The Executive Summary describes GO TO 2040’s approach to each of the plan’s chapters, with links to specific sections of the full plan. The Introduction and a chapter on Challenges and Opportunities will familiarize readers with the purpose of the plan and the major issues that it seeks to address. The remainder of the plan presents and explains its recommendations for action. The recommendation sections are “modular” -- that is, each section stands on its own -- so the reader can choose from among these with no fear of reading out of sequence.
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. The vision outlined bold ideas for how residents and stakeholders imagined the Chicago region could be -- our desired future in terms of the region’s quality of life, natural environment, social systems, economy, infrastructure, and governance. Throughout all of these vision themes, three cross-cutting issues recur: sustainability, equity, and innovation. From May through September of 2009, CMAP launched the "Invent the Future" phase of GO TO 2040, soliciting feedback from residents and stakeholder groups regarding future growth, potential planning strategies, and results of various policy options.
The extensive input collected through public meetings, on the web, or at kiosks across the region was combined with the agency's strategy research and snapshot reports to help shape the Preferred Regional Scenario. The Regional Scenario established clear policy directions to guide growth and investment choices through mid-century and beyond. Once the Preferred Scenario was identified, major capital projects were evaluated based on how well they implement the regional vision, and a list of fiscally constrained and unconstrained projects were drafted. The MPO Policy Committee and CMAP Board will be asked to adopt a capital project program in October 2010.
Acknowledgements
CMAP would like to thank the many GO TO 2040 participants who have contributed to development of this draft plan. We are grateful for your ideas and energy, and we look forward to working with you to implement the GO TO 2040 plan in the months, years, and even decades to come. For upcoming events, visit the GO TO 2040 Have Your Say page.