley Cup Celebration parade.  With an estimated 2 million fans, Chicagoans from around the region were united around a sports team, for a few hours - until the afternoon Cubs / Sox game.  Our Flickr photo of the week (from the Explore Northeastern Illinois pool) did a great job capturing the event:

Our Flickr Photos of the Week are chosen from the Explore Northeastern Illinois photo pool.  Submit your photos today!

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Monday Flickr Photo: June 7th, 2010 

by Lindsay Banks
6/7/10

CMAP's Monday Flickr photo from our pool is a nice shot of a CTA train at the Washington / Wells station in downtown Chicago, taken by Flickr user señor_codo. Public transportation is a very important asset in our region, and a new report by the American Public Health Association released earlier this year called The Hidden Health Costs of Transportation makes this ever more obvious. 

I'm Feelin' The Ol' School, Chicago, by Flickr user señor_codo.

From the executive summary:

Our dependence on automobiles and roadways has profound negative impacts on human health: decreased opportunities for physical activity, and increased exposure to air pollution, and the number of traffic crashes. The health costs associated with these impacts, including costs associated with loss of work days and wages, pain and suffering, and premature death,may be as high as several hundred billion dollars.

The report recommends a major overhaul of our nation's transportation policies, especially by including some of these hidden costs in the evaluation of capital projects. The report also estimates the cost savings of implementing urban design policies to create walkable neighborhoods, with street connectivity ranking highest in effectiveness (after distance to central business district).  GO TO 2040 also recommends taking a comprehensive approach to planning policies when thinking about future growth. The Preferred Regional Scenario advocates for more compact, mixed-use, livable communities with multi-modal transportation choices for residents, among other policy ideas.

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Posted by: Gera H. on 06/13/2010

Wednesday Flickr Photo: June 3, 2010 

"JOAAP" by Flickr user istorija from our pool.

Our featured photo this week is of the Joliet Army Ammunition Plant, long since closed, the plant is actually now a part of the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie located outside in Joliet, IL in Will County.  It operated during the 1940s to supply ammunition and explosives during World War II, and was officially closed in 1993, though most production ceased in the late 1970s.  The Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie was established in 1995 and continues to grow as land, once a part of the Army's arsenal land, is transferred to the park. I like how the prairie is taking over this structure, and the capture of the weathered wood beams alongside the rapidly greening spring plants.  To learn more about Midewin and to plan a visit, check out their website.

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FLIP Final Presentation: Environment

by Diana Torres
5/26/10

Environment Team: (left to right:) Thomas Maloney, Christopher Tomaszkiewicz, Marilyn Janisch, Lynda Lopez (2008-2009 FLIP Alum), Safiyyah Cole, Kathryn Starasinich, Johni Cesario (2008-2009 FLIP Alum), Paula Yoder (2008-2009 FLIP Alum), Alyssa Plahm

Each of the five groups of students has a specific project aligned with their area of focus including: transportation, housing/land use, economic development, human services, and environment. This week we present the final presentation for the environment group.

As expressed in the GO TO 2040 preferred Regional Scenario, “water...[is] a critical natural resource preserves the overall ecological health and diversity of the region” and the region should strive to “provide recreation options and protecting ecosystem function, and to conserve natural resources. This requires increasing the resources devoted to protection of an open space network, designing communities to meet environmental goals, taking a proactive approach to both supply and demand for energy and water.” The students in the environment group created a solution to this important issue with their program, “Operation Native Plants.” Through a year-long program, Operation Native Plants would provide volunteer opportunities for high school students to partner with community nurseries to add native plants to areas of new development areas. Not only would students also benefit from learning about the environment and what native plants contribute, but the region would be able to conserve more water by promoting the increased use of native Illinois plants.

Read the economic development team’s final project [PDF].

About FLIP: FLIP is offered free of charge for our region’s high school students interested in learning about and contributing to a better future for our region. CMAP is currently seeking applicants for next year's program. To apply for the 2010-2011 cohort, please complete the FLIP application [PDF] by Friday, May 28, 2010; you can also forward this information to any potentially interested high schoolers (or their families and teachers).

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My 2040: Caron Wenzel

by Diana Torres
5/26/10

Planning can be abstract, so the “My 2040” blog series aims to connect planning to real people throughout the region.  The following is one in a series of interviews with residents throughout the region.  The views expressed are not necessarily those of CMAP itself. To learn more about this series or to participate, please read more about the program. 

Special thanks to Caron Wenzel for taking the time to share her thoughts and ideas with CMAP staff.   

In 1990, Caron Wenzel founded Blazing Star, Inc. as a nursery for native seeds and plants.  Based in Woodstock in McHenry County, the company now serves individuals, schools, and businesses with progressive and educational opportunities throughout the northeastern Illinois region and Wisconsin.  Wenzel’s services include design, planning, species assessment, and management plans for native planting.  Wenzel has also worked on a variety of sustainable projects and initiatives with the Wildflower Preservation and Propagation Committee, the Land Conservancy, the Environmental Defenders of McHenry County and the McHenry County School Environmental Education Program .  Wenzel also wrote for House and Garden magazine and is co-author of Eco-Yards, a book promoting earth-friendly landscapes.  For more information, Wenzel can be contacted at 815-338-4716 or cwenzel@blazing-star.com.

Q:  What aspect of GO TO 2040 excites you most and why?

A:  Native plants and ecological gardening protect our groundwater, so the most relevant aspect of the GO TO 2040 plan [for my work] is the effort to promote the conservation of water and natural resources.  The challenge is to get people to understand the importance of these natural resources and to help those interested in native plants make decisions about what is appropriate for these people’s lifestyles.  

Native planting is becoming a movement, and in the past five years I have seen the business grow.  People are coming to learn more about native yards and rain gardens.  My role [at Blazing Star] is to make a plan, conduct soil surveys, and create a plant recommendation list that keeps in mind the individual’s comfort levels.  I need to know if people are afraid of insects, spiders, snakes, or other aspects of nature that may come because of native plants that are present.  Half of what I do is make people feel comfortable with the natural environment around them.  But we have a real chance [with GO TO 2040] to make our communities cleaner, greener, and healthier through these kinds of initiatives and efforts.

Q:  How does the GO TO 2040preferred Regional Scenario connect to your community in terms of topics such as enhancing transportation options; increasing housing opportunities; addressing issues related to water, wastewater, storm water, open space, and energy; the importance of density in future development; investment in education and workforce development?

A:  As the GO TO 2040 plan promotes, it’s important that organizations throughout the region continually promote environmental and sustainable issues like resource conservation, and especially water conservation.  Not only does native planting help restore the quality of our water, but we can also promote more wildlife habitats and support threatened birds and other creatures like salamanders and turtles.  GO TO 2040 recognizes thatwater is a critical natural resource, and we should work to preserve this important resource while promoting our natural ecosystems.

Q:  Identify an issue that is important to you personally, your community or our region and share how you think CMAP is addressing it in the plan.

A:  Both the GO TO 2040 plan andBlazing Star provide the public with educational resources.  We believe in providing educational opportunities to residents interested in pursuing native planting in their homes or businesses, including restoration and design services.  Throughout the region, I have participated in native landscaping seminars, provided lecture services to garden clubs, civic and school groups, and I even designed outdoor classroom programs.  It would be great if people all over the region knew that there is a potential to redesign planting anywhere people live and work, and that our land decisions have an impact on our natural resources, whether in the city, suburbs, or rural areas.  To have a healthy and sustainable region in the year 2040, we need to know that ecosystems are possible anywhere, even in brownfields.

Q: Are there additional recommendations for our region as we continue with the GO TO 2040 plan?

A:  We should promote local parks and make them usable by the communities, like Emricson Park in Woodstock, and secure land and space for local food production.  We should also increase the number of safe bike paths on our local roads throughout the region -- not just in the [major] cities.  We should help to stop the use of chemicals in lawns and yards and recognize that environmental and sustainable initiatives promote a sense of community among residents.  It’s also important for us to understand that native planting can be used strategically to control our environment, like in Walden Oaks in Woodstock, where we use plants to deal with a high goose population.  It’s important to support community projects that restore natural environments, like Ryders Woods in Woodstock.

Q:  Please share any additional thoughts, ideas or comments you may have.

A:  Since moving [to Woodstock] in 1988,we’ve been able to see the importance of collaboration with other organizations and groups, much like the GO TO 2040 plan is promoting.  For example, many of the environmental efforts in this community have included the Wildflower Preservation and Propagation Committee, the Land Conservancy, and McHenry Community College.  And we’ve also seen Blazing Star grow to include clients all over the 150-mile radius around Woodstock, including Kane County, DuPage County, and the City of Chicago.

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Posted by: Jodi Bozzelli on 06/09/2010

Tuesday Flickr Photo: May 25, 2010

by Anne Holub
5/25/10

"Chicago marine safety station" by Monika Thorpe from our pool.

This week's photo (by Flickr user Monika Thorpe) features a vital part of recreation, traffic and safety on Lake Michigan, but not something you necessarily see everyday: the Chicago Marine Safety Station near Navy Pier. It has been known by many names over the years, but currently hosts the Chicago Marine Police, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The buliding (renovated in 2005) is an example of Cape Cod architecture rarely seen outside New England.

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FLIP Final Presentation: Human Services

by Diana Torres
5/19/10

Human Services team members (left to right) Spencer Teiken, Jennie Mueller, Malik Chappell, Jasmine Omeke, Anna Yoder

Each of the five groups of students has a specific project aligned with their area of focus including: transportation, housing/land use, economic development, human services, and environment. This week we present the final presentation for the human services group.

As expressed in the GO TO 2040 preferred Regional Scenario, it is importation to“Foster an educated, healthy, safe, and involved populace.” The Human Services group believed that a major issue affecting a wide variety of teens, regardless of location, is stress. This affects our region but preventing high school students to becoming an integrated group and so they created the WOW program, or Working On Wellness. Through this program, schools and organizations can help reduce this stress through physical and social activities while incorporating additional educational enrichment. These after school wellness programs can allow students to participate in multiple activities, incorporating physical and mental wellness. Social and mental benefits will also be available through a sense of community and WOW can help students reduce stress.

Read the human services team’s final project [PDF].

About FLIP: FLIP is offered free of charge for our region’s high school students interested in learning about and contributing to a better future for our region. CMAP is currently seeking applicants for next year's program. To apply for the 2010-2011 cohort, please complete the FLIP application [PDF] by May 28, 2010; you can also forward this information to any potentially interested high schoolers (or their families and teachers). 

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Tuesday Flickr Photo: May 18, 2010

Cornfield, in Homer Glen by Flickr user jimdeane.

by Lindsay Banks
5/18/10

Today's Flickr photo comes to us from a cornfield in Homer Glen, just 11 miles southwest of Chicago.  I love the intense range of blues in the sky with the clouds.

Don't forget, you can add your favorite shots from around the region to our Explore Northeastern Illinois photo pool!

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My 2040: Keith Cerk and Barbara Waller

by Diana Torres
5/13/10

Special thanks to Keith Cerk and Barbara Waller for taking the time to share their thoughts and ideas with CMAP staff.   

Keith Cerk is senior pastor at the First Baptist Church of Waukegan in Lake County, where Barbara Waller also serves as associate pastor of Family Life Ministry.  Waller is the director of “A Cool Summer Experience,” an outreach ministry for fourth and fifth grade students from low-income families.  Together they serve the Waukegan community to develop and coordinate programs and events for strengthening healthy families.  Both Rev. Cerk and Waller pastor an urban, multi-cultural congregation and have worked with at-risk children, youth, and gang members.  Rev. Cerk also serves on the Chicago Wilderness “Leave No Child Inside” Faith-based Advisory Group and on the Youth Services Board of Kids Hope United.  Waller serves as president of L.I.F.E., Inc., a non-profit organization she founded that is designed to serve and strengthen families.  For additional information, Cerk can be reached at thecerks@aol.com and Waller can be reached at barbarawaller1@comcast.net.

Q:  What aspect of GO TO 2040 excites you most and why?

Cerk:  The GO TO 2040plan is looking to address many of our region’s needs, like how we’ll address green space and education.  At First Baptist Church, we have created a summer program called “A Cool Summer Experience,” that targets the minds, bodies, souls, and spirits of "indoor-type" children enrolled in the Waukegan School District.  This six-week program teaches children to connect to nature and the environment, something that these kids have never done before.  The program serves as a model for other communities with similar demographics to help low-income and at-risk urban children connect to the outdoors and access their local park districts and forest preserves.  But most importantly, this program serves as an educational model to encourage and support academic success by helping students understand the importance of math, science, technology, and engineering in everyday life as they learn more and connect to the outdoors. 

Waller:  This program is now entering its third year, and the curriculum is a result of collaboration between the First Baptist Church of Waukegan and several other environmental and faith-based organizations, federal and county-level agencies, public schools and community businesses.  These students get an opportunity to learn more about their community and our region, and it will help them understand the importance of open land and education.
 

Q:  How does the GO TO 2040preferred Regional Scenario connect to your community in terms of topics such as enhancing transportation options; increasing housing opportunities; addressing issues related to water, wastewater, storm water, open space, and energy; the importance of density in future development; investment in education and workforce development?

Cerk:  TheGO TO 2040 plan promotes the improvement of our education system and the development of our workforce.  In terms of education, the high school dropout rate in Waukegan is 50 percent.  The school district just announced that a significant number of teachers will be laid off during the next academic school year.  There is a real need to reach children early to educate them about their role in the economy as the future work force and as consumers.  The state of Illinois is broke and we can’t just wait to find out how funding, or the lack thereof, will continue to negatively impact our children.

Waller:  The children with whom we work in Waukegan are often underserved and underrepresented.  Many of the children, if not all, are [living] at or below the federal poverty line.  We hope to show children that they are always to be connected to this community, to inspire them to be more engaged with their natural environment, and to have positive impacts on their education and general well-being.

 

Q:  Identify an issue that is important to you personally, your community or our region and share how you think CMAP is addressing it in the plan.

Cerk:  Like theGO TO 2040 plan, our program is about building relationships and creating community.  One of the most important aspects of the summer program is that we are playing a role in building community here in Waukegan.  This area is very divided, similar to our region, and it’s oftentimes divided along racial lines.  Here in Waukegan, the majority of the population is Latino, about 51 percent.  There are also educational and socioeconomic differences.  We want to help our students appreciate the diverse community here and feel pride in living here.  We want to create a sense of shared space where they not only hang out with friends and family, but also learn about the histories and mutual concerns shared with other residents.  We all want similar things for our families.  This can be a strength which unifies us only if we build relationships and trust.  Otherwise, we compete against each other for space or resources.  We want our kids to learn that, and to learn the relational skills to make positive change together.

Waller:  Children need a safe space, and all children should be able to feel safe, to be outside, to feel loved, and to build special connections with other people in Waukegan.  By helping to create healthier children, we hope to build and support the local families.  Through “A Cool Summer Experience,” students not only learn about important environmental topics like restoration and renovation of our harbors, water conservation, recycling, local food, and gardening, but also come to appreciate the importance of green space and nature in their lives.  We want the children to see there is a relationship between residents and their local and regional environment, like we see in the GO TO 2040 plan.  We believe that everyone in this region should have a relationship with other residents in their communities and also their natural environments.

Q: Are there additional recommendations for our region as we continue with the GO TO 2040 plan?

Waller:  Sometimes it is difficult for kids to access our region’s parks, forest preserves, Lake Michigan, and other natural spaces.  This is especially true of underrepresented groups like low-income families.  Sometimes parents may work more than one job and may not have the time to share these experiences with their children.  Other times it is an issue of personal safety, as gangs are a major issue here.  Some families simply may not know about these places and opportunities in their communities.  We do not know what kind of home a child comes from, but we want these children to form relationships with their natural environments from an early age to appreciate all of the benefits.  In the GO TO 2040 plan, we hope to see innovative solutions to help solve many of the problems in our region, such as reducing the number of dump sites and to have people learn the importance of reducing waste and recycling.  If we can do this as a region, we’ll be able to promote health benefits for our communities.

Q:  Please share any additional thoughts, ideas or comments you may have.

Cerk:  Nowadays it’s difficult to secure funding for [community building] opportunities, as we’ve learned with “A Cool Summer Experience.”  We are lucky to have Barbara volunteer her   time as the director since we usually cannot afford to hire staff.  Fortunately we have many dedicated volunteers and partners from the community.  By working for the community and with the community, we’re seeing some real positive things happening.  Last summer, for example, First Baptist was invited by the Park District and GreenTown to work on restoring Roosevelt Park.  Our children did some native planting and cleaning, giving them both a sense of pride and a sense of ownership as they were helping to co-create a better life here in Waukegan.  

Waller:  We hope to continue this effort and having an impact on children physically, spiritually, and mentally.  As we say here, “If you educate a child, you change a nation.”  By sharing this story and showing how a community can come together to make a difference in one municipality, we hope to inspire other groups in other communities to think about how they can work together to create a better 2040 for all our region’s children.

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FLIP Final Presentation: Economic Development

(Left to right) Brandon Holland, Nilesh Kavthekar, Melissa Lai, Sarah Morton (O-H Community Partners, Ltd), Diana Torres (staff) (Photo by Lauren Armendariz-Bast, FLIP student)

On April 20, the 2009-2010 cohort of CMAP's Future Leaders in Planning (FLIP) youth leadership development program presented their final projects at the National Museum of Mexican Art . CMAP Board members and leadership staff saw great presentations that tackled planning issues from a youth perspective. Students have collaborated on projects that uses their knowledge and information presented to them over the course of the program (since September 2009) to create a project that fulfills a need within our region’s communities.

Each of the five groups of students has a specific project aligned with their area of focus including: transportation, housing/land use, economic development, human services, and environment. This week we present the final presentation for the economic development group.

As expressed in the GO TO 2040preferred Regional Scenario, "The quality of our labor force will be one of the most important factors influencing future prosperity." The economic development group’s program provides high school students with a guideline to successfully pursue educational enhancement and help develop them into future leaders in the region's workforce. By providing young leaders with a list of steps and programs, we can begin to ensure a strong future workforce capable of positively influencing the region’s growing economy. Student internships are important and can contribute to a better skilled and educated workforce. This is because internships can help students gain necessary and valuable work experience, expose students to different career choices and provide professional networking opportunities.

Read the economic development team’s final project [PDF].

About FLIP: FLIP is offered free of charge for our region’s high school students interested in learning about and contributing to a better future for our region. CMAP is currently seeking applicants for next year's program. To apply for the 2010-2011 cohort, please complete the FLIP application [PDF] by May 28, 2010; you can also forward this information to any potentially interested high schoolers (or their families and teachers).

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Monday Flickr Photo: May 10, 2010

"rookery skylight" by Flickr user clarkmaxwell from our pool.

by Anne Holub
5/10/10

This fantastic fish-eye lens shot of the lobby of The Rookery building plays off of the dramatic architecture of the space. Designed by John Root and Daniel Burnham and completed in 1888, the building is 12 stories tall (quite the skyscraper at the time of its construction). This skylit interior was remodeled by another renowned Chicago architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, in 1905. If you'd like to learn more about the Rookery, you can try one of the Chicago Architecture Foundation's many tours, including a one-hour lunchtime tour dedicated solely to the historic building. This amazing photo was taken by Flickr user clarkmaxwell and added to our Explore Northeastern Illinois pool. What other dramatic architecture do you enjoy in the region? 

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Posted by: Jennifer on 05/10/2010

Farmers team up with the Tollway

Lake Forest Oasis, by Flickr user illinoisoases.

by Lindsay Banks
5/6/10

Finally, there’s good news for Chicago area highway commuters!  The Illinois Tollway and US Equities Asset Management (Oases property manager), have partnered with local farmers to bring a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program to Tollway commuters.  Three farms – two from Wisconsin and one outside of Kankakee – will offer commuters the option to buy boxes of local, fresh produce and pick them up at Tollway oases on a weekly basis. 

If you’re new to the concept of CSAs, Local Harvest.org has a good list of tips to prepare you for the experience.  Don’t expect to find farmer’s markets at your nearby Tollway oasis– this is strictly a member-based program.  A CSA allows people to buy produce directly from a farmer by purchasing shares – which usually involves a box of seasonal vegetables, but can include other items.  This set-up allows the farmers to spend time marketing earlier in the year before back-breaking full days in the field, and gives the farmer a reliable source of income.  In return, the consumer gets to eat healthy, delicious, and more sustainably-produced goods than most conventional products.  It usually costs slightly more than your typical vegetables from the grocery store, but you pay for the value, your money stays local, and reduces your carbon footprint. 

With CSA locations at Tollway Oases, the produce can be picked up as part of your trip home from work, saving you the time and hassle of going to the store.  If you would like to participate in the Tollway CSA, you can sign up now through mid-May (so hurry!). 

I made a map of the pick-up locations (Belvidere, Des Plaines, Hinsdale, Lake Forest, O’Hare, and South Holland) and approximate locations of the three participating farms – Triple A Farms, Scotch Hill Farm, and Harvest Moon Organics.  Click on the image to the left to see it.

To read more about the program, visit Local First Chicago.org

For more information, contact:
Catherine Patterson, Kurman Communications
312.651.9000 x 23
Catherine@kurman.com

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Projected Benefits of High-Speed Rail

by Tom Garritano
5/5/10

True to its name, high-speed rail (HSR) has moved quickly from a dream to a strong likelihood, thanks to billions in federal support that began last year with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (better known as the economic stimulus bill).

The Metropolitan Planning Council has posted their analysis of anticipated economic benefits from the advent of high-speed rail between Chicago and St. Louis.  MPC projects that, over the first ten years, HSR would result in $320 million of direct spending by about 800,000 new tourists, with $510 million in total direct and indirect spending.  State and local tax revenue for the same period would be $120 million, according to the report.

When the draft GO TO 2040 plan is posted for comment next month, its high-priority capital projects are expected to include a proposed West Loop Transportation Center under Clinton Street between the Eisenhower Expressway and Lake Street in Chicago. In addition to serving commuters within the region, this terminal will be central to the seven-county region's future as the Midwest hub of HSR. 

Image courtesy U.S. Department of Transportation

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Posted by: Stefan Brun on 05/09/2010

FLIP Final Presentations: Housing and Land Use Group

by Diana Torres
5/5/10

On April 20, the 2009-2010 cohort of CMAP’s Future Leaders in Planning (FLIP) youth leadership development program presented their final projects at the National Museum of Mexican Art . CMAP Board members and leadership staff saw great presentations that tackled planning issues from a youth perspective. Students have collaborated on projects that uses their knowledge and information presented to them over the course of the program (since September 2009) to create a project that fulfills a need within our region’s communities.

Each of the five groups of students has a specific project aligned with their area of focus including: transportation, housing/land use, economic development, human services, and environment. This week we present the final presentation for the housing/land use group.

The Housing and Land Use group: (L to R) Chris Gladfelter (staff), Nicole Mitchell, Kristen McCloskey, Elaine Rodriguez, Sophia Irizarry, Cooper Zajac

• Step 1: Identify a unused area in the community– vacant or foreclosed lots are ideal. Check for any problems with property: Zoning requirements, Property history.
• Step 2: Secure funding donations, fundraising, etc.
• Step 3: Identify community needs.
• Step 4: Contact local businesses about participating in the program (owning the building, offering internships etc.)
• Step 5: Lease building to local schools and organizations.
• Step 6: Watch area flourish!

As expressed in the GO TO 2040 preferred Regional Scenario, one goal is to “create more compact, livable communities to serve as the building blocks of our region’s future development.” This project will accomplish this by transforming undesirable space into viable commercial areas.

Read the Housing and Land Use team’s final project [PDF]. 

About FLIP: FLIP is offered free of charge for our region’s high school students interested in learning about and contributing to a better future for our region. CMAP is currently seeking applicants for next year's program. To apply for the 2010-2011 cohort, please complete the FLIP application [PDF] by May 28, 2010; you can also forward this information to any potentially interested high schoolers (or their families and teachers). 

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Monday Flickr Photo: May 3, 2010 

by Anne Holub
5/3/10

This week's photo comes from the border of Lake and McHenry Counties from the shores of Pistakee Lake, which is a part of the Chain O' Lakes State Park in Illinois. I'm sure these boaters can't wait to get out on the water this summer! Remember you can upload photos from your adventures in the region to our Explore Northeastern Illinois pool on Flickr.

Photo "On Pistakee Lake" by Flickr user phototravel1 from our pool.

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FLIP 2010 Final Presentations: Transportation Group

By Diana Torres
4/28/10

FLIP Transportation Group: (from L to R) Shawn Jain, Christian Hunter, and Martin Downs (not pictured: Vincent Desmond)

• Allow teenagers to become more comfortable with public transit,
• Increase public transit ridership,
• Possibly establish a "good habit" of using public transit earlier, so that they will be more willing to use it throughout their adult lives,
• Decrease dependency of teenagers on their parents,
• Promote a much more user-friendly site for teenagers to use, and
• Build better relationships with businesses to encourage teenagers to use different modes of transport and increase usage of businesses and other services.

As expressed in the GO TO 2040 preferred Regional Scenario, "In the transportation area, this involves maximizing the use of infrastructure and preserving its capacity through technological and operational solutions." The transportation group hopes to address this need by offering an easy way to maximize the usage of our region’s vast transportation structure is to increase the ridership of our transit agencies and use of our sidewalks and bike lanes. By focusing on teenagers, the transportation group hopes to not only solve mobility problems now, but also influence a dedicated pool of alternative-transit users in the future.

Read the transportation group's final project [PDF]. 


About FLIP: FLIP is offered free of charge for our region’s high school students interested in learning about and contributing to a better future for our region. CMAP is currently seeking applicants for next year's program. To apply for the 2010-2011 cohort, please complete the FLIP application by May 28, 2010; you can also forward this information to any potentially interested high schoolers (or their families and teachers). 

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Monday Flickr Photo: April 26, 2010

Poised to Spring, Millennium Park in Chicago by Flickr user Rana Pipiens.

by Lindsay Banks
4/26/10

This week's photo is Poised to Spring, by Flickr user Rana Pipiens.  We are coming to the end of local frost-danger for the region, so it's time to get out your gardening tools and start planting!  I have started my seeds indoors this year, with an assortment of vegetables and a couple of flowers.  I don't have a lot of yard space to garden, but I can still get quite a supply of veggies.  Last year, I used a 3' x 5' space in my courtyard and various pots.  This summer, I'm going to try and expand my gardening area by planting in a small kiddie pool on my flat roof. 

Spring also means that our summer farmer's markets will be starting up again soon -- I usually buy a few plants such as basil and tomato, started by local farmers.

If you're new to gardening and need some sage advice (sorry for the pun), I have found Gardening in Illinoisto be a very helpful book.  There are also lots of online resources to help you get started, such as GardenIllinois.com and MyFolia.com.  Local plant stores are also always a great resource.

And once your garden is in bloom, you can post your pictures to our Explore Northeastern Illinois photo pool!

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The Water Plan and Beyond

by Amy Talbot
4/22/10

A month after the Regional Water Supply Planning Process came to a close, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of accomplishment, excitement for the future, and a little withdrawal from not seeing the same folks that I had seen for almost three years.  During this time, the Regional Water Supply Planning Group (RWSPG) met monthly to discuss and develop the recently approved Northeastern Illinois Water Supply/Demand Plan.  While the plan might not have covered everything for everyone (that’s what the next planning cycles are for), I would like to think it provided a solid, data-driven base to grow regional water supply planning in our region.  

Here are a few highlights from the plan (and where to find them in the document):

• Background of Water Supply Planning in our state and region, (page 1)
• Current water supply environment in NE Illinois, (page 11)
• Water demand for all sectors, 2005 to 2050, based on three modeling scenarios, (page 29)
• Potential effects of climate change on these three demand scenarios, (page 37)
• Impacts of these three scenarios on our water sources, with a most in-depth look at groundwater and surface water sources, (page 39)
• Relationship between water and land use planning, (page 57)
• Water quality and ecosystem needs, (page 78)
• Demand management strategies (conservation, water reuse, full cost pricing), (page 85)
• And much more...

The 34 members of the RWSPG were diverse in composition and provided insight into the complex issue that is water supply.  It is these connections and relationships that were built before, during, and hopefully will continue after the process that will be the most important drivers to keep this momentum going.  Right now the region is full of potential and armed with a plan that outlines over 200 recommendations aimed at state, regional, county, and local public water supplier/municipality.  I would like to think there is something for everyone to do, so let’s get started!

In this spirit, CMAP staff is moving forward and implementing several plan recommendations, centered on providing assistance to water suppliers and communities in their efforts to implement the plan.  As a first step to becoming a regional water conservation coordinator, CMAP has become a WaterSense Promotional Partner.  We see this partnership as a resource for our agency that provides a nationally recognized water conservation and efficiency brand that can aid in public outreach and plan implementation.  With a region full of WaterSense Partners, we could utilize the program as a forum to collaborate and receive national recognition for our efforts.  Furthermore staff is in the process of receiving training to provide technical assistance for utilities and communities.  Margaret Schneemann, Water Resource Economist, has been with CMAP for the last two years and is developing expertise in water-rate setting.  I am developing my skills with the Alliance for Water Efficiency (AWE) conservation-tracking tool that will help water suppliers that are members of AWE, develop a conservation program that saves water and makes economic sense at the same time.   Additionally, CMAP has developed an updated Model Water Use Conservation Ordinance and invites you to review it and decide what may be useful in your community.  The document has ordinance language, potential water savings, current examples, and resources for further exploration. By adopting the requirements of the proposed ordinance, communities may achieve significant water use reductions while deferring the need for water infrastructure expansion.  This is our plan for the next several months.  What is yours?  Let us know about it and how we can help.

Thanks to everyone that contributed to this process.  We are excited about this next year and the years to follow to build upon this initial planning cycle. 

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Earth Day 2010: Metropolitan Chicago Transportation Facts

"Chicago traffic skyline" photo by Flickr user ArnonJ from our pool.

In honor of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, we'll be tweeting out 12 facts about transportation in Northeastern Illinois that may surprise you. Keep an eye on our Twitter feed throughout the day, then check back here for the full list once we're done!

1. In 2008, about 8.5 million people lived in the seven-county region. By 2040, CMAP projects that number will grow to about 11 million. (U.S. Census Bureau; CMAP)

2. People make about 29 million trips daily within the region. (CMAP Household Travel Survey, 2008)

3. About 37 percent of all miles traveled daily by people within the region involve commuting to or from work. (CMAP Household Travel Survey, 2008)

4. The region has approximately 34,000 miles of roads, and the RTA system has 6,336 bus route miles and 864 rail route miles. (U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line Data, 2009; RTA [CMAP estimates])

5. People make about 23.5 million trips in the region each day by vehicle. (CMAP Household Travel Survey, 2008)

6. People make about 2 million trips daily by public transit (1 million by CTA bus, 500,000 by CTA rail, 100,000 by Pace bus, 300,000 by Metra rail), and 3.4 million by biking or walking. (CMAP Household Travel Survey, 2008)

7. Families in the region spend more than $30 billion each year on transportation. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau)

8. For more than 11 hours each day, over 20 percent of our regional highway system is congested. (U.S. Department of Transportation, 2007)

9. Businesses in the region spend about $26 billion each year to move goods. (Transportation Security Administration [TSA] 1996 & IMPLAN, calculations by Economic Development Research Group)

10. The region had 4.9 million registered passenger vehicles and 5.5 million licensed drivers as of 2007. (Illinois Secretary of State)

11. Across the region, 284,675 vehicle crashes occurred in 2008, with 438 fatalities. (Illinois Department of Transportation)

12. In 2005, greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) for transportation (excluding aviation) were about 34 million metric tons, or about 4.1 tons of CO2 equivalents per resident. Surface transportation makes up 24 percent of the region's total GHG footprint. (Center for Neighborhood Technology)

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My 2040: Larry Martinez

by Diana Torres
4/21/10

Special thanks to Larry Martinez for taking the time to share his thoughts and ideas with CMAP staff. 

Larry Martinez was raised in Will County’s Romeoville and relocated in 1991 to Oswego in Kendall County.  In the past, Larry served as a community volunteer in several roles, including six years as a member of Romeoville’s Planning and Zoning Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals, and seven years as a member of the District 365-U Board of Education.  Since 2000, Larry has worked in the student transportation industry.  Between 2000 and 2004, he was employed by private bus companies, and in March 2004 he was named Director of Transportation for the Oswego School District.  Larry can be contacted directly at 630-551-8229 or lrm229@gmail.com. 

Q:  What aspect of GO TO 2040 excites you most and why?

A:  In my role as the Director of Transportation, my primary responsibility is to direct safe and efficient student transportation for over 11,000 of the district’s 16,500 students to and from 20 schools each day.  My job is to manage a fleet and a group of people, which includes some particular skills, including familiarity with planning issues.  Coordinating transportation involves thinking about how we get people from point A to point B.  Whether we do this by light rail, high-speed rail, Pace buses, etc., we need to think from a practical standpoint.  We shouldn’t spend twenty minutes to get to Fox Valley [from Oswego], which is nine miles away.  There are two hospitals with emergency rooms two miles from [Oswego], and if there is an emergency, moving trains and traffic can affect lives.   

An exciting part about the GO TO 2040 plan is the idea of centralization, or the effort to get more of a “small town” feel like other neighborhoods like Downers Grove or Naperville.  These places have a downtown and there is some coherence to the areas.  People can also live near the downtown area.  I would like to see fewer vehicles on the streets and more options for walkable communities, where you can go see a movie, eat at restaurants, and do other activities [without a car]. 

Q:  How does the GO TO 2040preferred Regional Scenario connect to your community in terms of topics such as enhancing transportation options; increasing housing opportunities; addressing issues related to water, wastewater, storm water, open space, and energy; the importance of density in future development; investment in education and workforce development?

A:  In our community, the region is exploding in population.  In the next year, there’s projected to be a seven-percent increase in housing despite the slowed construction.  In this area, it’s not just Oswego that is sensitive about density.  Lower densities are important to school districts, and I am glad not to see developers coming back to build higher density and lower-quality homes in these lots that have already been purchased.  [Traffic and congestion] will be important to address too, and we need to maintain arterial roads like Ogden Avenue/Route 34.  At this point, [the road] is at its limit and moves well for the number of people using it, but there are roads that we avoid using, such as Route 30.  The expansion of Route 71 from Yorkville to Route 34 will help, though. 

Q:  Identify an issue that is important to you personally, your community, or our region and share how you think CMAP is addressing it in the plan.

A:  In this community, the pattern of development is different than in Cook County -- there is no coordinated compact construction.  Here it takes strong municipal organizations and help with existing subdivisions to influence subdivisions being created.  Housing influences the work I do since part of my job is to conduct enrollment projections and make school attendance boundary determinations.  The lack of compact construction impacts my job because there are guiding principles that influence the transportation decisions being made.  For example, neighbors should attend the same schools, and as kids grow up, we try to keep them in the same school patterns so that as kids move into middle and high schools, they can stay with as many of the same students as possible. 

We also want to maximize the number of kids that can walk to school, but even this has restrictions.  For example, we receive state reimbursement for every child that lives 1.5 miles from his/her school, although if a child lives less than 1.5 miles away and faces serious safety hazards, then they are also covered by state reimbursement.  We can only bus kids that are reimbursed.  Safety hazards influence the use of buses, and one problem we face in this community is the lack of connecting sidewalks.  Builders start sidewalks but they may not all be connected, so safety standards prevent buses from making one stop for a general area.  This means that buses have to make multiple stops within a short distance, wasting money and fuel.  Putting sidewalks in should be a standard and can promote walking and allowing kids to walk to school safely. 

Q:  Are there additional recommendations for our region as we continue with the GO TO 2040 plan?

A:  I would like to see more under- and over-passes for railroad crossings, but no more grade level crossings.  It’s a time issue more than anything else.  We’ve never had any incidents [at a grade level crossing], but it’s just an inconvenience.  One of the main findings from an Emergency Training Plan our administration worked on was that Oswego has increased rail traffic.  But we also found out that Canada National railway is not federally required to tell us what is in those cars.  This is an issue of safety on many levels, especially since we have three schools within those tracks.  Although this is an unavoidable issue, it still raises some concern.

Q:   Please share any additional thoughts, ideas or comments you may have.

A:  It would be great to see more green space and recreational facilities, including baseball fields and forest preserves.  Bike paths in Oswego are terrific and you can cover 20 miles without hitting a sidewalk -- and it’s expanding, too.  Cleaning our waterways should also be encouraged so we can use the Fox River for more than just kayaking.  Ultimately, it would be nice to have a greater plan for the region instead of multiple municipalities doing their own thing.  It will be important to get the message to people to make them feel this plan is in their own interest.  It’s all about getting people to buy in early, something that is continually done at CMAP.  The real question is:  Who’s going to do what?

Read more about the "My 2040" series.

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Northeastern Illinois to receive $25 million stimulus for energy retrofits

by Anne Holub
4/21/10

Today Vice President Joe Biden announced 25 awards nationally through the U.S. Department of Energy Retrofit Ramp-Up stimulus initiative. A regional collaboration led by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) -- in partnership with the City of Chicago and the City of Rockford, and with support from and suburban and regional stakeholders -- will receive $25 million to transform the market for carrying out energy-efficient retrofits to commercial and residential buildings in northeastern Illinois. The project is significant for its potential to reduce a large region's energy footprint and as a model for inter-jurisdictional collaboration. See our CMAP press release for full details.

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Monday Flickr Photo: April 19, 2010

"Crabapple" tree in Skokie, IL by Flickr user mmmmarshall from our pool.

The region's crabapple trees are all about to burst into bloom, but these buds, captured in Skokie, IL by Flickr user mmmmarshall, are ahead of the game. I can't wait to see all the petals on the trees (and then flying through the air). Remember you can add your snaps of springtime to our Explore Northeastern Illinois Flickr pool whenever you like.

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Upcoming FLIP Final Presentations

by Erin Aleman
4/15/10

In our last blog post about FLIP, Dru Williams-Clark talked about how great this year’s FLIP class has been.  We want to invite you to come see for yourself by joining us for the FLIP Final Presentation.  Over the past eight months, FLIP students have learned about issues that concern our region.  Students were divided into five teams each focusing on a different CMAP issue area; housing, transportation, economic development, the environment, and human services.  After a series of hands-on activities, field study, and research, FLIP students will present their findings to the board of CMAP and other key regional leaders who make key planning decisions in our communities.  Each team was required to develop a guidebook for high school youth that related to their specific area of study.

Join us as they present their projects on Tuesday, April 20, 2010 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the National Museum of Mexican Art located at 1852 W. 19th Street, Chicago, IL 60608.  Download the invitation. (Below are more of the students' project report covers.)

Directions for Public Transportation: Take the Pink Line to 18th and walk one block south on Paulina and one block west on 19th. For more information about the Museum, please visit: www.nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org

RSVP by contacting Diana Torres at dtorres@cmap.illinois.gov or 312-386-8774 by Monday, April 19. CMAP would like to thank the National Museum of Mexican Art for hosting the FLIP final presentations.

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Exploring the Union Pacific Proviso Yard with GO TO 2040 Partners

by Diana Torres
4/14/10

As CMAP begins to finalize the draft GO TO 2040 plan, we've been thinking about places in the region that are integral to our future. On April 9, 2010, we sponsored a tour to explore one planning-related site in our region: the Union Pacific Proviso Yard. Led by Union Pacific (UP) Illinois’ Tom Zapler, Public Affairs Director, this behind-the-scenes look at an intermodal facility in Melrose Park works around the clock to keep freight moving throughout our region. 

Union Pacific Railroad links 23 states in the western two-thirds of the country. Northeastern Illinois is the nation's busiest rail freight hub, with one-third of all U.S. rail freight passing through each day (about 37,500 freight cars). Consequently, the region's freight system is a critical component of the regional -- and national -- economy. In fact, we learned that in 2009, UP Illinois included over 2,200 miles of track and had over 3,500 employees with an annual payroll of $282.1 million. The Union Pacific Proviso Yard is a one of four intermodal terminals in the state of Illinois. In fact, Proviso is home to “Global II,” the largest of UP’s four major intermodal terminals in the state. Additional hubs in Illinois include “Global I” in downtown Chicago (South Western Avenue), “Global III” in Rochelle and the fourth terminal is on the south side of Chicago at Dolton. Currently, Union Pacific plans to add another intermodal terminal in Joliet.

In the GO TO 2040 plan, CMAP will recommend freight improvements to preserve this important regional asset. The preferred Regional Scenario recommends we maintain existing infrastructure of all types and gain operational efficiencies from it, make additional investments in transit and freight, use innovative and sustainable finance and system management ideas, link transportation investments with housing and land use, and encourage choices that result in livable, walkable, transit-supportive communities. CMAP's Regional Vision describes a future multi-modal transportation system that is "safe, accessible, easy to navigate, affordable, and coordinated with nearby land use," reduces congestion and improves regional mobility, and supports "reinvestment in our existing communities...leading to environmentally sensitive and fiscally efficient outcomes."

Additional tours will be announced as they become available. We hope you may join us for a spring/summer outing to Prairie Crossing in Grayslake, a prominent example of conservation design founded on a series of ten principles that respect the environment and promote environmental stewardship (date to be determined). To stay up-to-date on this and upcoming opportunities related to CMAP’s GO TO 2040 Plan, visit our partnership page and sign-up to be a GO TO 2040 Partner.

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Wrapping up a Great Year for FLIP

by Andrew Williams-Clark
4/13/10

The second year of CMAP’s Future Leaders In Planning (FLIP) program is drawing to a close with the final presentation event taking place at theNational Museum of Mexican Art on Tuesday, April 20, 2010 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.  All those interested are encouraged to attend (click here to RSVP).

Likewise, recruitment has begun for next year’s FLIP program with applications available online now.  All applications, references and essays must be postmarked or emailed by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, May 28, 2010.

It is with great pride that we look back on this year’s program and marvel on what our high school participants have experienced, learned and contributed to the future of the region.  In October, a group of mild mannered high school students descended upon The Ridge, where a capable staff broke the ice, thereby transforming them into a pack of precocious planners.  Later that same month, participants formed teams to focus on transportation, economic development, the environment, human services, land use and housing.  Expert volunteers guided each group on tours that included the Chicago Center for Green Technology, CTA control room, Bronzeville Farmers Market, City Farm and the Polish Triangle.

FLIP members exploring The Glen and Prairie Crossing in November 2009.

In November, former mayor of Glenview and CMAP housing committee member Nancy Firfer guided FLIP participants on a tour of The Glen.  Later that day, participants explored Prarie Crossing on foot, comparing and contrasting the two developments.  Based on that emersion experience, participants began to understand how the concepts of mixed use, transit oriented and conservation design are being implemented in the region.

FLIP participants began to frame their final projects in December.  Each group was charged with developing a presentation and guidebook to help high school students implement aspects of the Prefered Scenario, an interim product of the GO TO 2040 plan campaign.  They began by brainstorming activities, then moved to create their deliverables in January.

In February, participants had the opportunity to ask a group of experts any lingering questions to help inform project development.  Experts volunteered from various CMAP partner organizations, such as the Regional Transportation Authority, Chicago Jobs Council, Center for Neighborhood Technology, Congress for New Urbanism, Chicago Department of Public Health, Chicago Transit Authority, Oswego Community Unit School District 308, Voices for Illinois Children, and the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center at Northwestern University.  Regional businesses, such as Madison Realty Group, Winzeler Gear and Ghafari Associates also lent volunteer expert support from top executives.

In March, students finalized their presentations and guidebooks.  Each group then had the chance to practice their presentation in front of FLIP participants and CMAP staff for constructive criticism.  It was an incredible year and we’re looking forward to next year’s program with great anticipation.

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Tuesday Flickr Photo: April 13, 2010

Farm Landscape , Southwest of Chicago by Flickr user lithdailums7 .

by Lindsay Banks
4/13/10

Today's photo is a lovely sunset over the rural farm landscape on the southwest side of Chicago.  Hopefully, you've completed your taxes by now and can enjoy sunsets like this again. 

Our Monday (sometimes Tuesday or Wednesday) Flickr Photos are chosen from the Explore Northeastern Illinois photo pool.  Submit your photos today! 

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My 2040: Jay Moffat

By Diana Torres
4/7/10

Planning can be abstract, so the “My 2040” blog series aims to connect planning to real people throughout the region.  The following is one in a series of interviews with residents throughout the region.  The views expressed are not necessarily those of CMAP itself. To learn more about this series or to participate, please read more about the program.  

Special thanks to Jay Moffat for taking the time to share his thoughts and ideas with CMAP staff. 

Jay Moffat is a 22-year resident of Geneva in Kane County and has been a traffic controller for the Federal Aviation Administration at O’Hare International Airport for almost 20 years.  He also has volunteered with Geneva’s local planning commission for over 20 years.  Jay can be contacted directly at 630-262-6262 or jaymoffat@ameritech.net.

Q:  What aspect of GO TO 2040 excites you most and why?

A:  In the future, our region should promote density.  Looking at past history, cities tend to be clustered around train stops.  This allows people to get around with the train and transit system.  Many systems were [built] a century ago, and we are fortunate here to be able to look at growth patterns and plan appropriately. 

Q:  How does the GO TO 2040 preferred Regional Scenario connect to your community in terms of topics such as enhancing transportation options; increasing housing opportunities; addressing issues related to water, wastewater, storm water, open space, and energy; the importance of density in future development; investment in education and workforce development?

A:  I would prefer to see more densely packed developments along transportation lines.  It’s a Catch-22 in Geneva because the rail service had to put in a third rail line to park trains because they can’t get over the Fox River due to the two-track bridge.  We must balance freight movement.  As we can see with the Elgin/Joliet lines, these trains divide the communities and it’s a nightmare.  Not all communities have bridging capacities for trains, and nowadays we have increased train traffic, so the goal is to figure out how we move these trains [through our communities]. 

In addition, we have to maximize transportation.  To create a better transit-oriented region, we cannot cut routes like the CTA recently did. We need to promote multi-modal transportation, and while I am an advocate for walking and biking, there will be days when it’s 28 degrees out and blowing snow, so people won’t be looking to bicycle.  The same goes for when it is 100 degrees outside, these [bikers] will be a bit dehydrated.  We will not be able to have 100-percent participation from all bikers and walkers, but we can achieve this [having residents walk or bike] 75 to 80 percent of the time. 

Q:  Identify an issue that is important to you personally, your community or our region, and share how you think CMAP is addressing it in GO TO 2040.

A:  Geneva is about to celebrate its 175th anniversary, so we’re a mature community and should broaden our perspective to support transportation areas.  We have a chance to make changes now and need to do it right once, because if we goof it up, we’ll be stuck with the infrastructure in the future.  Some communities, like Arlington Heights, Mount Prospect, and LaGrange, have adaptively reused the land around existing trains to create multi-use retail, offices, and residential uses.  The residents have demonstrated they can down-size their homes to live near trains in these communities.  As a region, the number one priority is transportation, and [we need to] figure out how to move people from point A to point B two or three times a day.  People will have to accept longer commutes and we are bound by existing infrastructure and uses.  We have what we already have, and we have to be realistic about what we can change.  This may mean changing peoples’ behaviors and patterns. 

Q:  Are there additional recommendations for our region as we continue with the GO TO 2040 plan?

A:  It’s important to keep in mind the networks that already exist in our region.  For example, the water pipeline:  How does your water get to your house?  How does wastewater leave?  In the same way, we need to think about moving people through air and transit systems.  High-speed rail should be built at the Peotone airport site — an appropriate location to serve the region.  There’s no need for the train to be built in Chicago, and access can still be provided to Detroit, Minneapolis, and regional airports. 

Trucking depots should also be encouraged around the region.  This includes distribution centers like UPS and FedEx, where all materials are prepared for local distribution.  It would be great to see an increased use of buses, although they are not feasible for “exurbia.”  One idea is to use school buses during off-hours for supplemental use for transportation near commercial and office structures.  If we were to somehow have fees that were appropriately set by employers to pay, for example, $1 per person to transport [employees] between home and work or work and home, then a bus route could be accommodated.  The school buses are already on the roads and being used 52 weeks out of the year.

Q:  Please share any additional thoughts, ideas or comments you may have.

A: We need to look at zoning restrictions in each community.  For example, Geneva has historic preservation along the river and train lines and, consequently, we are prevented from maximizing land use.  We’re forced to choose between the charm and beauty of historic homes against the creation of mixed-use developments.  Although creating and preserving the individual character of each community is important, there are consequences to our decisions.

Read more about the "My 2040" series.

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Wednesday Flickr Photo, April 7, 2010

by Anne Holub
4/7/10   

Photo "ominous sky over turtle lake" by Flickr user Monika Thorpe from our pool.

This week's Flickr Photo, chosen from submissions to our Explore Northeastern Illinois Flickr Pool, is a great shot of this week's storm clouds gathering over Turtle Lake in Plainfield, Illinois which lies in Will County. I know that "April showers bring May flowers" and all, but it's still a bit scary getting caught out in thunderstorms! As you dry off and get outside to enjoy springtime in the region, don't forget you can submit photos to our pool anytime you like.

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Monday Flickr Photo: Mar. 29, 2010

34th street green line, IIT Campus, Chicago by Flickr user Kymberly Janisch.

by Lindsay Banks
3/29/10

Today's photo, by Kymberly Janisch, was taken from Green line CTA station at 34th St.  This tunnel above the McCormick Tribune Campus Center (as well as the center itself) was designed by Rem Koolhaas.  The IIT student center opened in 2003 as the first building in the US designed by the award-winning Dutch architect.  I like the bright colors captured in this photo of the stainless steel tube, which measures 530 feet long and serves as a muffler for the CTA trains that pass over the campus building. 

Our Monday Flickr Photos are chosen from the Explore Northeastern Illinois photo pool.  Submit your photos today! 

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Learning About Local Food

by Amy Talbot
3/26/2010

In the interest of learning about local healthy food, Sophia and I met up at the UIC Forum on the morning of Friday, March 12 to attend the 5th annual Chicago Food Policy Advisory Council (CFPAC) Summit.  Sophia Irizarry is a current FLIP student with an interest in food, specifically the food served in school lunches.  We spent the morning listening to several speakers including Tom Jennings, Illinois Department of Agriculture; Michael Dimock, Roots of Change Fund; Erika Allen, Growing Power; Jim Slama, Family Farmed and a representative from Goodness Greenness.  After the opening plenary Sophia and I attended “Youth and Good Food:  Challenges to Eating Well and Policies for Empowerment” -- a session led by Deborah Lapidus from Value [the] Meal and Amber and Arielle Thomas from God’s Gang.  The session highlighted barriers to affordable healthy food, such as food access and poverty.   Unhealthy foods such as processed foods and fast food restaurants are often more accessible to children.   

As part of the session, we were asked to introduce ourselves and say our favorite junk food as an icebreaker.  Without hesitation, I knew my answer…french fries.  I was glad to find out I was not alone in the room, along with many other answers of ice cream, burgers, candy bars and even a solitary answer of coffee.  Although we all have a guilty food pleasure or two, it is important to keep in mind that our bodies rely on the nutrients of what we consume on a daily basis.  Eating fresh nutritious whole foods, knowing where our food comes from and how it is produced empowers us to make better food choices and is a step in the right direction toward better health.  In sum, I enjoyed my morning at the summit and of course enjoyed the fresh local food that was served throughout the day.  I am definitely looking forward to next year’s events. 

The CFPAC Summit partnered with the 2010 Family Farmed Expo to provide a seamless event to promote local healthy food for our region and beyond.

About FLIP: The Future Leaders in Planning (FLIP) leadership development program provides students with tools and information so they can contribute to a better future for our region. Participants in this new program learn more about the northeastern region and share their thoughts with other teens from Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties. Participants also meet and interact with selected regional leaders who make key planning decisions in our communities. Applications are now being accepted for the next cohort of students; visit the FLIP page today.

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Earth Hour 2010 

Regents Park, submitted to our pool by Flickr user reallyboring.

by Lindsay Banks
3/26/10

Do you have plans for tomorrow night?  Why not incorporate Earth Hour into your plans? Turn a late dinner in front of the TV into a romantic candle-lit evening! 

For one hour on Saturday, March 27th, beginning at 8:30 p.m., you can celebrate the World Wildlife Fund's Earth Hour with millions of people from around the world.  This is the third year since its inception in Sydney, Australia as part of a global "campaign to encourage businesses, communities, and individuals to take simple steps needed to cut their emissions on an ongoing basis." So turn off your television, unplug your computer (and shut it down), unplug your chargers, and turn off the lights. 

Earth Hour will take place on Saturday, March 27th from 8:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

Last year, the Sears Tower, John Hancock, Navy Pier, and Wrigley field all dimmed their lights.  When I lived in a country with frequent power outages, my favorite electricity-free thing to do was to play a game of Clue by candlelight.  The hour will pass and you won't even realize it!  You could also take your camera out and get some good before and after shots of the skyline!

Submit photos of your Earth Hour experience to our Explore Northeastern Illinois photo pool! 

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My 2040: Judith McBrien

by Diana Torres
3/25/2010

Planning can be abstract, so the “My 2040” blog series aims to connect planning to real people throughout the region.  To learn more about this series or to participate, please read more about the program. 

Special thanks to Judith McBrien for taking the time to share her thoughts and ideas with CMAP staff.  Judith McBrien is director of The Archimedia Workshop.  For over 15 years she has written, directed, and produced programs about Chicago architecture for public television broadcast, as well as for a wide range of organizations concerned with the arts and environment, including the Art Institute of Chicago, the American Institute of Architects, the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust, and the Urban Land Institute.  McBrien is also the author of the best-selling Pocket Guide to Chicago Architecture.  She can be contacted directly at (312) 212-1492 or Judith@thearchmediaworkshop.org.

Setting the Stage for GO TO 2040
Judith McBrien’s passion for Chicago’s architecture has increased public understanding of Daniel Burnham’s impact as a city planner.  In 2005, she began work on a documentary to explore Burnham’s life, and her timing was perfect.  Initial planning efforts were already underway with The Burnham Plan Centennial, which celebrated the bold plans and big dreams of the Plan of Chicago that helped shape this region over the past 100 years.  Four years later, McBrien and Mary Morrissette produced the feature film, Make No Little Plans: Daniel Burnham and the American City.  The film was shown at Millennium Park as part of the Burnham Centennial celebration and will also be broadcast nationally on PBS this summer.  The film serves as a great introductory tool to understanding the origins of urban planning through the life and accomplishments of Daniel Burnham and helps to set the stage for the GO TO 2040 plan.

Looking Forward
In many ways, McBrien feels that her ‘community’ is the Daniel Burnham legacy.  In this context, she shares one significant parallel between the Plan of Chicago and the current efforts of the CMAP’s GO TO 2040 plan:  Regionalism.  Regionalism was clearly on Burnham’s mind when he created his plan, as can be seen in the book’s illustrations.  McBrien also observes how CMAP has adopted the notion that working together—with municipalities, elected officials, organizations and through issue areas—is vital to ensure a prosperous future.  “CMAP inherited Burnham’s legacy, the way of thinking that we are not an island and that we have to work together,” McBrien says. 

Continuing Burnham’s Legacies
There are two areas of Burnham’s work that need to be continued by CMAP, according to McBrien.  First, Burnham’s goal to secure the lakefront and open spaces to be utilized by the public is also the “same as CMAP[‘s],” McBrien says.  In many ways, the GO TO 2040 plan encourages the preservation of open space and use of greenways, trails and waterways throughout the region for use by residents.  CMAP’s recently updated Northeastern Illinois Regional Greenways and Trails Plan envisions a network of stream- and land-based green corridors and almost 2,700 miles of existing and multi-use trails throughout the seven-county region.   Second, Burnham’s emphasis on transportation networks is also a key aspect of GO TO 2040.  McBrien states, “as for regional transportation networks [in the Plan of Chicago], they knew a century ago that freight lines should be consolidated, bringing goods in and out of the city.  It’s still an issue today.”  McBrien is correct—freight congestion will be addressed in the GO TO 2040 plan. 

One Region
One of Burnham’s strengths was his understanding of connecting the City of Chicago to the greater region.  McBrien shares that transportation is important, “not only for manufacturing [needs] but also [for creating] interstates and connections.  [The planners of Burnham’s day] understood that outer rings and suburbs were important even though the plan was published in 1909 and there were not many cars.”  At CMAP, the region’s transportation system is an essential component of residents’ quality of life, and the GO TO 2040 plan will make recommendations for public transportation, automobiles and highways, and other modes, including walking and bicycling.

A Public Effort
In terms of differences between the plans, McBrien points out that unlike the Plan of Chicago, the GO TO 2040 plan is being created with more public involvement.  While the Plan of Chicago was written by a small group, CMAP incorporated public engagement efforts to increase the agency’s understanding of the region’s wants and needs for GO TO 2040.  (For more details about the CMAP’s public engagement efforts related to GO TO 2040, read this press release.) McBrien also identifies that a few issues like housing and human services were not covered in the Plan of Chicago, though they will be in GO TO 2040.  As CMAP forges into the next century of regional planning, McBrien sees how this agency is seizing the “opportunity to have great ideas from the planning professionals and grass-roots groups to reach out to all groups and communities to integrate into the plan.”

(Photos courtesy of Judith McBrien.) Read more about the "My 2040" series.

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Reflections of a FLIP Participant

by Lauren Armendariz-Bast, FLIP student (Senior at Waubonsie Valley High School)
3/23/10

Bronzeville Community Tour, Economic Development Group (Photos by Lauren Armendariz-Bast).

From meeting with a college professor to teach us about the Burnham Initiative to personally interviewing CEOs and other specialists from the region, I feel that we've hit the jackpot of high school student opportunities. We learn about urban planning on a whole new level. Before FLIP, I would walk past an empty lot and think nothing of it. Now, I ask myself questions such as “what are the economic benefits of this lot?," "why is it empty?" and "how could this lot benefit the area?" This program provokes us to observe, analyze and problem solve because we learn how planning works in the real world. 

About FLIP: The Future Leaders in Planning (FLIP) leadership development program provides students with tools and information so they can contribute to a better future for our region. Participants in this new program learn more about the northeastern region and share their thoughts with other teens from Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties. Participants also meet and interact with selected regional leaders who make key planning decisions in our communities. Applications will soon be accepted for the next cohort of students; visit the FLIP page today.

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Monday Flickr Photo: Mar. 22, 2010

Bridge,Grant Woods, Lake County Forest Preserves by Flickr user monica666.

by Lindsay Banks
3/22/10

Today is World Water Day, held annually on March 22nd to advocate for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.  

Today's photo pick was taken in Grant Woods of Lake County Forest Preserves - one of the largest forest preserves in Lake County.  Our region's wetlands serve an extremely important role in protecting our freshwater resources; they filter and clean our water, mitigate the effects of floods, and make up the habitat to a variety of plants and animals that cannot survive on dry land. More than half of the wetlands in the US have been lost to human activity and development.  Without this valuable ecosystem function, we would see increases in flooding and pollution levels in our lakes, rivers, and tributaries.  It's hard to believe that something so beautiful could be taken for granted!

In January, the Regional Water Supply Planning Group voted unanimously to approve CMAP's Regional Water Supply / Demand Plan, created to consider the future water supply needs of northeastern Illinois and to develop plans to sustainable manage our water supply. 

Our Monday Flickr Photos are chosen from the Explore Northeastern Illinois photo pool.  Submit your photos today! 

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Monday Flickr Photo: March 15, 2010

"Maple Sap Bucket, Coral Woods Conservation Area" by Flickr user phototravel1 from our pool.

It's great to remember that with the end of winter comes unique treats, like real maple syrup. Today's photo is a reminder that even though the temperatures are slowly creeping up the thermometer, there's no rushing the dripping of maple sap from these trees just south of Marengo, IL in the Coral Woods Conservation Area maintained by the McHenry County Conservation District. 

As you're getting outside and taking pictures of your region, feel free to add your photos to our Explore Northeastern Illinois Pool on Flickr. You just might have your photo featured here some Monday in the future.   

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Fix a Leak Week

by Amy Talbot
3/11/10

March 15-21, 2010, is officially Fix a Leak Week, sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.  Every year minor household leaks contribute to more than a trillion gallons of wasted water!  That’s an average of 10,000 gallons a year per household on running toilets, dripping faucets, and other household leaks -- enough to fill a backyard swimming pool.  Many of these leaks can be easily fixed and can save homeowners more than 10 percent on their water bills.

So what can you do?

• Keep your home leak-free by repairing dripping faucets, toilet valves and showerheads.  In most cases, fixture replacement parts don’t require a major investment.
• Retrofit your home with new WaterSense labeled fixtures and other high-efficiency appliances, which can eliminate most common leaks.
• Join others from around the country and pledge to fix your leaks. 
• Check for other water savings tips at the Fix a Leak Week website (http://www.epa.gov/watersense/fixaleak).
• Test your water sense with a fun online game.

CMAP will help the DuPage Water Commission to staff two Fix a Leak Week events, featuring water conservation games like Water Quest and the Price is Right.  By attending, you can learn how to save water and money!  Prizes include leak detection tablets, shower timers, rain gauges, and more. 

March 13 at the Itasca Community Library, Community Room, 500 W. Irving Park Road, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

March 20 at the Westmont Water Department, 39 E. Burlington Avenue, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

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Monday Flickr Photo: March 8, 2010

by Anne Holub
3/8/10

Photo by Flickr user jwhite jwhite from our pool.

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.

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The Future of our Region

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.  The Centennial's Kids Portal contains many wonderful resources for young people, from letters to Chicago's Mayor Daley on ideas for making the city better to the hands-on "Build it with Burnham" event in Kenosha. 

With your help, CMAP wants to continue this legacy of youth outreach.  At noon on Friday, March 12, 2010, CMAP will host the second of its bi-weekly collaborative brownbag sessions with our GO TO 2040 Partners.  This session will focus on youth initiatives, beginning 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 identify opportunities to collaborate on educating and inspiring students the GO TO 2040moves toward implementation.  Whether that means providing expert speakers, 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 learn more about upcoming brownbags or to become a GO TO 2040 Partner, please visit www.goto2040.org/partnership.aspx. To sign up for a session, please contact Joey-Lin Silberhorn, 312-386-8814 or jsilberhorn@cmap.illinois.gov. 

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Posted by: Harold L. Lucas on 03/05/2010

Monday Flickr Photo: Mar. 1, 2010

by Lindsay Banks
3/01/10

Today's Flickr photo "Casting Shadows " is a beautiful, snowy coastline shot from Monika Thorpe .  Wouldn't it be nice if we had more blue skies like this?  It would sure help us get through the winter. 

Our Monday Flickr Photos are chosen from the Explore Northeastern Illinois photo pool.  Submit your photos! 

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Win Tickets to See "Beautiful City"

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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Let's Move to Eliminate Food Deserts

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.

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"You Can Make History"

Excerpts from Patrick T. Reardon’s Remarks for the January 21, 2010 CMAP Open House

By Patrick T. Reardon
2/25/10

If you look at a satellite view of this part of the globe, you can see the deep blue of Lake Michigan and the unbroken sweep of the landscape. It shows our region as a single fabric, closely woven, each thread linked to every other. It doesn’t show government boundaries.  They are invisible because, in the natural world, they don’t exist. 

You probably live in one neighborhood or town and work in another and shop at a mall in a third and visit friends in a fourth.  You don’t pay a lot of attention to invisible governmental boundaries as you go about your life. For you, it’s all one landscape, all one region. At this beginning of the 21st century, we need to recognize this fact…We are the people of a region. We share this section of the earth together.  And we are at a turning point in our history. 

We have the opportunity today to begin to refashion our region.  We can start to make it greener, healthier, economically stronger and more beautiful, and give ourselves and future generations richer lives. Now is the moment. 

In 2009, our region celebrated the 100^th anniversary of the Plan of Chicago, called the Burnham Plan for its primary author Daniel Burnham. In more than 1,000 events over the course of the year, the people of the region gathered together to look at the amazing impact of that 164-page document -- and to think boldly about the future. The Burnham Plan reshaped Chicago and the suburbs and created the modern field of urban planning.  Even more, it taught this region and the rest of the world a lesson:  If you plan for the future, you can make it better. It's still true today: If we plan for the future, we can make it better. 

The Burnham Plan Centennial set the stage for the effort this year to create the first-ever comprehensive plan for the seven counties of northeastern Illinois. It’s called the GO TO 2040 plan and it’s being put together by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. This document will be the first to integrate planning and policies covering the use of land, the treatment of the environment, the movement of people and goods, the education of children, the fairness of decisions and the quality of life of the region’s eight million residents -- and the more than ten million expected to be living here three decades from now. 

But Illinois is a place where politics is a slash-throat, take-no-prisoners blood sport.  And narrow-gauge, small-minded politics could doom this unprecedented effort to make our future better. We need to commit as a region -- as the people of a region -- to thinking broadly.  We need to work together to improve the quality of our lives in the coming years. We need to support CMAP’s effort to create and implement the GO TO 2040 plan. 

For more than 30 years, Patrick T. Reardon was the urban affairs writer and a feature writer at the Chicago Tribune. He wrote articles exploring the interconnectedness of the region including topics like the urban underclass, public housing, the Chicago public schools, middle-class migration out of the city and the cultural and social aspects of urban sprawl. He has lectured on Chicago history for the Chicago History Museum and on journalism for Northwestern University, DePaul University and Roosevelt University. During 2009, He was the writer of the Burnham Blog at the Burnham Plan Centennial website. He is a scholar in residence at the Newberry Library and the author of three books.
 

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"Decarbonizing" the Loop

by Erin Aleman
2/24/10

As part of the Chicago Climate Action Plan, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill architects have taken the first step in determining how Chicago’s Loop could reduce its massive carbon footprint. The first phase of this process looks at strategies that will help the City in achieve a 25-percent reduction in carbon emissions. You can read and see some cool visuals of their process via World Architecture News and Inhabit.

CMAP, too, has been thinking about how the region can play a role in this process and what which strategies GO TO 2040 will need can use to bring about regional change. We’ve been working with the Center for Neighborhood Technology to inventory the region’s emissions in a newly posted strategy report entitled, the Chicago Region Greenhouse Gas Baseline Inventory and Forecast [PDF].

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