From jobless rates to the Dow Jones Industrial Average, from Illinois’ budget gap to foreclosure trends, news reports in 2009 were awash with gloomy figures. It’s been a challenging year, and the numbers don’t lie.
Yet, fortunately, they rarely tell the whole story.
That’s why Metropolitan Planning Council kept track of some numbers of our own this year. Our spreadsheet tells a different side of the story, one that’s about innovation in the face of adversity, and success in spite of setbacks. These numbers have inspired us to set ambitious goals for 2010. We hope they also inspire you, our volunteers and friends, to continue to work with us to shape a more sustainable and prosperous greater Chicago region.
Organizational success
MPC celebrated our vibrant history in 2009, even as we continued to grow.
75 Years since MPC was founded.
1 New MPC office space, logo, and web site, unveiled in 2009 to “freshen up.”
510 MPC “Fans” on Facebook.
23 MPC staff members.
55 MPC Board members.
13+ Instances in which MPC’s local efforts to develop models for regional development and planning were highlighted by senior federal policy leaders.
4 White House Cabinet-level speakers at the 2009 Annual Luncheon.
Community outreach
To inform our policy work, MPC partners with communities to solve a variety of regional development challenges.
90 Communities assisted directly through MPC policy development, advocacy and implementation.
43 Communities working together and with MPC to solve common development challenges through interjurisdictional collaboration.
8,160 Individual votes cast in the “What Makes Your Place Great?” photo and video contest, highlighting 51 of Chicagoland’s favorite public places and sparking interest in Placemaking tools.
101 Residents participated in this summer’s Logan Square Corridor Development Initiative, to create a vision for Milwaukee Avenue. By the end of the three meetings, 88 percent of the residents said they had learned more about development, financing and design; 68 percent said they had more clarity about the type of development they would like to see along Milwaukee Avenue. (Stay tuned for a report in early 2010!)
729 Residents participated in planning for the future of the Polish Triangle at the intersection of Ashland, Division and Milwaukee in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood, through an open house, online survey, and online networking group.
Policy Wins
MPC’s advocacy and technical assistance helped shape and support sensible regional development initiatives and programs in 2009.
1 Bill (SB 2184) adopted by the Illinois General Assembly requiring all high-volume water users statewide to report their annual water usage. MPC and Openlands were strong advocates for this legislation.
1 Unanimous vote by the Chicago Plan Commission to approve the Reconnecting Neighborhoods Plan for improved transit and retail around three mixed-income communities.
$12,068,039 Neighborhood Stabilization Program funding awarded by Cook County to the South Suburban Housing Collaborative and West Cook County Housing Collaborative, both of which MPC assisted as they worked across municipal borders to address foreclosures at the regional scale.
$214,000 Philanthropic dollars leveraged by the South and West Cook County Housing Collaboratives to support shared staff.
335 New homes created in three developments made possible by the Regional Housing Initiative.
3,300+ Employees in northeastern Illinois benefitted from housing counseling and education since MPC launched its Employer-Assisted Housing (EAH) initiative in 2000.
2,000+ Employees in northeastern Illinois received downpayment assistance from their employees to purchase a home since 2000.
$8 million Employer dollars invested in EAH since 2000.
$2.3 million Public dollars invested in EAH since 2000.
2 new EAH programs launched to support rental assistance.
3 new EAH partners with programs up and running in City of East Chicago, East Chicago-based Ameristar, and REACH California, bringing the total number of states to 17, regions, and communities that have tapped MPC's expertise.
8 National EAH partners advocating for reforming the next surface transportation funding bill via Transportation for America, passing the Livable Communities Act, or supporting other federal policy changes to create more sustainable communities.
2 MPC Board members — Paula Wolff and Maria Saldana — appointed to the Tollway Board.
27 Segments along Illinois Dept. of Transportation expressways and Illinois tollways that MPC and its partners studied to explore opportunities for congestion pricing.
135 Elected officials and transportation professionals across the region who learned about congestion pricing through MPC outreach to councils of government and to CMAP's Transportation Committee.
$280 million in Federal Transit Administration grants advertised for projects that will advance the Livability Principles adopted by the DOT-HUD-EPA Partnership for Sustainable Communities. MPC has strongly supported this interagency collaboration, and these grants mark the first new funds available.
10 Transportation professionals from Chicago, New York, and San Francisco studied transit innovations in Berlin as part of the Bombardier Peer Exchange facilitated by MPC.
1,500+ Subscribers who receive Talking Transit, MPC’s twice-monthly e-mail on transit innovations. Of readers who responded to a Talking Transit survey, 81.6% read every/most issues of Talking Transit’s 24 annual editions.
16 Co-sponsors on the Transportation Investment Accountability Act, MPC's top Illinois legislative priority in 2009.
137 Attendees at an MPC-sponsored event who heard U.S. Rep. Tom Petri (R-Wis.), member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, discuss the importance of including freight in the next federal surface transportation bill.
1 MPC Board member — John Gates — appointed to chair the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority.
Development milestones
140 Volunteer members of MPC’s Board of Governors, Committees and Resource Board.
1,150+ Hours donated by Board of Governors, Committees and Resource Board members, to advise staff on ongoing MPC projects.
8 New Board members. For more information on our new board members >>
1 New Resource Board member: Edward Filer, Attorney, Clark Hill PLC.
$500,185 Record-breaking gross revenue from 2009 Annual Luncheon, $110,000 over budget projections.
1,110 Highest-ever Annual Luncheon attendance.
123 New donors.
3 Leadership Circle forums featuring CSX's CEO Michael Ward, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago's President & CEO Charles Evans, and President Obama's cabinest members for MPC's top donors (individuals at $1,000 and corporations at $5,000.)
