Board
of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning issues strategic report for
addressing the challenges of growth
CMAP
takes comprehensive approach to change how the seven-county region plans
transportation and land use
CHICAGO, August 30, 2006 --
Board members of CMAP, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, today voted
to issue their strategic report on the new organization's future. The report,
which will be submitted on September 1 to Governor Blagojevich and the Illinois
General Assembly, articulates a regional vision for the integrated planning of
land use and transportation in seven counties of northeastern Illinois.
Available at
http://www.chicagoareaplanning.org/docs/, the document defines CMAP's
comprehensive planning approach to some of the region's most pressing
challenges. It calls on local officials, planners, business leaders and other
decision makers to plan collaboratively, putting investment and development
decisions in a regional context to manage growth and preserve quality of life.
"This agency was created to
take the long-term view," said CMAP Board chair Gerald Bennett, mayor of Palos
Hills, "and we recognize that there are no easy fixes to traffic congestion,
depletion of natural resources, and affordable housing, to name just a few
issues that require a regional approach. But while keeping future generations
in mind, northeastern Illinois must act now to preserve the quality of
life that we cannot afford to take for granted."
CMAP will create a
comprehensive plan, as required by the Regional Planning Act, to outline a
vision for the region's future and the strategies necessary to realize that
vision. Agency leaders hope to break down barriers that often have separated
traditional planning functions. The agency conducts research and analysis that
supports integrated planning of transportation, land use, environment and
natural resources, housing, economic and community development, and human
services.
To preserve and enhance
quality of life for the region's residents, CMAP will:
-
Develop a comprehensive framework for the
region’s future through long-range regional plans and strategies.
-
Provide high-quality information and analysis
through coordinated technical assistance to facilitate regional decision
making.
-
Build consensus to identify and advocate for
regional priorities.
"The seven-county area is
at a crossroads, with 2 million additional residents projected by the year
2030," said CMAP executive director Randy Blankenhorn. "Growth is clearly
coming. Working together as a region, we can shape these trends instead of
passively letting them shape our communities. That's how growth can become real
progress rather than something that erodes quality of life. To that end,
CMAP will promote comprehensive, collaborative planning at all levels of local
government."
Formerly known as the
Regional Planning Board, the CMAP Board includes 15 members representing the
counties of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will. CMAP's staff
includes employees of the merged organizations agencies that had, respectively,
been responsible for the region's planning of transportation and land use: The
Chicago Area Transportation Study (CATS) and the Northeastern Illinois Planning
Commission (NIPC).
The report states that CMAP
will work with its partners to create a legislative package for the General
Assembly's next session in early 2007. CMAP and its supporters believe funding
for regional planning to date -- which has come from a combination of federal,
state, and local sources -- will not be sufficient to meet the metropolitan
area's challenges.
"This region's communities
don't have the luxury of existing in isolation," said Rita Athas, CMAP Board
first vice chair and deputy chief of staff for the City of Chicago. "CMAP was
formed by a consensus among local governments, business groups, and community
leaders, who worked with our representatives in Springfield to take this bold
step. To create an agency that will truly change the way we make decisions
about investment and development, we need to find a stable, dedicated source of
funding for CMAP."
--END--
Media Contact:
Tom Garritano (312-386-8609 or info@chicagoareaplanning.org)
