| | Lessons from Stockholmby Randy Blankenhorn
6.30.08 I used to be one of those that said we can’t take a whole lot of stock in how other cities/regions address issues because it is so hard to compare them to Chicago. But since I have come into this job, I have found that there is a lot that we can learn, even if we can’t implement things exactly the same way.  I recently returned from a tour of housing, public transit and roadway pricing in Stockholm with people from the Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC), New York and San Francisco. The first surprise was the express train from the airport to downtown. It is a high-speed train that goes directly from the terminal to downtown with no intermediate stops. It took twenty minutes and the ride was incredibly smooth. One of the first questions we all asked ourselves was whether residents, businesspeople and tourists would spend the equivalent of about $35 to get from O’Hare to downtown in fifteen minutes. It was a public/private partnership where the government helped with the construction and the private operator has the ability to charge the fee that they think will maximize ridership and profits. To me, it appeared to be a success. We toured a 5000-unit housing complex that is on the site where they had planned to put the Olympic village had they been successful in winning the 2012 summer games that will instead be held in London. The first thing that struck me was the number of children and strollers walking through the common green space at 10:00 a.m. When they designed the complex, they thought that there wouldn’t be many families, but there are so many that they have had to build an elementary and high school. The development uses 50-percent less energy than normal construction and had almost no construction waste. There are a number of transit options in and adjacent to the development, where very few of the residents own cars. All of the trash is collected through a vacuum system that goes underground to recycling or incineration plants. Each unit, or group of units, has four receptacles for three kinds of recyclables and one for non-recyclables. For transportation issues, we toured their intelligent transportation center and were briefed on Stockholm’s congestion pricing program-- how they implemented it and the politics involved. They certainly have had success in reducing the central city congestion and seem to have won over the residents regarding its value. There are some elements that wouldn’t work in northeastern Illinois, but we need to keep thinking about the concept. Overall, Stockholm is a beautiful, old city that is growing fairly rapidly. They walk and bike everywhere and 77 percent of their work trips are made by transit. The school system in the City is considered superior to that in the suburbs which causes social issues as many, if not most, young families can’t afford to live in the City. In some cases, it is hard to make direct comparisons to Chicago, as Stockholm is 800,000 people and the entire region is two million. But all major metropolitan areas are facing similar problems, and we can always learn from the success and the failure of others.
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| | Midwest Flooding Damages Farmlandby Shana Alford
6.24.08 Heavy flooding this month has caused serious damage in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin. Much of the damage was due to levee breaches along the Mississippi River, the second longest river system in the U.S. There were many disastrous outcomes including death, loss of homes and businesses and in some cases entire neighborhoods. The damage is adding up quickly and is estimated to be billions of dollars. Another very threatening result is that millions of acres of farmland were engulfed by floodwaters. The US Army Corps of Engineers identified 48 levees along the Mississippi from Dubuque, IA to St. Louis protecting over 285,000 acres of farmland that are already under water or at high risk of flooding.
What does this mean? Well, this means that there is very likely to be inflation in food prices and a lower supply of specific crops. This not only affects US consumers but also global consumers. Iowa and Illinois produce approximately 1/3rd of the US supply for corn and soybean; both crops are highly valuable because of their multi-uses. You may think, well I don’t buy corn or soybeans. But think again, because you probably do. There are hundreds of products that use some form of corn or soybean. Corn is used for a range of household items from cooking oil to industrial alcohol. Soybean, like corn, is used for foods and many other products too, from baked goods to cosmetics!
Let’s all hope that the Midwest can recover from this massive flood! Damage has yet to be assessed, but costs could be similar to the 1993 floods that cost the region over $20 billion in damage. Also, we cannot forget the damage from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Hopefully one outcome from these disasters will be much needed attention on improved engineering and planning around natural waterways such as the Mississippi River. It is usually during these times that we realize and reflect, even if for a few seconds, on how powerful nature is and how much our lives are interdependent on the health and productivity of the Earth. |
Comments (2)
| With climate changes bound to happen, the probability for abnormally high rains and droughts are high.
Do the storm drainage and water/power supply systems, Health and trasporation systems in cities cater for such disasters? Are there any steps being taken to mititgate this risk?
Would Chicago be prepared for a Katrina like disaster by 2040?
Posted by: Administrator on 07/01/2008 |
| Mani, Good question. Hopefully a regional comprehensive plan will better prepare many cities for disasters and command attention to transportation systems. The key issue is preparation and planning for highly probable events, in this case this means weather patterns.
Posted by: Administrator on 07/03/2008 |
| | Latinos and Planning for the Future by Diana Torres
6.20.08 On the morning of June 5th, Randy Blankenhorn and I went to the recording studio and each taped segments for a CAN TV show. We each sat down with Carina, a host of CAN TV’s Community Forum to talk about the GO TO 2040 Campaign and the ways in which communities can get involved in the process. Some of you may have seen some of these programs on Chicago Access Network Television which (according to their website) focus on the issues and concerns of Chicago nonprofit organizations in areas of health care, economic development, arts, education, immigration, labor, domestic violence, and other community concerns.
While Randy did his segment in English, Carina and I spoke Spanish for her show Perspectivas Latinas, a weekly Spanish-language forum. This show highlights the important task before CMAP to not only recognize the Latino population in the region, but also proactively inform and engage Spanish-speakers into the process. Latinos comprise a large portion of our region’s population and this interview provided a direct opportunity to introduce the GO TO 2040 campaign and promote the ways in which Latino communities can participate in the process.
Some facts about Latinos in the region: - Today, one in every five people in metropolitan Chicago is of Latino origin (counties include Cook, DuPage, Lake, Kane, McHenry and Will).
- In 2006, 79% of all Latinos in our metropolitan area were of Mexican origin, followed by Puerto Ricans (9%). The remaining 12% of Latinos were made up of South Americans, Central Americans, Dominicans, Cubans, and other Hispanic/Latinos.
- In all, 1.7 million of our region’s residents are Latinos.
The metropolitan region is diverse and all groups and communities are welcome to learn more about the planning process so they can contribute to improving the lives of future generations. Ways to get involved include engaging with this website’s features and documents (congratulations, reader!), setting up and/or participating in a community conversation (contact me if you’re interested: dtorres@cmap.illinois.gov), and learning more about the CMAP initiatives and services. Y para los Latinos: Espero que aprovechen de la oportunidad de representar su comunidad en este proceso—estamos aqui para ver como quieren cambiar y impactar el futuro.
Stay tuned to CAN TV, Chicago: The shows will air in mid-July and will be broadcast for one year! |
Comments (3)
| Interesting that the Latino voice is so important, but the agency hasn't invested in translating the website content to Spanish. Actions speak louder than words.
Posted by: Administrator on 06/26/2008 |
| We are working to address this! We have a lot of translated content that will soon be available in Spanish on the website.
Posted by: Administrator on 06/26/2008 |
| We are happy to announce our Spanish page is live and available for viewing: http://www.goto2040.org/ideazone/default.aspx?id=9556
Thanks for your patience!
Posted by: Administrator on 07/24/2008 |
| | It’s All Relative by Stephen Ostrander
6.11.08 The first time I located my home on CMAP’s Regional Map of Metropolitan Chicago, it took me a moment to recalibrate my perspective. Having always lived within the City of Chicago, my neighborhood of Rogers Park resided at the outer limits of my mental map, and so I found myself thinking Stephen, that’s not Rogers Park—it’s Lake Forest. Go in closer...Wow—on this large map, I live only about three inches from work! In my daily commute on the CTA Red Line, traversing those three inches can take quite a while. But perhaps to folks living farther out in our expansive region, my hour commute would seem tiny. It’s all relative. And distance is not the only factor: as anyone who has ridden both Metra and the CTA will confirm, velocity can transform the relationship between distance and time. Other elements can also have a transformative effect—on perception. For me, a good podcast can make time stop, and my commute fly by. I experienced this phenomenon the other day while listening to a podcast of Radio Lab, which explored the concept of time. Touching on Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, the hosts discussed how one’s velocity transforms time, and speculated that to a whale—its heart beating only about ten times per minute—our pace of movement would probably seem extremely rapid. But to a hummingbird, our pace must seem glacial. As I walked through the Loop toward work, it struck me that this was an apt metaphor for what I experience in my work as a planner for CMAP. For example, the mode of our work on behalf of the Go To 2040 Plan might best resemble the seemingly slow but steady progress of the whale. Meanwhile, communities in the region often have more immediate needs, which demand speedy, hummingbird-like resolution. At other times, especially in my work providing technical assistance to communities, I seem to resemble the hummingbird, darting around the region to meet with different municipalities, whose local realities and long-term priorities might possess a slower velocity than those of the region as a whole. In a sense, we are trying to harmonize the velocity of the whale, the human, and the hummingbird. It’s not easy! The Go To 2040 Regional Vision represents the unifying—and hopefully harmonious—themes of that effort at the macro level, while in the current research phase we are exploring the convergence of the region’s natural and man-made landscape, the lives lived upon it, and other forces at both the macro and micro level. It’s a matter of understanding the interconnections between elements, at different levels of scale, which reminds me of another segment of that Radio Lab podcast, featuring a sound artist who had slowed down Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, stretching it out from its usual 70 minutes to a full 24 hours. To the surprise of patient listeners, the slower velocity transformed the composition, revealing new elements formerly hidden within its expanded landscape of sound. The level of scale determines your perspective, and what is visible (or audible, in the case of the 24-hour long Ninth Symphony). A compelling demonstration of this principle is Charles and Ray Eames’ iconic short film Powers of Ten, which provides a vivid depiction of scale. Beginning with an aerial view of a man reclining on a blanket after a picnic next to Soldier Field (at right), it zooms the audience out—by powers of ten—all the way to 100 million light years from Earth, before zooming back in, ending at a proton in the nucleus of a carbon atom, beneath the skin on a hand of the sleeping man at the picnic. Fortunately, at CMAP we are unlikely to examine the region from either of these extreme scales, but it’s a nice reminder of what can be gained from changing one’s perspective. | 
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| | Chicago 2016by Randy Blankenhorn
6.9.08
With the announcement last week that Chicago was named one of four official Candidate Cities for the 2016 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Ga mes, much of the talk centers around what it would mean for the City, the Region and the State. How can we use this opportunity not only to showcase metropolitan Chicago to the rest of the world as a great place to live, play and do business, but also how does this impact many of the strategies that we are proposing to enhance our status as a world-class region?
While there are certainly opportunities to look at our transportation system and how we will move upwards of a million people a day to the Olympic venues and related sites, there is a chance to accomplish much more. How can we create new development that attracts residents and businesses to the City's south side? How can we create more recreational and open space opportunities for residents of the region? How can we leave a true legacy, which is part of the Olympic mission?
We can start by being bold. Let’s find new solutions to the challenges that we face as a region. Innovation is the watchword, and the Olympic Games offer us the perfect opportunity to think about issues differently. Throughout its history, metropolitan Chicago has had a number of seminal events that have defined its character, from famous fires to World’s Fairs, and each allowed us to create something new, special and unique. We need to take advantage of Chicago’s position as an Olympic Candidate City to let the region’s creative juices flow. The discussion must include a broad spectrum of residents who can help us plan for the future in a different way.
 We need to come together as a City, Region and State to support this effort. The Olympics is an opportunity for us to have the courage to make real and lasting change. But it won’t happen unless we are all in it together, unless we all have a stake in a better future. It is easy to do things the same way that we have always done them -- in fact, sometimes that seems to be the reason that we do them (“because that’s how it’s always been”). But this is a new century where the winners will be able to anticipate and adapt to change. We need to embrace change and make sure that all of northeastern Illinois is a winner. The Olympics can help us do just that.
Finally, we need to quit whining about our challenges and start to face up to them. Metropolitan Chicago has the foundation in place to be one of the great regions in the world. But whether it is lack of funding for our infrastructure, the education of our children, or the quality of our environment, we need to act. John Kao in a recent session on innovation said that, “We already ‘get it’, now is the time to get it done”. I believe the Olympics are the springboard to do just that.
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| | Bike to Work Weekby Lindsay Banks
6.5.08  IBM recently conducted a “commuter pain” survey which ranked Chicago fifth out of 10 U.S. cities for bad commutes. “Commuter pain” includes things  like commute-induced stress, time stuck in traffic, overall commute time, etc. This past weekend I used an I-Go car to drive to Lombard and was amazed at the amount of traffic I encountered on I-290 for a Saturday afternoon. It worsened when I got close to a street festival in my neighborhood, and I was so relieved when I finally got back to my bicycle. I can’t even imagine what it’s like for so many people who drive to work everyday during rush hour…something I've never had to do.
Next week (June 7-13) is Chicago Bike Federation’s annual Bike to Work Week. I highly encourage non-bike-commuters to dust off your old Schwinn and use this opportunity to see what it’s like to enjoy your daily commute. You get a workout, you feel great, and you’re doing something good for the environment. Maybe you don’t care about the environment—you’re taking a car off the road and reducing the stress level of those who are still suffering from “commuter pain.”
Bike to Work Week is a way for “newbies” to learn about bicycle commuting, taking the fear out of the experience. There will be various Commuter Stations throughout the week, including suburban locations. Also, there is a Bicycle Commuter Challenge to see which company can get the most workers biking to the office (or to a transit station). I know that CMAP has won in years past, but I believe we slipped to 2nd place last year. Hopefully, we’ll reclaim our title this year!
I reccommend Paul Dorn's Bike Commuting Tips for people looking to get started with the bike commute. CBF also has commuting guides to help you get to work safely, smelling fresh and clean. Your co-workers will thank you.
Don’t miss our Strategy Reports on car-sharing and bicycling, where we look at the impacts that various actions could have on our region. The "Commuter Pain" chart was taken from IBM's press release. |
Comments (2)
| I have always talked about riding my bike to work but never got around to it. Until today! Fear of getting run over in the crazy loop rush hour traffic was a big part of my hesitation, but it really was not that bad. My commute took less than half the time it takes when I take the train, and it is a great way to get the blood moving first thing in the morning. I will definitely be riding to work from now on! Thanks for the encouragement Lindsay!
Posted by: Administrator on 06/10/2008 |
| I'm glad that you were inspired to ride! Happy commuting!
Posted by: Administrator on 06/12/2008 |
| | Engaging Older Adults in the Regionby Diana Torres
6.3.08 On May 8, Hubert Morgan, Bob Dean and I hosted an Older Adult Summit to introduce and engage selected leaders of the older adult community into the GOTO 2040 regional planning process. This Leadership Community Conversation served not only as a significant beginning stage to better inform and structure future community conversations with older adult communities in the region, but also contributed to our planning process by aligning our respective mission areas.
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This invitation-only event consisted of 14 community leaders from various organizations and centers and demonstrated how engaging leaders from specific communities results in enlightening discussions and exchange of information. These 14 leaders want to voice the concerns of their communities in a proactive manner. There is an increasing need to actively engage this demographic in ways that promote healthy aging and allow for older adults to remain independent and ‘age in place.’ One idea is to make older adults the providers of services (instead of recipients), particularly in the realm of planning.
As an agency, CMAP aims to engage the older adult communities, and many other groups like them, into the regional comprehensive planning process. There are significant lessons learned from engaging diverse populations. By participating in this process, the needs and dreams of the older adult community may be better identified and will contribute to the regional comprehensive plan.
Future steps will include the continuous exchange of information to best integrate the needs of older adults in the planning process. Ultimately, the 14 participants’ experience, knowledge and expertise resulted in a better understanding and application of the older adult community’s needs, including issues such as aging in place, buildings with accessibility and universal design, opportunities for life-long learning, and improved infrastructure and transportation coordination.
CMAP looks forward to continuing the conversation with these leaders and sustaining our commitment to identifying and addressing the current and future needs of the older adult population. We also wish to extend a very special thank you to all the participants who contributed to a successful meeting. As part of the GO TO 2040 public participation effort, we will continue the dialogue to best capture and integrate the needs of the older adults in our region. Also, CMAP staff is working on a Snapshot Report on our Aging Population. |
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