The GO TO 2040 Partnership Program

The GO TO 2040 comprehensive regional plan will be based on a diverse and coordinated set of strategies to address projected population growth of 2.8 million new residents by 2040. The plan is rapidly nearing completion, and its implementation will begin in October 2010. The plan will address transportation, housing, economic development, open space, the environment, and other quality-of-life issues. The region has important decisions to make, and the need for action is immediate. As a region, we must seize this moment. With its GO TO 2040 plan, CMAP is prepared to lead with your support and involvement.

Become a GO TO 2040 Partner today! In the spirit of Daniel Burnham’s 1909 Plan of Chicago, CMAP is now entering a new phase in the planning process to make the Regional vision and the preferred Regional Scenario a reality. We look forward to working with individuals and organizations to continue positively impacting our region through good planning principles. To be successful, we will need the collaboration of communities, leaders, and institutions to improve the region’s quality of life.

See our current list of GO TO 2040 Partners. To join us please download and fill out a Partnership Form which you can fax or mail back to CMAP (you can also fill out this form online to submit via email). Submit forms to CMAP senior planner Erin Aleman (email ealeman@cmap.illinois.gov or fax form to 312-386-8817).

Why You Should Become a GO TO 2040 Partner

CMAP has various resources to offer our partners, including access to topical experts, presenters, and public engagement tools. We also welcome any requests to enhance our stakeholders’ understanding of our region through data collection, mapping and other visual tools. Being a partner of GO TO 2040 comes with its own benefits:

A link to your organization from the official GO TO 2040 campaign website, with a partner profile and details of upcoming activities related to your organization.

Access to CMAP executive director Randy Blankenhorn’s Weekly Update email that is targeted to key decision makers, such as mayors and other leaders, in the region.

Use of outreach and technical staff for meeting facilitation and agenda development relating to community involvement opportunities.

Inclusion on GO TO 2040 campaign marketing, public relations and other promotional materials, where appropriate.

Copies of GO TO 2040 campaign promotional brochures or other marketing materials to use for distribution to your members, potential members, and partners.

Special invitations and co-hosting opportunities for special events, workshops, and meetings sponsored by CMAP.

The GO TO 2040 Partnership Program is your source to get stakeholders, local governments, communities, neighbors, friends, families, and others working toward achieving the Regional vision. We thank you for your commitment to planning our region’s future.

Get Involved!

We encourage our partners to get involved in any of the following ways:

Get exclusive invitations to special quarterly events. This is an exclusive opportunity for GO TO 2040 Partners and will include Regional Tours and a series of events to unveil the final plan (October 2010). Partners will play a pivotal role with their ideas, enthusiasm and activities to furthering the GO TO 2040 campaign.

Be interviewed for the “My 2040” blog series. CMAP is seeking individuals from the seven-county region to participate in a new GO TO 2040 blog series, “My 2040.” We’re looking for residents interested in expressing their thoughts and willing to contribute to the GO TO 2040 blog by providing personalized responses to questions relating to their communities and the regional plan already underway at CMAP. To participate, please contact Diana Torres, External Relations Associate, at 312-386-8774 or dtorres@cmap.illinois.gov.

Organize a GO TO 2040 event of your own. Members of schools, libraries, community centers, rotary clubs, churches, business organizations – anyone can host an opportunity for constituents to learn more about issues around the region with expert panels, summits, and other opportunities. You can also read about the results of GO TO 2040 public participation efforts including the summer’s Invent the Future workshops and local fairs and festivals.

Co-host a Community Conversation. Get your organization’s membership involved. These can be carefully constructed dialogues that bring stakeholders together to discuss important and relevant issues about the GO TO 2040 plan. Conversations will be framed around strategy and implementation topics CMAP is currently analyzing and evaluating as recommendations for the GO TO 2040 Plan. Get information on past Community Conversations at our reports page. CMAP can provide materials and meeting facilitation for these discussion groups. Contact Diana Torres, External Relations Associate, at 312-386-8774 or dtorres@cmap.illinois.gov.

Support youth involvement in planning. Collaborate with the Future Leaders in Planning (FLIP) program led by CMAP to find ways to integrate youth into regional planning. Contact Andrew Williams-Clark at 312-386-8770 or awilliamsclark@cmap.illinois.gov for more information. Also learn more about past project CMAP has conducted with regional high schools with the Bold Ideas initiative!

Inform your members and partners. CMAP is committed to providing your organization with materials and content to help you inform your members about the GO TO 2040 campaign. Contact Erin Aleman at 312-386-8816 or ealeman@cmap.illinois.gov.

As a Partner, help get the word out about GO TO 2040:

Include it in your newsletters. In your organization’s newsletter, we ask that you provide information to your members about our campaign, specifically links to new blogs and news from the CMAP Weekly Update (http://www.cmap.illinois.gov/updates/) and our websites (http://www.cmap.illinois.gov/ and http://www.goto2040.org). All the information is fair game for you to reuse! Or we’d be happy to write something especially for you.

Add it to your public calendar. Keep an updated list of CMAP activities on your calendar of events, such as working committees, community conversations and workshops. You can see our upcoming events at the GO TO 2040 calendar page.

Put GO TO 2040 on your website. Using our online tools, which include web banners, images, video and links to our social media outlets.

Pass a resolution. As the plan nears completion, we’ll provide a sample resolution for your organization to consider for adoption.

Tell the media. Issue a press release to local papers or newsletters about your GO TO 2040 activities and future meetings that will discuss relevant topics about planning and the community. Also include updates on any social media outlets you use, such as Facebook, Twitter, etc. Coming soon: a sample press release for your own use.

Join the GO TO 2040 Partnership Program by submitting your Partnership Form [PDF] today via fax or mail (you can also fill out this form online to submit via email). Submit forms to CMAP senior planner Erin Aleman (email ealeman@cmap.illinois.gov or fax form to 312-386-8817).