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northeastern illinois planning commission |
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In partnership with Chicago Wilderness, the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission has developed the Conservation Design Resource Manual: Language and Guidelines for Updating Local Ordinances. The resource manual is designed to help communities effectively update local plans and ordinances to be more amenable to conservation design practices. Conservation design is a system that takes into account the natural landscape and ecology of a development site and facilitates development while maintaining the most valuable natural features of the site. Community benefits of conservation design include a reduction in construction and infrastructure costs by between 11 percent and 66 percent; preservation of natural resources and features; reduction in the cost of municipal stormwater management and promotion of connections to existing natural areas, open space, greenways and trails. |
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Right click here to view or
download the report’s executive summary
Right click here to view or download
the full report
Printed copies of this document can be obtained by calling NIPC's Publications Center (312-454-0400, x210). The Resource Manual can also be picked up in person at the Publication Center in NIPC's offices at 222 S. Riverside Plaza, Suite 1800, Chicago, IL 60606. Questions about the plan's content should be directed to KLeigh@nipc.org. |
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| Strategic Plan
for Water Resource Management
The Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission (NIPC) facilitated a strategic planning process to identify issues and strategies to address the complex and often interrelated water resource issues facing our region. This process, funded in part by a grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs, involved a wide spectrum of public and private stakeholders within and adjacent to the six-county area. The goals were to develop a regionwide consensus to influence state policy on behalf of the region, to improve management at the regional and local level, and to enhance public understanding of water issues. The resulting Strategic Plan for Water Resource Management is intended to guide the region in responding to its water resources issues: water quality, flooding, and water supply. In each of these areas, the plan recommends a series of strategies and identifies the entities to implement them. |
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Water Resources Advisory Committee and three task forces have worked
with NIPC Commissioners and staff to identify a total of 34 issues and
133 associated strategies. Recommendations include new legislation,
funding for research, changes in agency practices or funding
allocations, and improved public education. A complete discussion of the
detailed issues and related strategies is contained in the plan.
How to Obtain Printed Copies: Individual copies of this document can be obtained through NIPC's Publications Center (312-454-0400, x210). It can also be picked up in person at the Publication Center in NIPC's offices at 222 S. Riverside Plaza, Suite 1800, Chicago, IL 60606. Questions about the plan's content should be directed to KLeigh@nipc.org at (312) 454-0400. |
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The Regional Greenways and Trails Plan Map is a central feature of the Northeastern Illinois Regional Greenways and Trails Implementation Program adopted by NIPC in 1997. The map serves a number of purposes. · It provides an up-to-date record of existing major open space and trails. · It provides recommendations for revised and new greenway and trail linkages. Proposed trail corridors as illustrated are conceptual. Final alignments would correspond to county and municipal plans.
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It shows stream corridors as a determinant of many
greenways corridors. |
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· It shows the locations of Illinois Nature Preserves and sites on the Illinois Natural Areas Inventory. Many of these high quality areas are within designated greenways and existing open space. They need to be protected. The regional trail system may, where appropriate, provide opportunities for viewing these areas but care must be taken to protect fragile greenway resources from adverse impacts. Unprotected natural area sites need to be given preservation status through acquisition or other means. · It identifies commuter rail lines which can provide access to trails and greenways and which, in some cases, can themselves serve as greenway and trail corridors. The implementation program and map, which is an update of the first Regional Greenways Plan of 1992, were developed by NIPC and Openlands Project with the sponsorship and support of the Illinois Prairie Authority, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and the Forest Preserve District of Cook County.
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Just in time for the release of Census 2000 data down to the tract level comes this 11"x17" atlas of locator maps for the six counties in Northeastern Illinois as well as the city of Chicago. Single page maps cover each of four counties--DuPage, Kane, Lake, and McHenry. A two map set depicts all of Will County, while a set of three maps shows tract boundaries in suburban Cook County and a second set covers all of the census tracts in Chicago. |
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identified on the maps (census tracts, political townships, and
counties) were derived from the TIGER/Line Files, Redistricting
Census 2000 released this year by the U.S. Census Bureau. In
addition to these boundaries and names, a limited number of major
roads are identified where they coincide with tract boundaries to
assist in orienting the user.
To order either the
printed or electronic PDF version |
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On December 16, 1999, the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission (NIPC) became the first major metropolitan planning agency in the nation to adopt a Biodiversity Recovery Plan for its region. The plan was the product of the Chicago Region Biodiversity Council, also known as Chicago Wilderness, a coalition of agencies and organizations with a shared interest in the preservation of the region's natural heritage. The recovery plan identifies strategies to protect and restore the rich biological diversity of natural landscapes in northeastern Illinois and adjacent portions of Indiana and Wisconsin. While building its economic and cultural wealth, the Chicago metropolitan area has partially preserved the natural communities developed here since the retreat of the last glacier, approximately 10,000 years ago. As our metropolis expands, however, its natural riches decline. Hence the vision behind the plan: |
The geographic area covered by the Chicago Wilderness region includes northeastern Illinois, northwestern Indiana, and southeastern Wisconsin. The coalition’s membership includes local governments, state and federal agencies, centers for research and education, and conservation organizations. The boundaries of the Chicago Wilderness region capture a spectacular concentration of rare ecosystem types. These ecosystems harbor a high diversity of species, including a large number of those listed as threatened or endangered in the states of Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. Indeed, outside of the Chicago Wilderness region, levels of diversity drop off sharply. Boundaries of the watersheds containing the natural communities helped to define the region, as did the large concentration of natural preserves in the metropolitan area. The purpose of the Chicago Wilderness collaboration is to sustain, restore, and expand our remnant natural communities. Thanks to a great concentration of professional expertise and the contributions of thousands of volunteers, we have the ability to achieve this purpose, and in a cost-effective manner. In doing this, we are also enriching the quality of life for ourselves and for our children. Now with the adoption and release of the Biodiversity Recovery Plan, our collaborative effort is taking larger strides to build something big, something that could some day transform this region into the world’s first urban bioreserve, a metropolitan area where people live in harmony with rare and valuable nature. In Chicago Wilderness, the value of biodiversity is most importantly apparent to our own citizens. Natural communities and species are the basis of the region’s environmental health. They provide ecological services in maintaining water quality, abating the impact of floods, supporting pollination of crops, and controlling outbreaks of pests. Equally important, biodiversity contributes immeasurably to the quality of life for the citizens of the region and to the region’s long-term economic vitality. Recent polls and election results show that residents of the region strongly support protection of natural areas for the future. Only if we continue and expand upon the far-sighted conservation work of those who built the Chicago region, will we be able to pass these precious biodiversity values on to future generations. The Biodiversity Recovery Plan identifies 49 different natural community types in the region. Of these, 25 are at least rare or uncommon at the global level, and as many as 23 are globally imperiled. Approximately 1,500 native plant species occur in the region, making the Chicago metropolitan area one of the more botanically rich areas, natural or otherwise, in the United States. This plan also finds that many of the region’s animals, including grassland birds, woodland birds, savanna reptiles and amphibians, marsh reptiles and amphibians, prairie insects, and savanna and woodland insects, are globally important for conservation. The recovery plan is both a plan and a process guided by its many sponsors. It is intended as a living document, not a fixed roadmap, that will continue to evolve as new ideas and information arise. For that reason, it is a snapshot in time, presenting our best evaluation of the current situation and how we can address issues and capitalize on opportunities. The success of the plan depends on the responses of those who read it and incorporate its findings and suggestions into their own work. Likewise, its future usefulness depends on suggestions for improvement and new priorities from its readers. The plan is intended to complement the many planning efforts that are guiding the region toward a better and more productive future. Foremost among these are the plans of the three regional planning commissions; the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission (NIPC), the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC), and the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission (NIRPC). Other efforts are also contributing to the regional discussions, including the Campaign for Sensible Growth and the Metropolis 2020 Plan. One primary audience for the Recovery Plan includes the thousands of staff members and hundreds of thousands of members of Chicago Wilderness organizations. These organizations have accepted responsibility for helping to define and achieve the results contained in the plan. Another primary audience is all persons who are responsible for making or shaping decisions that affect the region’s land use, water-resource management, and biodiversity. Included here are local, state, and federal elected and appointed officials and private owners of large properties. Also included are key opinion shapers and recognized leaders in the region. A third audience includes all concerned and active citizens. Those who vote, speak out publicly and privately, and make choices of many kinds are crucial participants in the Chicago Wilderness collaboration. This third audience will be reached primarily through the plan’s components of public participation and education, rather than through the plan directly. Copies of the Biodiversity Recovery Plan are available free of charge at the NIPC Publications Center. For mail order copies, there is a $3.20 postage charge. Call 312-454-0400, x210 for more information on obtaining the plan.
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Protecting Nature in Your Community: A Guidebook for Preserving and Enhancing Biodiversity (March 2000) The biodiversity of northeastern Illinois is unique. Unfortunately, many of the region’s ecosystems are substantially degraded due to fragmentation, elimination of fire from the landscape, introduction of invasive non-native species, and disruption of natural hydrology. Urban and agricultural development further threaten to degrade the remaining natural areas. A consortium of organizations, through an initiative called Chicago Wilderness, has produced the "Biodiversity Recovery Plan" documenting the state of the region's ecosystems and the actions necessary to recover them. Implementation of the recommendations of the plan has already begun with the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission's "Protecting Nature in Your Community: A Guidebook for Preserving and Enhancing Biodiversity." The guidebook is intended for local government audiences, counties, townships, municipalities, park districts, and other entities to assist them in preserving, enhancing, and restoring biodiversity in their jurisdictions. The introduction to the guidebook provides the rationale for protecting biodiversity, as well as the essential role of local governments in that effort. The guidebook then presents a number of local government strategies that can complement the efforts of forest preserve districts and other conservation organizations in protecting, enhancing, and restoring the biodiversity of the region. Strategies covered in the guidebook include comprehensive land use planning, compatible zoning and subdivision regulations, improved stormwater management, natural landscaping, and open space preservation, among others. For each of the techniques, the guidebook provides background, recommended approaches, a summary of benefits, local examples of successful implementation, sources of additional information, and suggested reading. Approximately 400 copies of the guidebook will be distributed to local government officials, 100 copies to Chicago Wilderness members, 500 copies to The Nature Conservancy, 500 copies to Chicago Wilderness, and 200 copies to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Additional copies will be available through the NIPC Publications Department. For further information, please contact Jason Navota or Dennis Dreher in our Natural Resources Department at 312/454-0400. |
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Data Bulletin 2-2001: Summary of the Census 2000 General Demographic Profiles, is derived from the nearly 400 one-page profiles for northeastern Illinois counties, townships, and municipalities issued on May 17, 2001 by the U.S. Census Bureau. The data bulletin costs $15.00 and contains tables and thematic maps summarizing nearly 100 population, housing, and household composition data items from Census 2000 for all counties, townships, and municipalities in our region. |
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Most of these tables and maps are accompanied by others comparing the results to previous censuses. The narration that fronts the document ties the regional trends and changes altogether. For information about ordering Data Bulletin 2-2001, please contact NIPC’s publications center at 312-454-0400, x210. For additional detail about what Census 2000 characteristics are covered in the data bulletin, go to http://www.nipc.org/gdp_highlights.htm. |
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At long last, the first major release of Census 2000 data for Northeastern Illinois is out and NIPC has summarized the findings in this handy document that covers all the counties, townships, municipalities, Chicago community areas and Chicago wards located in our region. The data are drawn from the "short form" of the Census questionnaire and include total resident population, population by race and Hispanic origin and population aged 18 and older. Selected data from the 1990 Census are also included. |
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Summary of Findings: Between 1990 and 2000, the population of the six county northeastern Illinois region grew to 8,091,720 - a gain of 830,544, or 11.4%. The amount of change for the 1990s is only surpassed by growth observed in the 1920s and 1950s, and is equal to nearly 3 times the population growth experienced in the twenty year period from 1970 to 1990. The distribution of this population also showed a difference from earlier periods. In contrast to the steady decline of Chicago’s population from 1950 to 1990, the city of Chicago grew by 112,290 people during the decade of the 1990s. In the 1980s, 95 suburbs lost population. Since 1990, only 31 suburban communities show a loss in their population base. While this is in large part due to a pause in the decline of the average number of people residing in each household, it does reveal a stabilization of the population for many of the older suburban communities. Aside from Chicago, the areas experiencing the largest amounts of population change tend to be found further from the region’s urban center. The list of communities with the largest amount of population change is topped by Chicago (which was last in the 1980s), Aurora, Naperville, Joliet, Palatine, Waukegan, Cicero, Elgin, Bartlett and Lake in the Hills. In the 1990s, 41 of the 77 Chicago community areas gained population, compared to only 19 a decade earlier. This growth has been fueled by a continuing increase in the Hispanic and Asian populations. Of the total amount of regional population change, those who responded that they were non-Hispanic Black or African-American alone accounted for 16%, those who said they were non-Hispanic Asian alone accounted for 16%, and those who identified themselves as Hispanic or Latino accounted for 68%. In general, the region’s non-Hispanic white population continued to decline. Because in 2000, respondents could for the first time indicate more than one race, the information for the 1990s for race (but not for Hispanic or Latino) is not strictly comparable to the earlier decades. As a result, two versions of the 1990 to 2000 growth are provided. The first shows the growth based on the difference between those who said they were solely of one race in 2000 (labeled as "race alone" by the Census Bureau) and the number who indicated their primary race on the 1990 questionnaire. The second calculates growth based on the respondents in 2000 who indicated they were of a particular race either alone or in combination with other races. It is reasonable to assume that the truly comparable total for any particular racial group falls somewhere within this range. The Black population is growing again, posting gains ranging from 9.1% to 12.1%. The faster-growing Asian/Pacific Islander population rose by an impressive 53% to 70%. The most sizeable increase in population, however, was observed by the Hispanic community. In both the 1970s and 1980s, the Hispanic, or Latino, population gained nearly 1/4 million people. For the 1990s the amount of change was more than double that, at 568,211. Despite growing populations in the suburbs, Blacks, Asians, and Hispanics remain concentrated in relatively few municipalities. In 1990, 23 suburbs accounted for 75% of the suburban region’s African American population. The comparable number of suburbs for Asian/Pacific Islanders and Hispanics were 46 and 47, respectively. By 2000, the number of suburbs with 75% of the suburban region’s total for an indicated group was 28 for African Americans alone, 42 for Asians alone, and 42 for Hispanics. How to Obtain Printed Copies: This data bulletin can be purchased by calling NIPC's Publications Center at 312-454-0400, x210. The cost is $10.00 per copy plus a small charge for shipping. The report can also be picked up in person at the Publication Center in NIPC's offices at 222 S. Riverside Plaza, Suite 1800, Chicago, IL 60606. Questions about the report's content should be directed to Marc Thomas at (312) 454-0401, x607. |
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NIPC's DIGITAL MAP OF THE REGION The Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission (NIPC) is pleased to announce the availability of the DIGITAL MAP OF THE REGION on CD-ROM. This new product (a) provides the digital elements needed to produce a customized base map, (b) distributes at minimal cost key elements of the NIPC database, and (c) illustrates the importance of the documentation of data resources. This unique CD-ROM extends the Commission's commitment to provide data and technical tools in support of decision making in the Chicago region. NIPC last prepared a base map in 1982. It was a conventional paper product providing a geographic reference "base" to support analyses and display of assumptions and conclusions. Now with the widespread availability of geographic information system (GIS) technology, these purposes require a digital base. The Commission expects that the DIGITAL MAP OF THE REGION will address this need. The contents of the DIGITAL MAP OF THE REGION include ARC/INFO® coverages (spatial data layers), ArcView® shapefiles, map images in Adobe® PDF format, census and other data in DBF format, metadata documenting the spatial files and databases, and software to assist in accessing the contents. The coverages include:
Data files include:
The map images can be viewed using software included on the CD-ROM. The images include:
The DIGITAL MAP OF THE REGION CD-ROM order form is available by clicking here. The cost for each CD-ROM is $45 ($36 for NIPC subscribers) plus $1.50 postage. |
Revised February 4, 2004
The 
