| | by Anne Holub
5/29/09 This morning brought the launch of the first of many GO TO 2040 Invent the Future kiosks that will be popping up around the region this summer. You can visit it and Get Involved in the future of metropolitan Chicago. The kiosk is located on the Franklin Street side of the Sears Tower (located at 233 S. Wacker Drive). You can also keep your eyes peeled for more kiosks at locations near you this summer. And, starting June 1, you can visit us here online at GO TO 2040 and use our exciting new interactive tool to create your own scenario of what you think the region should look like in the year 2040. Check out more pictures of the kiosk at our Flickr page.  permalink  |
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| | by Shana Alford
5/20/09 At the “Healthy Communities Expo” on Friday, May 8th at Waubonsee Community College in Kane County, public health was intricately linked to community planning by several experts, including Dr. Richard Jackson, author of Urban Sprawl and Public Health. Local and regional planners were called to action to reconsider physical planning and its direct impact on public health, including one very critical health issue, obesity. Obesity is a national health issue that has worsened over the last three decades. Today, 24 percent of Illinois residents are obese. Another 33 percent of people are overweight. Moreover, obesity can lead to several other health issues such as diabetes. The physical design of communities is contributing to our dependence on vehicles, which has been directly linked to declining physical activity among our population, especially children. The physical location of housing, parks, schools, and retail influences our travel habits and routines. As emphasized at the conference, it is important to design neighborhoods in a way that will encourage exercise, access to healthy foods, and interaction with the environment, not just through a car window. What can planners and local governments do? CMAP, as a regional agency representing over 280 municipalities, has completed reports analyzing the effects of open space & parks, conservation design, urban design, improvements in school siting, and improved bicycle infrastructure around the region. With more awareness about the importance of planning for healthy communities, changing our development patterns may be the determining factor for attracting residents, and keeping existing residents healthy and happy. permalink  |
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| This is an interesting correlation that the author brings to our attention. We often times don't associate the physical health of residents with the physical design of our communities; however, I think this is an area that we all need to become more aware of. In my opinion, children are more likely to go to the park and play if one is readily accessible. Otherwise, video games and television would be the likely alternatives. This can, in turn, contribute to a more sedentary lifestyle for children and adults alike.
Posted by: Administrator on 05/26/2009 |
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| Randy Blankenhorn, Ashley Carboni-Crews,
and Gail Hartsough |
by Diana Torres
5/18/09 On Thursday, May 7, Bloom Trail High School held a Bold Ideas Contest at the school. Bold Ideas is an opportunity for high school students to contribute their ideas and reflections on how to improve the metropolitan Chicago area. This contest is organized by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) and students are encouraged to share their hopes, dreams and visions of our region’s future through performances and readings, posters, and video. As we prepare for the year 2040, the Bold Ideas contests provide an insight to what our region’s youth are thinking.
Congratulations to the winners of the Bloom Trail High School Bold Ideas Contest:
Best Overall Project: Ashley Carboni-Crews, for a Model and Poster entitled “City of the Future” (Prize: $100)
Best Poster, Presentation or Model: Ashley Carboni-Crews, for a Model and Poster entitled “City of the Future” (Prize: $100)
Best Song, Rap, or Spoken Word: Ken Carothers, Litterial Morgan, Erin Clanton & Crystal Daniels for their song entitled “Influence” (Prize: $100)
Best Video or Digital Presentation: Doug Montgomery & Berto Hererra for their music video entitled “GOTO 2040” (Prize: $100)
Best Demonstration: Fidel Morales, Marcie Castillo, Amanda Kluck & Tanya Flores for their project entitled “Urban Development” (Prize: $100)
Randy Blankenhorn, Executive Director of CMAP, talked about the planning work currently underway with the GO TO 2040 Comprehensive Plan and presented the winners with prizes. Judges for the competition included Bloom Trail High School teachers and administrators, as well as some audience participation. Special recognition is extended to Gail Hartsough, Division Coordinator for Math & Science at Bloom Trail High School, who helped coordinate the Bold Ideas Contest. For more information about the Contest held at Bloom Trail High School, please contact Janet Bright at 312-386-8748 or jbright@cmap.illinois.gov.
Additional Bold Ideas Contests are being held in other community high schools, including Highland Park High School, Waukegan High School, Westmont High School, Bolingbrook High School and UNO Veteran’s Memorial High School. Information about all the contests will be posted soon! For more information about Bold Ideas, please click here.
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Comments (1)
| I was wondering if you had the video you took when the people were presenting their projects?
And if you had any other pictures of the projects.
Posted by: Administrator on 09/23/2009 |
| | Applications for next year’s FLIP program, beginning in the Fall of 2009, are due June 26! Click here to learn more. April 23rd marked the Future Leaders in Planning (FLIP) Final Presentation. FLIP participants have been exposed to issues of transportation, land use, environment and natural resources, housing, economic development and human services. One of the participants, Lois Kanter, had this to say about her experience. We think it’s a great summary of the program.  | | FLIP participant: Lois Kanter |
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a regional planner? My name is Lois Kanter and this winter I had the opportunity to find out what regional planning for the Chicagoland area is all about through a program called Future Leaders in Planning. Through FLIP, I participated in many activities, met plenty of new and exciting people, and learned a lot too.
One of the most important things I learned so far is that there are many different sides of planning. That’s why at our first FLIP meeting, everyone was divided into 5 topic groups. They are environment, transportation, housing, human services, and economic development. Each group then headed off to a destination specific to their topic. My group, which is environment, went to the Greater Chicago Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) in Calumet and the Chicago Center for Green Technology. At the next FLIP meeting, we all went to a planning meeting in Hyde Park, and got to see citizens and planners working together for the betterment of the community. Then we got to try out planning ourselves, by presenting development proposals to a mock City Council. Finally, at our last meeting we each talked to experts in one or more fields. I was able to talk to Treenen Sturman, the Manager of Science Education for the Chicago Botanic Garden and John Perrecone of the US EPA.
While participating in FLIP, I’ve met many interesting people. At MWRD, the plant manager told me about the daily workings of the plant. At the Hyde Park planning meeting we were able to meet and interview Hyde Park residents. We also got to see architects and planners in action, as they worked to help the residents decide what was best for their community. And finally, Treenen Sturman and John Perrecone both gave me new insights on the environment and a lot of other interesting information.
The best thing about FLIP is that while I’ve been having all this fun, I’ve also been learning. As I mentioned before, one of the most important things I’ve learned is that there are many different sides to planning. For example, when you put in a shopping mall, you have to consider how it would impact the environment, local businesses, residents, and traffic patterns, just to name a few criteria. I never knew how much consideration development requires. I’ve also learned many important life skills too. I learned how to better work in a group and how to give presentations as a group. I also learned how interview someone.
As you can see, I’ve done a lot, met many new people, and gained a lot of new skills and information while being involved in FLIP. I’ve also had a lot of fun too. I know that the experiences and skills I have learned in this program will help me in the future.
About FLIP: The Future Leaders in Planning (FLIP) program is designed to introduce high school participants from the region to a wide range of urban planning issues and engender a sense of citizenship and investment in the metropolitan area. Participants will are exposed to current regional concerns through a variety of means—expert interviews with professionals, field visits, multimedia tools and classroom instruction—and ultimately present their findings and recommendations to the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) Board at the completion of the program in the Spring of 2009. permalink |
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| | by Lindsay Banks
5/14/09 CMAP is excited to unveil the new GO TO 2040 promotional posters, designed by Marybeth Failla (email). I personally like them so much that I might have a couple framed! Click on the images below to see larger versions. The posters measure 11" x 17". If you, or your organization, would like some to hang or hand out, please contact Joey-Lin Silberhorn (312-386-8814 or jsilberhorn@cmap.illinois.gov).
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Comments (5)
| Totally cool graphics.
"Have your say" should prove to be a good campaign slogan for the summer.
Double kudos.
When are the posters available?
Posted by: Administrator on 05/14/2009 |
| Thanks, Robert. The posters should be available at the end of the month, and we will be distributing them around the region and doing regular "giveaways." I'll keep you posted!
Posted by: Administrator on 05/15/2009 |
| Really amazing graphics & design! Best of luck to the campaign.
Posted by: Administrator on 05/20/2009 |
| Exceptional in concept and graphic design!
Posted by: Lois McPartlin on 08/03/2009 |
| You can order a free set of posters from CMAP! Details here: http://www.goto2040.org/postergiveaway/
Posted by: Anne on 08/03/2009 |
| | by Lindsay Banks
5/7/09 It appears as though the nice weather has encouraged a lot of bicyclists to dust off their Schwinn’s, grease their chains, and join the rest of us in our daily bicycle commute! I think that means it is time for a little update on bicycle resources and events in the region. - For starters, the annual Bike the Drive ride is just around the corner and the registration deadline to avoid late fees is Thursday, May 7th. The ride takes place on May 24th and we can only hope for weather as beautiful as last year.
- Online bicycling communities are thriving! The Chainlink is one of the area’s great ones with over 1,500 members. The website has message boards, photos, a calendar of events, and other resources. The Chicagoland Cycling Meetup group is another great online community with tons of casual rides throughout “Chicagoland.” It’s a fun way to meet fellow cyclists (over 1,000 members!) and explore the region on two wheels. I’m a member of both!
- Bike to Work Week is June 13-19! Active Transportation Alliance already has 150 teams registered for the annual Bike to Work Week. Who won last year’s challenge in the category of public agencies with 100 – 499 employees? Oh yes, CMAP did! Do you think your agency or company can beat us this year? Sign up here.
- For bicyclists in Chicago, the Bike Chicago website has a ton of great links to biking resources.
- Ride the City is a website that allows you to type in to and from addresses and it tells you the best bicycling route. It is currently under development for Chicago, but active for New York City. They are looking for feedback on the Chicago version, so check it out and tell them what you think of their routes!
- And if you feel like creating your own maps, check out www.mapmyride.com
So whether you are a year-round bike commuter or a recreational bike trails person, there is a lot to do in this region and lots of information online. Be safe and have fun! Send me links to any other resources that I didn’t include and I’ll add them! permalink |
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| | by Shana Alford When we talk about sports, or watch the sports channel, we don’t usually think about fishing and hunting, but having these recreational sports increases our quality of life in the region. A recent news release highlighted data from the National Survey of Fishing, Hunting & Wildlife, discussed the economic impact of fishing and hunting in Illinois.
The survey data showed that in 2006, 1.1 million hunters and anglers in the state of Illinois spent an average of $3.3 million per day for a total of $1.2 billion. The survey report also shares that there were almost 1 million wildlife watching participants that were either tourists or residents of Illinois (2006). The recently posted Waterways Strategy Report [PDF] looks at this in more detail for northeastern Illinois, where over 34,000 hunting licenses and 200,000 fishing licenses are sold. Our region boasts some of the Midwest’s best hunting and fishing opportunities, not to mention all of the state’s Great Lakes coastline. It is also home to several thousand rivers and streams, and the paddlers who take advantage of them.
This type of activity stimulates the local economy and increases job opportunities, often in a manner which promotes the protection of water quality and open space. Also, community character and vitality benefit from these recreational activities, as they provide a wide range of involvement for all ages, incomes, and skill levels.
The uniqueness of fishing and hunting as sports are intertwined with priorities of the region such as open space, waterway management [PDF], and ecosystem restoration, which are important regional planning issues. So next time we think about sports, we can look beyond the homeruns and field goals, and consider how important our natural resources are to the regional economy.
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Comments (2)
| Shana, thanks for shedding light on this topic. As a Chicagoan, I get a kick out of the old guys (and some young guys) who fish in some of the Chicago Park District parks (Washington, Jackson, Garfield, etc.). But this is important, not just in Chicago, but throughout the region, especially as summer approaches and as children need more OUTSIDE recreational options to constructively pass the time away. I hope that more people pick this up and see the value in strengthening our neighborhood and regional streams and ponds. Good work, Shana!!!
Posted by: Administrator on 05/05/2009 |
| Thank you Mike for your comment!
Posted by: Administrator on 05/14/2009 |
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