Despite progress made by the regional pilot groups, Illinois still has more questions than answers when it comes to its water future. To help guide the development of a state plan for effective regional water management, water experts and professionals from Illinois and across the Great Lakes will come together at "Beyond Showerheads and Sprinklers: Water Governance Solutions for Illinois," an all-day conference on Friday, May 16, 2008, in Chicago. Sponsored by Openlands, Metropolitan Planning Council, and the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, the conference is designed for state and local officials, agricultural and industrial water users, planners, utility representatives, conservation specialists, wastewater and stormwater management professionals, and other stakeholders.

Attendees will hear from internationally and locally recognized water experts and learn what other Great Lakes states, including Minnesota and Ohio, are doing to balance the need to preserve water quality and quantity with the need to grow and develop. Scheduled speakers include Peter Gleick, president of the Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment and Security, Oakland, Calif; Mary Ann Dickinson, executive director of the Alliance for Water Efficiency; and Samuel W. Speck, former director of the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources, former chair of the Great Lakes Commission, and chair of the Water Management Working Group of the Council of Great Lakes Governors.

Conference attendees also will review a white paper written by Jack Wittman, president of Wittman Hydro Planning Associates, Inc., a nationally recognized watershed hydrologist and groundwater scientist. Feedback from attendees will help shape a plan for managing Illinois' water.

What: "Beyond Showerheads and Sprinklers: Water Governance Solutions for Illinois," a conference to develop recommendations for a statewide water management plan in Illinois

Who:
Peter Gleick, Ph.D., President, Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment and Security, Oakland, Calif.
Gary Clark, Director, Ill. Office of Water Resources, Ill. Dept. of Natural Resources
Bonnie Thomson Carter, Chair, Regional Water Supply Planning Group of Northeastern Illinois
Brent O'Neill, Chair, East Central Illinois Water Supply Planning Committee
Mary Ann Dickinson, Executive Director, Alliance for Water Efficiency
Otto Doering, Ph.D., Professor, Dept. of Agricultural Economics, Purdue University
Kent Lokkesmoe, Director, Division of Water, Minnesota Dept. of Natural Resources
Samuel W. Speck, Ph.D. former Director of the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources
Jack Wittman , Ph.D., President, Wittman Hydro Planning Associates, Inc., Bloomington, Ind.

When:
Friday, May 16, 2008
Check-in and breakfast: 8 to 8:45 a.m.
Program: 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., including a luncheon address

Where: Union League Club of Chicago, 65 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago

Registration: The deadline to register is May 12. Register here. Space is limited; early registration is encouraged. The cost of $50 covers breakfast and lunch.

Media registration: Members of the media may register free of charge by contacting Mandy Burrell Booth, Metropolitan Planning Council, at 312-863-6018, or mburrell@metroplanning.org; or Chuck Mutscheller, at 312-863-6260, or cmutscheller@openlands.org.

Additional information: For more information, prospective participants may contact Josh Ellis, Metropolitan Planning Council, at 312-863-6045, or jellis@metroplanning.org; or Lenore Beyer-Clow, Openlands, at 312-863-6264, or lbeyer-clow@openlands.org .

Please note that the Union League Club has a "Business Casual" dress code requirement. Jackets and ties are not required, but shirts must have collars. Athletic attire and jeans are prohibited.

Chicago Amplified was created in 2006 "to bring wider distribution to some of the most exciting and informative public programming happening throughout the Chicago region." To do so, Chicago Amplified has developed partnerships with organizations like MPC to create audio recordings of select events and make them available to the public via the Chicago Amplified Web-based audio archive. Anyone with access to the Web can download these recordings to their computer or portable MP3 player and listen at their convenience.

Right now, you can select MPC from the drop-down menu on the archive and download nearly a dozen informative presentations gleaned from MPC-sponsored roundtables, conferences, and even our 2007 Annual Meeting Luncheon. MPC is proud to be one of a growing number of Chicago Amplified partners – which also include Chicago Public Library, Donors Forum, Illinois Humanities Council, and the Goodman Theater – and we encourage you to take advantage of this excellent new resource.

The Illinois Works Coalition is headed to metropolitan Chicago to get the public's take on how Illinois should fund a long-overdue state capital plan to build and maintain roads, bridges, transit, schools and housing. MPC will provide the coalition with funding recommendations– and a proposal for how Illinois can ensure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely on capital needs.

It may seem hard to believe, but Illinois does not have a process for rating all transportation projects to determine which make the best use of taxpayers' dollars. Such a process is sorely needed, if for no other reason than that the state does not have enough money to fund all of the projects on its wish list. According to a 2007 study by the American Economics Group, Illinois has almost $9 billion in surface transportation capital needs per year over the next five years; however, only $2 billion a year is spent for surface transportation projects.

The Illinois Works Coalition – named for the governor's proposed capital plan – has been touring the state since February, led by Southern Illinois University President and former congressman Glenn Poshard, and former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert. In a recent article in the Southern Illinoisan, Poshard was quoted as stating, "If we want a capital bill, then somebody's got to say, 'Here are the tough choices and here's what we recommend.'" MPC couldn't agree more and will only support a capital investment package with an objective, criteria-driven system for making those difficult, but necessary decisions about which Illinois transportation projects deserve taxpayer dollars.

The Illinois Works Coalition will host a listening session in Geneva , Ill. , on Monday, April 28, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. For more information, visit the Illinois Works Coalition Web site, or contact Michael McLaughlin, MPC Director of Regional Policy & Transportation, at 312-863-6022 or mmclaughlin@metroplanning.org.

Near West Communities Invited to Help Plan Retail, Transportation Access

The Near West Task Force of Reconnecting Neighborhoods, a community planning process that will result in recommendations for enhanced transit services, retail, and improved public infrastructure in three Chicago neighborhoods, invites Near West Side community members to a public meeting on Monday, April 28 , from 5:30 to 7 p.m., at the "Major" Adams Community Committee Center, 125 N. Hoyne Ave., Chicago, to learn more about transportation and retail amenities in and around the Westhaven Park neighborhood, and to voice their opinions about how to make their neighborhood more convenient and vibrant.

The project is being led by the City of Chicago Dept. of Planning and Development, with support from the Regional Transportation Authority, MPC, and HNTB, a firm handling the project's technical work and research. For more information, visit the Reconnecting Neighborhoods Web site, or contact MPC Reconnecting Neighborhoods Manager Brandon Johnson, 312-863-6046 or bjohnson@metroplanning.org.

Suburban Mayors Exploring Potential for Joint Affordable Housing Trust Fund

At a recent City Council meeting, the City of Lake Forest gave Mayor Mike Rummel the go-ahead to explore the creation of a joint affordable housing trust fund with the four neighboring towns of Deerfield, Highland Park , Highwood, and Northbrook. The proposal also was discussed at a recent Northbrook City Council meeting; and is up for consideration by Highland Park's City Council on Monday, May 12 , and by the other cities in the coming weeks. Mayors of Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove, Palatine and Rolling Meadows are leading a similar effort. While the concept is in its infancyin Illinois, LakeForest's City Council is enthusiastic about the potential benefits of the ARCH (A Regional Coalition for Housing) model, which in Washington state has created a partnership between 15 communities ensuring all of them have the staff capacity and funding needed to build and preserve workforce housing.

With gas prices and foreclosure rates skyrocketing, and poverty on the rise in suburban Chicago (as evidenced by a recent Heartland Alliance report), local leaders are recognizing they can relieve some of the economic burden on families by ensuring a range of homes at all price points are available, particularly in job-rich and transit-friendly communities. Mayors from the north and northwest suburbs have already seen the benefits of working collectively to solve local workforce housing shortages through the Charter One Workforce Housing Initiative, which is engaging employers in these towns in investing in employer-assisted housing and other workforce housing solutions. An interjurisdictional affordable housing trust fund could be the next step to helping even more people save money on housing, gas and other rapidly rising costs in metropolitan Chicago. For more information, contact MPC Vice President of Community Development Robin Snyderman, at 312-863-6007, or rsnyderman@metroplanning.org.

CPS Homebuyer Assistance Helps Chicago Teachers Defy Weak Housing Market

As foreclosure rates reach all-time highs in Chicago and across theU.S., the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Teacher Homebuyer Assistance Program is helping hundreds of teachers afford homes and avoid common pitfalls that can lead to foreclosure. CPS has confirmed that, despite the local and national downturn in the housing market, the number of teachers who have purchased homes through the program remained consistent in 2006 and 2007.

With support from the City ofChicago's Dept. of Housing, and Partnership for New Communities, the program helps teachers become stable homebuyers to achieve its main goal of improving teacher retention. According to CPS Teacher Housing Director Diana Johnson, "When launching this program in April of 2005, the Board of Education had found that if we could bridge teachers through their fifth year at CPS, then we'd have likely secured a career teacher."

To date, the program, available to some 24,400 teachers system wide, has helped 524 teachers better prepare for homeownership through downpayment assistance and homeownership counseling provided by Rogers Park Community Development Corporation (CDC). Consistent with the broader REACH Illinois employer-assisted housing initiative, this counseling "ensures that teachers not only understand the [homebuying] process, but also know how to protect themselves and their investment once they make a purchase," according to Caleb Sjoblom of Rogers Park CDC.

For more information on the CPS Teacher Homebuyer Assistance Program, or other REACH Illinois Employer-Assisted Housing (EAH) programs like it, please contact Jane Hornstein, MPC EAH consultant, at jhornstein@metroplanning.org or 312.863.6040.

Mr. Johnson was a long-time member of the MPC Board of Governors, established MPC's Executive Advisors, and tapped MPC's expertise in the research phase for his book, Chicago Metropolis 2020: The Chicago Plan for the 21 st Century.

At its February 20 Executive Committee meeting, MPC approved a resolution to honor Mr. Johnson, which reads, in part:

We acknowledge with sincere appreciation the dedication, guidance and service of Elmer W. Johnson. We further resolve to honor the memory of Elmer W. Johnson by continuing our work to implement sensible growth ideas and regional planning to improve the quality of life and economic opportunity of all residents of the Chicago region.

Mr. Johnson was an attorney and prominent member of the Chicagoland business community, and contributed to the economic vitality of the region as a partner at Jenner & Block since 2002; managing partner of Kirkland & Ellis for 20 years; and general counsel, executive vice president and director of General Motors Corporation. From the time he left Kirkland & Ellis in 1999, until 2002, Mr. Johnson served as president and trustee of the Aspen Institute.

"Elmer was a fixture of Chicagoland's business and civic communities," said MPC President MarySue Barrett. "He was all the more impressive because he was genuinely committed to making the region a place where everyone had an opportunity to succeed and live well."

The Commercial Club of Chicago, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and United Way of Metropolitan Chicago were among Mr. Johnson's other civic involvements. He also was an original member of the Chicago Metropolis 2020 Executive Council; established in 1999.

Despite all this - and an executive order in 2006 calling for a statewide framework for regional water supply planning - Illinois has yet to develop a plan for managing its shared water resources.

To help inform the creation of such a plan, the Metropolitan Planning Council, Openlands, and the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, with support from the Joyce Foundation and Lumpkin Family Foundation, present the May 16 conference "Beyond Showerheads and Sprinklers: Water Governance Solutions for Illinois."  The agenda is available online.

The conference will feature local perspectives and global experts on water conservation, demand reduction, future use constraints, and governance.  Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) and Chicago Mayor Richard Daley have been invited to speak on the importance and timeliness of water supply planning in Illinois and metropolitan Chicago.

Keynote speaker Peter Gleick, president of the Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment and Security and author of the biennial report "The World's Water," is an internationally recognized water expert on connections between water and human health, impacts of climate change, sustainable water use, privatization and globalization, and conflicts over water resources.  The full agenda includes additional speakers from around the country.

State and local officials, water authorities, conservation organizations, water companies and utilities, municipal water officials, agricultural and industrial water users, planners, and wastewater and stormwater management professionals are all encouraged to attend.

The conference is Friday, May 16, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Union League Club of Chicago, 65 W. Jackson Blvd. An early registration fee of $45 (before April 15) covers food and beverage throughout the conference. After April 15, registration costs $50; the deadline to register is May 12. Online registration is available .

For additional information contact Josh Ellis, MPC, at (312)863-6045 or jellis@metroplanning.org; or Lenore Beyer-Clow, Openlands at (312)863-6264 or lbeyer-clow@openlands.org .

For more information about this issue, download Changing Course and Troubled Waters , two reports that made the case that Illinois needs a statewide framework for regional water supply planning.

The Campaign for Sensible Growth is established by six organizations that saw the need for a coordinated regional effort to improve planning and development practices. The coalition partners – the Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC), Regional Transportation Authority (RTA), Business and Professional People for the Public Interest (BPI), American Lung Association, Openlands, Urban Land Institute-Chicago (ULI-Chicago), and Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission (NIPC) – make a commitment to promote economic development and preserve open space while minimizing the need for costly new infrastructure in northeastern Illinois. The Campaign's primary audience is comprised of local and elected officials, community business leaders, and developers who recognize the benefits of coordinated planning for growth on both a local and a regional scale. MPC and now-defunct NIPC agree to co-chair the Campaign which MPC would house and staff, with joint fundraising among the partners.

Over the next several years, six additional organizations join the six founding members to form the Campaign's Steering Committee: the Conservation Foundation, Northwest Municipal Conference (NWMC), Kane County, Chicago Urban League (CUL), South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association (SSMMA), and the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). Building off of the momentum of the national smart growth movement, the coalition partners use education and outreach, policy development, and on-the-ground technical assistance to begin growing a member base that will eventually surpass 100 organizations and 2,000 individuals.

In the early years, the expertise of the American Planning Association (APA) - the Chicago-based professional association of urban and regional planners - helps to formulate sensible growth strategies for the Campaign. The Campaign produces the first of many publications that would establish it as a strong contributor of neighborhood planning concepts to Chicago area communities. Growing Sensibly: A Guidebook of Best Development Practices in the Chicago Region captures the attention of regional leaders by showing visual images of mixing uses and "walkable" developments, placing people near jobs, and encouraging compact growth along existing infrastructure to preserve open space. This first of three guidebooks is released at a major event entitled, "Growing Sensibly: From Main Street to the Region's Edge," featuring then-Milwaukee Mayor John Norquist as a keynote speaker.

Publications: Growing Sensibly: a Guidebook of Best Development Practices in the Chicago Region

1999. Early Accomplishments: From local to regional, from technical assistance to policy development

The Campaign releases Sensible Growth in Illinois: Tools for Local Communities to position Illinois nationally as a smart growth leader. The publication is written (with significant help from the APA) to aid the local implementation of then-Gov. George Ryan's Illinois FIRST program, which allocated $12 billion for state transportation infrastructure, environmental clean-up, and community-building projects. It also informs a newly launched Smart Growth Task Force in the Ill. House of Representatives. State efforts are a necessary part of the early Campaign work plan, but localized research is equally important to the mission. More targeted works includes Revitalizing Industry: A Look at the 21 st Century - 20 case studies of successful redevelopment of Chicago-area industrial sites.

Highly visible projects are a boon for Campaign partnerships. This year marks the coalition's first major event with the Chicago District Council of the Urban Land Institute (ULI), a Smart Growth Symposium with nearly 400 sensible growth proponents in attendance. The partnership with ULI, a respected international organization of mostly real estate and developer interests, proves to be an important relationship for the Campaign's work in communities with disinvestment and development challenges, and leads to nearly 20 intensive Technical Assistance Panels, or "TAPs," around the region over the next nine years. ULI-Chicago and the Campaign follow a national TAP prototype: working with a local client, agreeing on a problem statement, compiling background materials, and assembling a diverse team of volunteer experts to provide the technical assistance.

The Campaign's community-level involvement enables it to articulate those local needs to the top policy leaders while also placing them in a regional or statewide framework. Legislative initiatives are necessary to push an effective and lasting sensible growth agenda of strong communities within a stronger region. For example, the Campaign-created Sensible Growth Technical Assistance Act proves a testing ground for the coalition's legislative prowess when it is first introduced in the Ill. Senate. Though the bill dies this session, other successes follow. The Campaign prevents the elimination of Facility Plan Areas, a state program that manages the orderly expansion of sewer systems, which enable population and commercial growth in the region. The Campaign also works with steering committee member Openlands to create and help enact the Illinois Open Land Trust Act, dedicating $160 million over four years for the acquisition and preservation of additional land for public open space and conservation.

Publications: Sensible Growth in Illinois: Tools for Local Communities ; Revitalizing Industry: a Look at the 21 st Century ; Illinois Open Land Trust Act

2000. Earned Credibility: Campaign reaches key leaders

Building on prior legislative victories and recognizing the increasing need for resource-deprived Illinois communities to plan for their futures, the Ill. House Urbanization Revitalization Committee passes the Sensible Growth Technical Assistance Act, which later dies on the House floor to the great disappointment of planning advocates and Campaign constituents. Committed to trying different approaches to building state capacity for sensible growth, the Campaign works with allied planning leaders on the creation of the Balanced Growth Sub-Cabinet under Gov. George Ryan to better coordinate key state agency decisions on growth and development in Illinois. This sub-cabinet is granted the authority to recommend strategies for how state programs can achieve efficiencies though smart growth.

The Campaign transitions its leadership from its first manager, Lois Morrison, to Ellen Shubart, who brings a 20-year career in journalism and a notable commitment to community participation. Shubart's background makes her a natural fit for the Campaign, with it goals of promoting innovative, consensus-driven reinvestment opportunities. The second annual Smart Growth Symposium with ULI again draws an impressive audience, with 250 constituents curious about smart growth as the new planning paradigm. Under Shubart's leadership, the Campaign also launches the successful quarterly newsletter, Growing Sensibly, which features Campaign work and sensible growth issues and solutions in the region.

Publications: Growing Sensibly, Winter ; Growing Sensibly, Spring

2001. Sensible Growth Takes Hold: Campaign visibility increases

A new legislative session bring renewed energy. In 2001, the coalition partners rename its sensible growth legislative initiative the Local Planning Technical Assistance Act, which this time receives a unanimous vote in the Ill. House before successfully passing through the Senate Executive Committee. Though the bill is never called for a vote on the Senate floor, Campaign partners are nevertheless encouraged. The work of the coalition is beginning to pay dividends in the form of a more robust sensible growth advocacy thanks to the Campaign's education and outreach activities. Legislators are listening to constituents who want the benefits of good community planning, and absorbing the findings of the Smart Growth Task Force.

In an effort to build local capacity for sensible growth, the Campaign releases several issues of the highly effective ideas @ work series – an occasional publication outlining innovative sensible growth policy and technical information, and featuring local-level case studies from around the region and the country. Early volumes cover topics as varied as exemplary legislative models that encourage smart growth, expanding housing options through inclusionary zoning, and transportation techniques to ease traffic. The growing success of the coalition calls for more effective communications, so the partners launch a Web site and weekly e-mail (listserv) to establish regular contact with members.

Technical assistance continues as the heart and soul of the Campaign, with the HP3 Initiative, which evaluates workforce housing in three communities: Highland Park, Hanover Park, and Chicago's Humboldt Park neighborhood. HP3 is staffed primarily by ULI national, with support from the Campaign and ULI–Chicago. Other technical assistance on sensible development wins the Campaign an Illinois Tomorrow Award from the State of Illinois for its outstanding balanced growth initiatives in 2000. The award, which is presented to the Campaign by then Illinois Lt. Gov. Corinne Wood, recognizes organizations and governments that engage in cooperative ventures that lead to a better quality of life for communities.

Publications: ideas @ work Vol.1 No.1 ; ideas @ work Vol.1 No.2 ; ideas @ work Vol.1 No.3 ; ideas @ work Vol.1 No.4 ; ideas @ work Vol.1 No.5 ; HP3 Initiative

2002. Planning Becomes Institutional; Technical assistance is hallmark

Persistence pays off. After three attempts in the Illinois legislature, the Local Planning Technical Assistance Act finally passes both legislative chambers to become Public Act 92-0768, which establishes the Local Planning Fund and validates the virtues of local comprehensive planning in the state of Illinois. The fund would help coordinate development decisions within and across communities, effectively leveraging state investments for transit, infrastructure, and economic development. Coalition partners work tirelessly to secure an allocation for the fund, which still needs funding in 2008. Nevertheless, municipalities begin using the 10-component framework of the act as the accepted definition of what constitutes a comprehensive plan.

The Campaign assists ULI-national with a high-profile TAP in Waukegan to address the development challenges of the ailing city's once-prosperous downtown and lakefront. The release event for the panel's recommendations attracts more than 200 people, including dozens of potential developers and investors. TAPs have now become a prominent feature of the Campaign's work. More localized partnerships with ULI–Chicago this year include TAPs in exurban Richmond to address growth, in Highwood, Ill. to examine housing and redevelopment issues, and follow-up work in Hanover Park, Ill. to create a village center utilizing the principles of transit-oriented development (TOD). Each TAP produces a written report that allows other communities to learn from the TAP experiences. Additionally the Campaign produces several ideas @ work issues, tackling complex TOD zoning and historic preservation issues.

Publications: Local Planning Technical Assistance Act ; Richmond TAP ; Highwood TAP ; Hanover Park TAP ; ideas @ work Vol.2 No.1 ; ideas @ work Vol.2 No.2 ; ideas @ work Vol.2 No.3 ; ideas @ work Vol.2 No.4

2003. Campaign Standard: Strong relationships and quality technical assistance yield results

The 2003 spring legislative session offers encouraging prospects for sensible growth in Illinois, including the passage of the Campaign-supported Affordable Housing Planning and Appeals Act, which requires municipalities with more than 5,000 residents to create plans for at least 10 percent affordable housing, and – working with the Illinois EPA – the Illinois Wetlands Protection Act, which proposes regulations on activities harmful to isolated wetlands. The Campaign also continues to push for dedicated funding for NIPC, the region's federally mandated land-use agency - an activity that would become core to the Campaign mission.

The Campaign and ULI–Chicago conducts two south suburban TAPs in 2003. In Park Forest, the focus is on revitalizing the downtown of the country's first planned suburb. In Riverdale, the panel is charged with restoring an historic and highly disinvested residential neighborhood called Pacesetter. The latter becomes front-page news in the Chicago Tribune, and both efforts would yield significant results years later with innovative developments and celebratory groundbreakings.

Four ideas @work issues are published in 2003, covering such topics as environmental stability and employer-assisted housing. Additionally, the Campaign works with NIPC to produce Building Sustainable Communities , a series of fact sheets on sustainable development's basic concepts and implementation techniques. These fact sheets emphasize that unmanaged growth can result in problems with flooding, degraded water quality, and heightened traffic congestion for communities. The publications are used to publicize sustainability practices, and the Campaign holds regional meetings for government officials to explain how to apply them to their communities.

Publications: Affordable Housing Planning and Appeals Act ; Park Forest TAP ; Riverdale TAP ; ideas @ work Vol.3 No.1 ; ideas @ work Vol.3 No.2 ; ideas @ work Vol.3 No.3 ; ideas @ work Vol.3 No.4 ; links to all Building Sustainable Communities fact sheets

2004. Going Interactive: Campaign introduces first "how-to" workbook

Publications are at the center of the Campaign's 2004 work plan, serving as an effective way to reach core audiences of local and elected officials, business leaders, and developers. Changing Course: Recommendations for Balancing Regional Growth and Water Resources in Northeastern Illinois examines the relationship between development patterns and water resources in the region, and provides ways for state and local officials in the 12-county northeastern Illinois region to preserve water quality and quantity. Sensible Tools for Healthy Communities - decidedly "local" - uses U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 10 Principles of Smart Growth as the framework for development review. The step-by-step guidebook is written for municipal officials - planning commissioners, zoning boards, and city councils. The Sensible Tools format and process - aided by the expertise of a broad-based technical advisory team - provides the template for future guidebooks and the interactive exercises for training community leaders that accompany them.

The Campaign and NIPC receive the APA Illinois Chapter's 2004 Public Education Award for their partnership on Building Sustainable Communities. Award criteria include enhancing public understanding of planning and demonstrating local applicability.

The Campaign's geographic scope for TAPs broadens to include the fast-growing exurban portions of the region, including strategizing for transit-oriented developments in Elburn, Ill., located in rural western Kane County, the last stop on a Metra line. A Joliet TAP with ULI focuses on downtown restoration. The Campaign also begins to apply its concepts of technical assistance to the three-county region of Northwest Indiana – Lake, Porter, and LaPorte counties – by working with Indiana mayors, legislators and organizations like the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission (NIRPC), the Indiana Quality of Life Council, and the Northwest Indiana Forum.

Publications: Changing Course: Recommendations for Balancing Regional Growth and Water Resources in Northeastern Illinois ; Sensible Tools for Healthy Communities ; Elburn TAP ; Joliet TAP

2005. Digging Deeper: Campaign pilots new watershed partnerships

The Campaign's 2005 work plan focuses on mitigating the impact of development on water resources in the region's exurban counties, based on the recommendations in Changing Course (2004). The coalition partners lead the passage of the Stormwater Management Act of 2005, enabling countywide stormwater planning and management. The Act grants authority to create stormwater management committees in the fast-growing, urbanizing counties on the edge of Chicago region that face increasingly urgent stormwater management issues - Boone, DeKalb, Grundy, Kankakee , Kendall , and LaSalle - and to Madison, Monroe and St. Clair counties downstate. Until the 2005 legislation, only the six northeastern Illinois counties of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will had the ability to set up such committees. The Campaign partners would spend the next three years convening workshops on the legislation for county and municipal leaders in the affected counties.

Thanks to support from the Joyce Foundation, the Campaign gathers data and strategies for local governments working together to effectively protect water resources in two developing watershed pilot projects at opposite ends of the region: Kishwaukee River in McHenry County and Trim Creek in Kankakee and Will counties.

Extensive collaboration between government and community stakeholders leads to Reclaiming Trim Creek: Managing Growth and Protecting Resources in the Kankakee River Watershed. The plan includes a detailed assessment of current watershed conditions, green infrastructure maps for use by local developers and planners, and recommended action strategies. Restoring farmed wetlands, promoting compact design, and establishing a cross-sector water management steering committee are among the project's recommendations.

Preserving the Kishwaukee Watershed: Guiding Development in the Marengo-Union Region presents the findings of a similar study. This McHenry County region is critical to the health of the Kishwaukee watershed, and projected population increases over the next 20 years led community stakeholders to dedicate time and resources to this intergovernmental planning project.

Two issues of ideas @ work focus on water resource management in 2005. The Campaign also publishes a TAP report about economic redevelopment in Chicago's Andersonville neighborhood , and 10 Ways to Make your Community Competitive: Lessons Learned from the Chicago Region , a compendium of best practices from previous TAP reports, written by MPC and ULI – Chicago. This report originally appeared in an abridged format in the August 2005 Urban Land for ULI members worldwide.

Publications: Stormwater Management Act of 2005 ; Preserving the Kishwaukee Watershed: Guiding Development in the Marengo-Union Region ; ideas @ work Vol.4, No.1 ; ideas @ work Vol.4, No.2 ; Andersonville TAP ; 10 Ways to Make your Community Competitive: Lessons Learned from the Chicago Region

2006. Renewed Focus on Planning: From regions to neighborhoods

The Campaign's credibility among constituents in the Chicago region and around the state is due to the strength of its mission, work plan, supporting partners, and staff. With regional awareness of sensible growth – a goal central to the original Campaign mission – now established to Chicagoland, the Campaign's work turns a corner in 2006.

In March, the Campaign hires new manager Michael Davidson to succeed the retiring Ellen Shubart. One charge for Davidson, a planning expert with a decade of experience in the research department of the APA - the professional association for the field of urban and regional planning - is to lead the coalition through a self-assessment. The process examines how the Campaign will respond to a changing regional planning landscape, including demographic changes and the coalition's expanding geographic scope. The result is a Campaign work plan that prioritizes three core functions - policy development, education, and technical assistance - as the most efficient and effective. The process also affirms optimal ways to utilize staff and other resources, and refines the Campaign's support for local communities that need to build their planning capacity as well as for regional planning leaders such as the newly formed CMAP and the state.

Successful Campaign-led policy initiatives are a mainstay of the Campaign's eighth year. Following passage of the Stormwater Management Act of 2005, and prompted by the Campaign's January 2006 release of Troubled Waters : Meeting Future Water Needs in Illinois , Gov. Rod Blagojevich issues an executive order calling for scientific studies of Illinois' water system, and development of comprehensive state and regional plans to manage the resource. The executive order recognizes that increasing demands on the state's water resources will create conflicts between multiple water supply users, adversely affect human health and the environment, and stall the economy if nothing is done. The result is the creation of the region's first-ever Regional Water Supply Planning Group and Illinois' first step toward developing a comprehensive statewide framework to manage water resources. The planning group is charged with creating policy recommendations and plans for regional water supplies over the next three years. The initiative is launched when Campaign leaders gather with Ill. Sen. Susan Garrett (D-Highwood) for an Earth Day news conference outside the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.

Intense policy initiatives did not mean the Campaign ceased what it did best: educate local officials, many of whom now spoke the language of sensible growth more fluently. The Campaign conducts two TAPs in 2006: the first for the struggling Archer Avenue commercial corridor in the Chicago's Bridgeport neighborhood, and second in two disinvested neighborhoods in south suburban Chicago Heights . The Campaign is also part of a team of experts working on an MPC-led Community Building Initiative in Blue Island, a small community bordering Chicago's southwest side struggling with downtown disinvestment. The group is asked to offer land-use recommendation and do market analysis to bolster Blue Island's efforts to revitalize three critical areas, including the downtown.

A major educational accomplishment for the Campaign is the release of Planning 1-2-3: a Step-by-Step Workbook for Writing a Comprehensive Plan in Illinois , the sequel to Sensible Tools . The workbook would receive top honors at the Publicity Club of Chicago's annual Golden Trumpet Awards, for excellence in brochures, booklets or books.

Publications: Troubled Waters : Meeting Future Water Needs in Illinois ; Archer Avenue/Bridgeport TAP ; Chicago Heights TAP ; Planning 1-2-3: a Step-by-step Workbook for Writing a Comprehensive Plan in Illinois

2007. A Job Well Done: After nine years, the Campaign declares success

This is a year of celebration for the Campaign as core initiatives turned into successes.

The Campaign is a leading advocate for legislation – formerly Senate Bill 1201 – to provide dedicated funding and authority to the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP), a bill that institutionalizes sensible growth around the region.

The coalition advocates tirelessly for a transit funding bill that prevents harmful service cutes and fare hikes to the region's critical transit system, comprised of the Chicago Transit Authority, Metra, and Pace.  Though a capital bill to pay for system maintenance and improvements remains elusive, Pace Metra and the CTA secure sufficient funding to run day-to-day operations for the next several years. 

Also on the legislative front, Gov. Blagojevich signs the Campaign-led LEED-ND legislation – Senate Bill 135, the Green Neighborhood Award Act – making it possible for the state to provide incentives for development that is compact, walkable, and mixed-use. Illinois is the first and only state to support LEED-ND through state-sponsored incentives. The Campaign and Northwest Municipal Conference (NWMC) co-host "Green Living: How LEED-ND and Conservation Design Will Transform Our Communities," a panel discussion on market demand for these new development standards set by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU), and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). The event draws a capacity crowd of 300 professionals, including developers, municipal officials, and practitioners.

With the Regional Water Supply Planning Group up and running, the Campaign works jointly with the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University on a water supply research publication about the challenges of water supply planning, including governance. The paper is set to debut as a draft at the May 2008 water supply conference. The conference and publication are designed to facilitate policy and governance solutions for regional water supply planning in Illinois.

Local policy efforts also move forward as more than nine local units of government in the Kishwaukee and Trim Creek watersheds adopts the Campaign-assisted watershed plans from 2006. The project serves as a regional model for stakeholder cooperation across municipal and geographic lines. Similarly, several counties with new authority for countywide stormwater management planning - a result of the Campaign-led Stormwater Management Act of 2005 - have formed committees to begin the complex planning process.

In the spring, the Campaign publishes Retail 1-2-3: A Workbook for Local Officials and Community Leaders, a collaborative project with coalition partners Metropolitan Planning Council, Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, and International Council of Shopping Centers. The workbook provides information on retail development from the perspective of both communities and retailers, and is the third in a series of Campaign workbooks created to help Illinois communities achieve balanced growth. A fourth workbook on housing, co-sponsored by the Illinois Housing Council, MPC, CMAP, and Metropolitan Mayors Caucus is scheduled for a 2008 release.

Technical assistance remains the coalition hallmark. The Campaign and partners conduct a workshop on economic development, using Retail 1-2-3 as a guide, at a series of events around the region that feature speakers from the public and private sectors. The year's only TAP occurs in the Pilsen neighborhood of the Chicago, where the Campaign and ULI–Chicago worked with the Chicago Depts. of Cultural Affairs and Planning and Development to convene a stellar panel on the viability of a creative industries district in an historic industrial section of Pilsen along Cermak Road and the south branch of the Chicago River.

The Campaign's final event is a fitting one: a December gathering of sensible growth supporters from across the region to listen to Reid Ewing – a former Arizona state legislator now professor at the National Center for Smart Growth at the University of Maryland - discuss his provocative and groundbreaking study, Growing Cooler: the Evidence on Urban Development and Climate Change, due for publication by the Urban Land Institute in March 2008. Ewing concludes that energy-efficient cars and low-carbon fuel technologies alone are not enough to reverse the deleterious effects of climate change. Instead, the oft-overlooked but critical third component - uncoordinated growth ? is the missing link in public discourse to permanently reduce carbon emission levels. In other words: we need to confront the land use patterns that create fossil fuel dependency.

Publications: CMAP Legislation – SB 1201 ; the Green Neighborhood Award Act; Retail 1-2-3: a Workbook for Local Officials and Community Leaders ; Pilsen/Cermak Road TAP

* * *

While the issues of sensible growth and development are far from resolved, the partners that make up the Campaign agree that better communication mechanisms, stronger organizational infrastructure, and an improved legislative and policy platform in Illinois combine to create a great jumping off point for new initiatives and collaborations. Even though they decide to dissolve the Campaign for Sensible Growth as a formal coalition, the relationships established through the Campaign will continue to flourish and improve livability, economic development, and environmental stewardship in the Chicago region.

Michael Davidson, manager of the Campaign for Sensible Growth, has joined MPC's staff as manager of planning, strengthening the organization's capacity to promote and implement sensible growth practices around the region. While at the helm of the Campaign, Davidson helped secure new sensible growth tools in Illinois, focused on building capacity and support for CMAP, and generated valuable guides for decision-makers, such as Retail 1-2-3, produced in partnership with the International Council of Shopping Centers.

MPC's 2008 Policy Agenda reinforces a strong organizational tradition of advocating for state leadership on planning – leadership that can take many forms. For example, MPC continues to push for state funding of the Local Planning Technical Assistance Act to support disinvested and fast-growing communities that do comprehensive planning. We also will continue to advocate for resources for the Green Neighborhoods Award Act, which provides incentives for developments that meet the certification standards of LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND). And our planning efforts extend well beyond Springfield. MPC leverages the skills of an expert staff, talented volunteers, sound research, and expanded GIS and data analysis capacity - in city council chambers and the boardrooms of our regional land-use and transportation agencies - so the people of metropolitan Chicago can live, work, and play in thoughtfully planned communities. Our work plan is dynamic, with projects that run the gamut - from helping to implement cohesive development around transit stops to creating places of lasting value though a partnership with The Project for Public Spaces. MPC is also hands-on through its Community Building Initiative (CBI) that includes projects as varied as corridor planning along the Calumet River in the south suburbs and Employer-Assisted Housing (EAH) projects in the north suburbs, both of which involve intergovernmental coordination. Whether an initiative is policy-driven like LEED-ND or event driven - like legacy planning for the 2016 Olympics bid - MPC is ready to seize a good planning opportunity.

According to Davidson, "Sensible growth is dynamic. It is both a technical application and a theoretical construct. It covers nearly every aspect of modern life - from the economy to the environment to our health and well-being. It requires grass-roots support and top-level leadership." In 1998, the coalition partners created the Campaign for Sensible Growth to build awareness of and support for coordinated planning and investment. Despite impressive achievements on sensible growth public education, policy advocacy, and technical assistance, the ideal of regional sustainability remains elusive. MPC will continue to be a champion of coordinated, sustainable development that provides equity of opportunity for all residents of the region.

Read about the Campaign's History of Success or browse the Campaign's many publications on MPC's Web site.

To learn how you can become involved with MPC's sensible growth work, please contact Michael Davidson, manager of planning, at (312) 863-6009 or mdavidson@metroplanning.org.

Develop a new state capital program that incorporates quantifiable selection criteria as part of an essential cost-benefit analysis.

MPC will only support a capital package that uses criteria. We are not naïve and understand that this is politically challenging, not the least because it may infringe on legislative earmarking of projects that do not rate highly compared to others. Nonetheless, utilizing selection criteria is neither a new nor a radical idea. In researching how other states make capital investments, MPC identified at least nine states that employ selection criteria for their capital planning. In the U . K . , the recently released Eddington Study promises to reform transportation planning nationwide by implementing selection criteria and cost-benefit analysis to evaluate and rank transportation investments.

The first step in developing criteria is to establish statewide goals for the investments through a consensus-driven process involving all regional stakeholders. Again, other state models are a useful starting point. Missouri identifies eight criteria to measure the value of its transportation investments, including economic competitiveness, quality of communities, and environmental protection. To be effective, criteria should not favor one mode of transportation over another, but rather evaluate broad, yet quantifiable, goals that can be advanced by various forms of investment, from bike and pedestrian enhancements to large-scale transit extensions. This evaluation should be done at the regional level through the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, where a broad array of stakeholders can participate in the process.

MPC will continue to advocate for maintaining our regional infrastructure, but will insist that projects are chosen for investment based on a detailed cost-benefit analysis that includes quantifiable criteria. We will release best practices and a framework for criteria-based decision-making in Illinois later this spring. Tax dollars are scarce and this is the best way for the state to spend the people's money wisely.

MPC was happy to join the Chicago Community Trust as it celebrated the launch of Chicago Matters: Growing Forward, on March 3, 2008.  Now in its 18th year, Chicago Matters annually brings together Chicago Public Radio, WTTW-Channel 11, Chicago Reporter magazine, and Chicago Public Library to delve into an issue from the perspective of each medium. The topic of this year's series is creating a  sustainableChicago region. 

The launch event provided a taste of programming to come and celebrated Trust-supported projects that have advanced sustainability . It also marked the culmination of months of hard work by the Trust in collaboration with MPC and the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT).   For the first time in  Chicago Matters history, the Trust enlisted outside organizations to help frame the major issues for the media.  To this end, MPC and CNT jointly produced a panel discussion for reporters in December that featured experts on the topics of water, transportation, energy, and regional growth, as well as a follow-up reference guide for reporters that outlines the major sustainability issues in the Chicago region and provides contact information for experts on these issues.

For more information on Chicago Matters: Growing Forward, please visit the Web site: http://www.chicagomatters.org/

Ald.Toni Preckwinkle (4th Ward), in partnership with the Quad Communities Development Corporation, and the new initiative Reconnecting Neighborhoods, invites community members to a series of local meetings on Feb. 20, 27, and March 5, to:

• Voice their opinions about how to make their neighborhood more convenient and vibrant.
• Plan improvements that will increase access to transportation, shopping and jobs.
• Learn more about transportation and retail amenities -- both current and potential -- in the Grand Boulevard, North Kenwood, Douglas, and Oakland neighborhoods.

These meetings are the first community meetings for Reconnecting Neighborhoods , which will invite residents of three Chicago mixed-income neighborhoods to participate in the planning for the future of their communities. The project will result in recommendations for enhanced transit services, retail, and improved public infrastructure in Near North, Near West and Mid-South neighborhoods. The project is being led by the City of Chicago Dept. of Planning and Development, with support from the Regional Transportation Authority and MPC. HNTB, a planning firm, will handle the project's technical work and research.

For more information, including locations, contact MPC Reconnecting Neighborhoods Manager Brandon Johnson , 312-863-6046 or bjohnson@metroplanning.org. And check out the Reconnecting Neighborhoods Web site next week for a revamped look, profiles of community members, and more details about this initiative.

New Case Studies Show Local Leaders Are Working to Balance Housing Options

Earlier this month, St. Charles, Ill., adopted an inclusionary zoning ordinance and housing trust fund, joining a handful of municipalities in metropolitan Chicago taking steps to address the regional and national affordable housing crunch. MPC, Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, and Chicago Metropolis 2020 are helping to promote such actions through the expanded edition of Home Grown: Local Housing Strategies in Action , featuring 51 best practices from the region.

Home Grown helps municipal officials and housing developers learn how their peers are solving housing challenges, and provides ideas for replicating or improving upon these approaches. This collection is a "living" resource that is updated annually with new, local examples of case studies on innovative housing policies and developments, including regional programs such as employer-assisted housing. New tothe guidethis year areprofiles fromBartlett, Chicago, DuPageCounty, Elgin, Glenview,Joliet, KaneCounty, Naperville, Northlake, Park Forest, Plainfield, andSchaumburg.

Download a copy of Home Grown ;or contact MPC Community Building Associate JoshEllis, 312-863-6045, or jellis@metroplanning.org.

MPC Encouraged by Proposals to Improve Federal Transportation Funding

Voters in metropolitan regions like Chicago are going to the polls in record numbers, calling for federal leadership on issues critical to their daily lives. Like healthcare and homeownership, transportation – not only how people get from place to place, but also a major factor in the amenities they have access to – needs a dose of fresh thinking at the federal level. MPC is encouraged by the bold thinking in the report "Transportation for Tomorrow ," the product of a national commission charged by Congress with improving transportation funding policies, including recommendations to:

• Increase transportation funding at the state and federal level to improve aging bridges, roads, transit systems, and rail infrastructure.
• Institute performance and accountability standards that require economic justification for projects.
• Increase funding for transit, passenger rail, and freight projects.
• Hike the gas tax. (Note: MPC also recommends exploring alternative funding sources for the highway trust fund, as gas tax revenues continue to decline.)
• Expand authorization for congestion pricing and public-private partnerships.

Many of these recommendations mirror MPC proposals for state action. In preparation for reauthorization of a federal surface transportation bill in 2009, and in partnership with The Brookings Institution's Blueprint for American Prosperity , MPC will push for a new federal transportation framework to support metro regions. Contact MPC Regional Policy & Transportation Director MichaelMcLaughlin, mmclaughlin@metroplanning.org or 312-863-6022.

Modeshift Conference Will Encourage Communities to Be Low-Carbon Leaders

The Climate Group recently issued a report stating, "State and regional governments around the world are fast becoming an essential part of the movement to combat climate change." In metropolitan Chicago, municipalities, too, have more actively been seeking strategies for curbing emissions and saving energy. Local planners and community leaders will have plenty of ideas to choose from at the Healthy Streets Conference , taking place Thursday, Feb. 28, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Metcalf Federal Building, 3rd floor, 77 W. Jackson, Chicago.

The theme of this year's conference, "Modeshift," encourages community leaders and planners to calculate their communities' transportation carbon footprints and equips them with the tools they need to significantly reduce them. Keynote speaker Martha Roskowski, of Go Boulder, will give an account ofBoulder's efforts to be a low-carbon leader in Colorado and the nation.

Registration is $35 for Chicagoland Bicycle Federation members and $45 for non-members. Lunch is included. Attendees may register online. Reporters may attend free of charge, but registration is appreciated.

This event is presented by the U.S. EPA and the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation, and co-sponsored by the Metropolitan Planning Council, Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, and Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission.

Congestion pricing is a tool that is gaining popularity across the country and world as a way to ease traffic gridlock.  The tenet behind congestion pricing is simple: increase costs for service when there is the greatest demand to encourage users to seek alternatives.  For automobile travel, congestion pricing often refers to charging drivers who use the most crowded roads at rush-hour a higher fee than those who travel on alternate routes or during non-peak periods.

Mayor Daley's parking plan applies the concept of congestion pricing to parking.  Motorists who park in heavily used areas – whether on the street or in public garages - during times of high demand would be charged a higher fee.

The most successful congestions pricing proposals also incorporate improved alternatives. For example, whenLondon first implemented cordon pricing for its central area in 2002, it simultaneously increased transit service by adding 1,000 additional buses. Chicago could enhance its proposal by increasing transit service.

Implementing a form of congestion pricing for parking in Chicago will contribute to a healthier city and produce benefits beyond congestion reduction.  For those with no other option than to drive, congestion pricing means fewer cars on the road and a faster commute time.  With traffic moving faster, city bus service is able to move more efficiently, easing the commute time for transit users.  Environmentally, congestion pricing results in cleaner air and lower fuel consumption of gas, as cars do not spend as much time idling in traffic or circling the block for parking.

Responses to the city's Request for Qualifications are due March 14 and will be followed by a second round to select a high-bidder.  The city anticipates closing the deal in the third-quarter of this year. 

 

 

]]> http://metroplanning.org/press/press.asp?objectID=4273 2/14/2008 MPC has just released its2008 Policy Agenda - Opportunity Knocks, a 12-month roadmap for developing, advocating for, and implementing policies that address issues affecting the Chicago region, including a slow housing market, high rates of foreclosures, unprecedented and uncoordinated land consumption, and crushing traffic gridlock.

In 2008, MPC will focus on advancing policies that:

• increase transportation options– including walking, riding bikes, and taking transit – for residents and businesses across metropolitan Chicago, both to reduce congestion and curb emissions;
• create more great places in Illinois by identifying and promotinglow-cost, but highly effective strategies to improve planning efforts at the local, regional and state level; and
• engage the private sector in financing innovations that will serve and stabilize thelocal workforce, including affordable housing and transportation options.

Policy proposals set forth by MPC are built on a foundation of consensus-building. By partnering with civic organizations, community groups, business leaders, and government agencies during all three stages of policy development – research, advocacy and implementation – MPC for decadeshasbeen an effective agent for regional policy change.

For more information about MPC's Policy Agenda - Opportunity Knocks , contact Peter Skosey, vice president of external relations, at (312) 863-6004 or pskosey@metroplanning.org.

]]> http://metroplanning.org/press/press.asp?objectID=4268 2/12/2008 MPC (Chicago) … Maintaining the region's well being is comparable to keeping a home in good repair: as soon as one renovation project is completed, something else needs attention. Now that Springfield has approved a long-term funding solution to the region's transit operating crisis, local, regional and state leaders turn their attention to the 2008 to-do list. The Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) will highlight key opportunities at a media briefing on Tuesday, Feb. 12, noon to 1:30 p.m., 25 E. Washington St., Ste. 1600, Chicago.

MPC's experts will discuss how the elections can call national attention to the concerns of metropolitan Chicago's residents and businesses. And they'll explain how new policies and practices will affect stories currently making headlines, including the housing market's turndown, global energy crisis, and Chicago's Olympics hopes. The briefing will provide background and forecasts on critical regional issues expected to advance this year, including:

• a state capital investment plan for roads, bridges and schools; 
• innovative financing mechanisms for infrastructure projects, such as public-private partnerships and congestion pricing;
• climate change; and
• leadership on housing and water supply solutions.

To register for MPC's 2008 Policy Briefing for Media, contact MPC's Mandy Burrell, at 312.863.6018, or mburrell@metroplanning.org. Lunch will be provided.

What: Media briefing on issues critical to Chicagoland expected to advance in 2008

Who:
MarySue Barrett, MPC President
Peter J. Skosey, MPC Vice President of External Relations
Michael McLaughlin, MPC Director of Regional Policy and Transportation
Robin Snyderman, MPC Vice President of Community Development

When: Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2008, noon to 1:30 p.m.

Where: Metropolitan Planning Council, 25 E. Washington St., Ste. 1600, Chicago

RSVP: Mandy Burrell, Assistant Communications Director, 312.863.6018, mburrell@metroplanning.org

]]> http://metroplanning.org/press/press.asp?objectID=4232 1/28/2008 Get Up to Speed on 2008 Regional Priorities at MPC Media Briefing

Maintaining the region's well being is comparable to keeping a home in good repair: as soon as one renovation project is completed, something else needs attention. Last week, the region celebrated as Springfield finally approved a long-term funding solution to the region's transit operating crisis. Now, as local, regional and state leaders prepare to turn their attention to the 2008 to-do list, MPC will highlight key agenda items at a media briefing on Tuesday, Feb. 12 , from noon to 1:30 p.m., at MPC's offices, 25 E. Washington St., Suite1600.

MPC experts will provide background and forecasts on critical regional issues expected to be debated this year, including:

• a state capital investment plan for roads and bridges, transit and freight, housing and schools;
• innovative financing mechanisms for infrastructure projects, such as public-private partnerships and congestion pricing;
• a statewide framework for managing water resources; and
• new state leadership for planning in Illinois.

They'll also discuss how the elections can help call national attention to the concerns of metropolitanChicago 's residents and businesses. And they'll explain how changed policies will affect stories currently making headlines, including the housing market's turndown, the global energy crisis, andChicago's Olympics hopes. To register, contact MPC Assistant Communications Director Mandy Burrell, 312.863.6018, mburrell@metroplanning.org.

Individuals Strengthening Chicago Schools to Share Successes at MPC Roundtable

Join MPC on Thursday, Jan. 24 , as we continue our Roundtable Series featuring neighbor-led community revitalization efforts. Parents and school administrators from three Chicago communities will discuss how they've forged partnerships to strengthen their school communities at a luncheon discussion, from noon to 1:30 p.m., at the Chicago Architecture Foundation, John Buck Company Lecture Hall, 224 S.Michigan Ave., 1st Floor Lobby,Chicago.

Henry S. Webber, vice president for community and government affairs at the University of Chicago and an MPC board member, will moderate a panel of parents and school administratorsfrom Chicago's LincolnSquare, Little Village, and Austin communities.

This roundtable is co-hosted with the Chicago Architecture Foundation and generously sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Cost for MPC donors is $15; cost for non-donors is $30. Members of the media may attend free of charge. Lunch will be provided. To register, contact MPC Assistant Communications Director Mandy Burrell, 312 .863.6018, mburrell@metroplanning.org.

St. Charles Set to Vote on Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance, Housing Trust Fund

The west suburban City of St. Charles keeps moving one step closer toward approving an inclusionary zoning ordinance and housing trust fund, both of which would help preserve and create more affordable housing in the community. In February, the St. Charles City Council is scheduled to vote on the measure, which was approved unanimously by the Planning and Zoning Committee on Jan. 14.

If the measure is approved, St. Charles will join a small, but influential group of cities (includingChicago, Lake Forest and Highland Park) that have instituted similar measures to ensure they have a mix of housing at all price points available to local residents.

"St. Charles is part of a growing number of cities in our region that not only have acknowledged how important it is to have homes affordable to local residents and workers, but that also have taken actions to balance their housing stock," said Joanna Trotter, manager of MPC's Community Building Initiative , which helped the city draft the measures. "An inclusionary zoning ordinance and housing trust fund are the first two of several new tools and resources the city is considering to preserve affordable housing in St. Charles, and help leverage private sector investment to create new affordable homes."

For more information about what the ordinance and trust fund could mean for St.Charles, and the region, contact Trotter at 312-863-6008, or jtrotter@metroplanning.org.

]]> http://metroplanning.org/press/press.asp?objectID=4227 1/22/2008 Though 2008 is just days old, MPC staff already has plans for how their daily work will help improve the metropolitan region this year.

Joanna Trotter, Manager, MPC Community Building Initiative

My New Year's resolution is to foster greater cooperation between communities in the region.

My hope for our region is that we begin to work across municipal boundaries for the greater economic and social well being of the entire Chicagoland area. Toward this end, I will help communities work together to pool resources in order to create high-quality affordable housing in areas with good job opportunities, such as the north and northwest satellite cities.

I also will work with communities that are jointly attracting new economic development and investments to areas that historically have struggled to bring in new business, industry, and quality jobs, such as those along the Calumet River. By working together and not competing, communities will be more apt to identify their individual strengths and unique place in our regional market and will collectively attract resources and use them more efficiently.

Michael McLaughlin, Director of Regional Policy and Transportation

With federal and state transportation dollars flat-lining and losing their purchasing power, we need to find ways to stretch those dollars even further. "Congestion pricing" is a mechanism proven worldwide to manage demand for roads and other transportation modes. In 2008, cities such as New York, San Francisco, Miami and Seattle likely will join the growing ranks of metropolitan areas that will implement congestion pricing.

The Chicago region should develop and coalesce around a comprehensive congestion pricing strategy this year, so that 2009 will become the year of implementation of congestion pricing in the region. MPC will explore the possibilities for congestion pricing in our region by partnering with the Toll Highway Authority to study the effects of congestion pricing on Chicagoland's toll road network. MPC also will establish peer exchanges and forums with other cities around the nation and world to highlight best practices with regard to congestion pricing and related transit and road improvements.

Karin Sommer , Associate

The focus for my first year at MPC will be on creating and sustaining great places in Chicago. Three projects specifically address this goal: Placemaking; A New North Lawndale; and our emerging transit-oriented development initiative.

The Placemaking project will establish a curriculum for creating and maintaining great public spaces in Chicago through the production of a guidebook, trainings, and technical assistance to Chicago neighborhood groups.

A New North Lawndale deals with street design, using the redevelopment of Ogden Avenue into a pedestrian-friendly corridor as a catalyst for change inChicago's North Lawndale community.

The transit-oriented development initiative will build upon our successfulJan. 10th roundtable, "Within Our Reach: Your World in Half a Mile," to encourage and implement more development near transit inChicago.

Katherine Bucar , Graphic Design Associate

I resolve to streamline MPC's communication to board, donors, partners, and friends; and further develop MPC's targeted electronic communications. In 2008, MPC will increase the availability of our information online – and, in so doing, reduce paper waste! Beginning later this month, we will introduce a new monthly e-mail newsletter that consolidates two existing communiqués, and complements our printed, tri-annual Regional Connection newsletter, as well as our quarterly reports to the board.

Lillie Jernigan, Consultant, Employer-Assisted Housing

In 2008, I'm excited to continue building on the momentum from the work MPC started in 2007 under the Charter One Workforce Housing Initiative in Chicago's northwest and northern suburbs. Partnering with 10 municipalities and not-for-profit housing experts, the traction for this initiative is strong and will continue to grow this year as we work with area employers to develop public-private housing resources for area families.

Under this initiative in the northwest suburbs of Mt. Prospect, Palatine, Arlington Heights, Rolling Meadows, and Buffalo Grove, the partner is Housing Opportunity Development Corporation (HODC). HODC is also the main partner in the northern suburbs of Deerfield, Highwood, Highland Park, Lake Forest , and Northbrook , along with the Affordable Housing Corporation of Lake County (AHC).

In addition to convening employers through unified outreach, several of these communities are moving forward with their own unique contributions to the supply of affordable workforce housing. Throughout 2008, I will be working closely with municipal staff and our housing expert partners to take employer interest and activity around workforce housing in these communities to the next level.

Josh Ellis, Community Building Associate

By improving MPC's research, analysis, and presentation capabilities, I hope to help communities better understand and visualize the steps they can take to make more equitable, sustainable and sensible choices about the future. Between our publications, such as the forthcoming Housing 1-2-3; the hands-on training workshops that go with them; and original research and analysis, my hope is that any kind of community – from fast-growing suburbs to more established, yet disinvested, communities – will be better equipped to tackle any development challenge.

Kristi DeLaurentiis, Manager of Local Government and Community Relations

Many municipalities have moved ahead on their plans to create livable, vibrant communities. Some, following extensive planning processes, are already implementing the forward-looking strategies that are needed to get them there. Others are learning from their neighbors in the region or looking elsewhere across the globe, what it takes to tackle particularly thorny challenges that impact residents and businesses.

My New Year's resolution is to showcase Illinois communities leading the way, where planning and innovative strategies make a difference in the character of the place and people's lives; and examine measures that can help others along the way.

]]> http://metroplanning.org/press/press.asp?objectID=4225 1/14/2008 MPC's Winter 2008 Roundtable, "Within Our Reach: Your World in Half a Mile," captured the attention of planners, developers, elected officials, and community groups from around the region, as it explored the opportunities and challenges to integrating neighborhood development with transit service.

Co-hosted with the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), the blockbuster event featured a dynamic discussion from out-of-town practitioners: David Taylor, national director of Sustainable Transportation Solutions, HDR, Inc., Catherine Cox-Blair, principal cityplannerin Denver, and James Keefe, president and principal of Trinity Financial inBoston. Chicago Ald. Mary Ann Smith (48th Ward) and Sam Assefa, director of land use and planning policy for Chicago 's Dept. of Planning and Development, provided local perspective.

The experts addressed the positive effects of approaching community building and transportation investment jointly as transit-oriented development (TOD). Mr. Taylor framed the TOD movement and walked through success stories from around the country. Ms. Cox-Blair emphasized the importance of establishing expectations for all invovled partners. Mr. Keefe stressed collaborating with the various parties from the begining of the planning and development process. Ald. Smith and Mr. Assefa rounded out the discussion by describing emerging opportunities and strategies for building stronger neighborhoods and skillfully designed TOD in the urban core.

Carefully nurtured, TOD pays dividends well beyond homeowners' pocketbooks and convenience - it is a boon for local businesses, protects the environment through massive energy and emissions savings, and supports better transit service and increased ridership. Both the CTA and MPC recognize TOD as a win-win, long-term strategy for creating great urban places.

Presentations

David Taylor
Senior Vice President
National Director, Sustainable Transportation Solutions, HDR, Inc.

Catherine Cox-Blair
Principal City Planner, Dept. of Community Planning and Development
Denver , Colo.

James Keefe
President and Principal, Trinity Financial, Inc.
Boston , Mass.

Sam Assefa
Director of Land Use and Planning Policy, Dept. of Planning and Development
Chicago , Ill.

Ald. Mary Ann Smith(48th Ward)
Chicago , Ill.

For more information, please contact Michael Davidson, Manager of Planning, at 312-863-6009 or mdavidson@metroplanning.org.

]]> http://metroplanning.org/press/press.asp?objectID=4226 1/14/2008 Presentations available from "Within Our Reach: Your World in a Half Mile", an MPC/CTA hosted disucssion featuring some of the country's most knowledgeable transit experts about why transit-oriented development (TOD) is critical to urban vitality.

David Taylor
Senior Vice President
National Director, Sustainable Transportation Solutions, HDR, Inc.

Catherine Cox-Blair
Principal City Planner, Dept. of Community Planning and Development
Denver , Colo.

James Keefe
President and Principal, Trinity Financial, Inc.
Boston , Mass.

Sam Assefa
Director of Land Use and Planning Policy, Dept. of Planning and Development
Chicago , Ill.

Ald. Mary Ann Smith (48th Ward)
Chicago , Ill.

For more information, please contact Michael Davidson, Manager of Planning, at 312-863-6009 or mdavidson@metroplanning.org.

]]> http://metroplanning.org/press/press.asp?objectID=4223 1/11/2008 To craft a winning bid for the 2016 Olympics, Chicago leaders must ensure Olympics planning is inclusive, transparent, and, most importantly, improves this region for generations to come, according to Tessa Jowell, the United Kingdom's Minister for the Olympics and London, who delivered the keynote address at the MPC 2007 Annual Meeting Luncheon, "Going for the Gold: Chicago's Olympic Destiny."

"Be very clear about what you want to do afterwards," Jowell advised the crowd of Chicago-area civic, business, community and governmental leaders who attended the luncheon on Nov. 29. "Keep thinking about what will happen beyond 17 days of sports."

The International Olympic Committee is looking for such "big picture" planning, Jowell added, as well as a city it can trust.

Indeed, as Chicago competes with six other global cities– including Madrid, Riode Janeiro, and Tokyo – for the honor of hosting the 2016 Olympics, MPC continues to urge that planning for the Games be tied to broader goals to maintain and build uponChicago's world-class status.

"Tessa Jowell's remarks serve as an excellent reminder that as we compete for the 2016 Olympic Games, we can build upon the successes of experienced host cities," said MarySue Barrett, president of MPC. "Our plans not only should capture the imagination of the International Olympic Committee and world, but also make our region more competitive in the global economy."

Jowell's insights about the wider benefits of hosting the Olympics were an inspiring message for the crowd of decision-makers gathered for MPC's major annual fundraising event.

"ForLondon, hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games is about much more than even a great summer of sport. It offers a unique opportunity to change our capital city for the better, leaving a legacy of transformation and hope for decades to come," said Jowell.

In London, the city is redeveloping the East End neighborhood, a very low-income community where life expectancy is a full four years below the national rate. The city engaged community members from the outset, which is critical in all stages of Olympics planning, said Jowell.

Jowell also urged Chicago bid officials to be "transparent and explicit as possible" about the various costs of hosting the Games. Although reports have claimed that London is over budget, a closer look reveals those numbers include "legacy" projects, such as the East End redevelopment. Such improvements will benefit the city long after the Games, said Jowell, and part of building support for the Games is calling attention to how the Games can accelerate needed investments and bring to light new opportunities for a host city.

"Our door is open and our knowledge and experience available to all the cities bidding to receive the Olympic and Paralympic baton from us in 2012 – and beyond," Jowell added.

The MPC 2007 Annual Meeting Luncheon was made possible by Presenting Event Chair Joseph A. Gregoire, president and CEO, Illinois Banking, National City Bank, which contributed $50,000 to MPC for the luncheon; and Event Co-Chairs Gail K. Boudreaux, executive vice president of external operations, BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois; Colin Dyer, president and CEO, Jones Lang LaSalle, and Peter Roberts, chief executive officer of the Americas, Jones Lang LaSalle; Miles D. White, chairman and CEO, Abbott; and Thomas Wilson, president and CEO, the Allstate Corporation. Their companies each contributed $25,000 to sponsor the event. The Honorary Co-Chairs for the 2007 luncheon were Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley; James Clark, Her Majesty's Consul General, Chicago; and Patrick G. Ryan, executive chairman, Aon Corporation.

]]> http://metroplanning.org/press/press.asp?objectID=4153 12/7/2007 Learn Why Hybrid Vehicles Won't Save the Planet at Dec. 6 MPC Roundtable

Global warming has sent society's conscientious consumers scrambling for low-carbon fuels and hybrid vehicles – but will these individual choices, however noble, add up to a more sustainable region? Not likely, according to Growing Cooler , a groundbreaking report recently published by the Urban Land Institute that pegs the cause of our ever-growing fuel dependency not on the type of car we drive or what we pump into it, but on development patterns leaving people with little choice but to drive more every year.

Growing Cooler author Reid Ewing ? a former Arizona state legislator turned professor at the National Center for Smart Growth at the University of Maryland - will present findings from his study at an MPC roundtable on Thursday, Dec. 6, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., at Mayer Brown, 71 S. Wacker Dr., Chicago. He'll explain why community planning and design are critical to reducing the need to drive, and with it, carbon fuel emissions, a key contributor to global warming; and he'll address how metropolitan Chicago and Illinois can do their part to halt our climate crisis. Randy Blankenhorn, executive director of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, and Sadhu Johnston, chief environmental officer of the City ofChicago, will respond to Reid's findings and identify local applications.

Guests are required to register with Pam Lee at plee@metroplanning.org or 312-863-6011; or at MPC's Web site, www.metroplanning.org. Cost is $15 for MPC members, $30 for nonmembers, and includes lunch. A picture I.D. is required to enter the building. Members of the media may attend at no cost and should contact MPC Communications Associate Mandy Burrell at mburrell@metroplanning.org or 312-863-6018.

Miracle on 138th Street: Riverdale Development Begins Long-Awaited Renovation

If you believe in miracles, this is your season – and this may be your story: officials in Riverdale have broken ground on the the multi-million dollar community redevelopment effort transforming one of the region's poorest and most crime-ridden communities into the new, mixed-income community Whistler's Crossing.

South suburban Riverdale – with an estimated population of 14, 418 –has long been known for its well-maintained single-family homes on tree-lined streets. Yet the 90 or so historic homes in a neighborhood once known as Pacesetter have long been deteriorated. What's more, the entire community area north of 138th Street, south of the rail yards, east of Lowe Avenue, and due west of Eggleston Avenue has been a hotbed for crime and poverty in an otherwise stable village.

The first phase of the project will consist of restoring the 90 homes and upgrading the wider community area. Whistler's Crossing will be a mixed-income haven where businesses, homeowners, and renters can co-exist harmoniously. Riverdale Mayor Zenovia Evans – a former resident of Pacesetter – has called the community's revitalization "a dream come true."

To learn more about Whistler's Crossing, contact MPC Community Building Initiative Manager Joanna Trotter, 312-863-6008, or jtrotter@metroplanning.org .

HB 2353 Adds Affordable Housing to Illinois ' Capital Investment Strategy

As the number of victims of mortgage foreclosures continues to rise, destabilizing renters as well as homeowners, the State of Illinois is taking a major step forward to combat the shortage of quality affordable housing options statewide. For the first time in state history, HB 2353 authorizes the Illinois Housing Development Authority to use state capital fund dollars to create and preserve affordable homes in Illinois for low-income and very low-income households.

"Ensuring every community in Illinois has a well-balanced housing stock benefits all of us, from businesses, hospitals and schools that rely on their employees being able to find homes near work, to families that don't want to have to move further out to find a home they can afford," said MPC Housing Director RobinSnyderman. "By making affordable housing preservation and development a key element in the state's capital investment plan, Illinois has a tremendous opportunity to more strategically link the development of affordable homes to job centers and transportation options – hopefully reducing our congestion headaches as well!"

The bill was approved by the General Assembly in November and awaits the governor's signature. Snyderman noted that the bill provides yet another impetus for state legislators to approve a new state capital plan to fund roads, bridges, transit, schools and, now, homes. The state's last capital plan expired in 2004. For more information, contact Snyderman at 312-863-6007 or rsnyderman@metroplanning.org.

Meet the MPC Staff
Connect with MPC Reconnecting Neighborhoods Manager Brandon Johnson

A native of Chicago 's South Side, MPC's Brandon Johnson is thrilled to be making a difference in his community – and two others on the city's West and North sides – every day through his role as MPC project manager of Reconnecting Neighborhoods. The project, which kicked off in early November, invites residents of three mixed-income Chicago communities to participate in the planning for their future. The project will result in recommendations for enhanced transit services, retail, and improved public infrastructure in the Near North, Near West and Mid-South neighborhoods.

"Growing up on the South Side, I saw and encountered lots of problems related to housing, transportation, and commerce, so to actually have a chance to be part of the solution is an amazing opportunity," said Johnson regarding his new role, which he began this July after spending two years with the Illinois General Assembly.

With a bachelor's degree in political science from Morehouse College and non-terminal studies in political and cultural theory at the University of Chicago, Johnson is well suited to coordinate Reconnecting Neighborhoods for MPC. The project is led by the City of Chicago Dept. of Planning and Development, with support from the Regional Transportation Authority and MPC. HNTB, a planning firm, will handle the project's technical work and research. Stay tuned in the coming months, when each community's Local Task Force will hold a series of meetings to weigh in on community issues such as transportation, retail and job opportunities. Contact Johnson at 312-863-6046 or bjohnson@metroplanning.org.

Learn more by contacting Mandy Burrell, MPC communications associate, at 312-863-6018 or mburrell@metroplanning.org, or by visiting www.metroplanning.org.

]]> http://metroplanning.org/press/press.asp?objectID=4147 12/5/2007 (Chicago) … As Chicago competes with six other global cities for the honor of hosting the 2016 Olympics, the Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) urges that planning for the Games be tied to broader goals to maintain and build upon Chicago's world-class status. At MPC's 2007 Annual Meeting Luncheon, "Going for the Gold: Chicago's Olympic Destiny," some 1,000 Chicago-area leaders heard from keynote speaker, the Rt. Hon. Tessa Jowell, MP, the United Kingdom's Minister for the Olympics and London, how "legacy planning" can improve a bid city's chances, but more importantly strengthen a metropolitan region for generations to come.

"For London, hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games is about much more than even a great summer of sport. It offers a unique opportunity to change our capital city for the better, leaving a legacy of transformation and hope for decades to come," said Jowell, a driving force behind London's successful bid for the 2012 Games. "Our door is open and our knowledge and experience available to all the cities bidding to receive the Olympic and Paralympic baton from us in 2012 – and beyond. I am very happy to be able to discuss our experiences with the people of Chicago as part of that commitment."

Jowell was introduced by James Clark, Britain's newly appointed Consul General forChicago. Her insights about the wider benefits of hosting the Olympics – such as the opportunity to bolster a city's housing, transportation and neighborhood assets – were an inspiring message for the crowd of decision-makers gathered for MPC's major annual fundraising event on Thursday, Nov. 29, at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.

"Tessa Jowell's remarks serve as an excellent reminder that as we compete for the 2016 Olympic Games, we can build upon the successes of experienced host cities," said MarySue Barrett, president of MPC. "Our plans not only should capture the imagination of the International Olympic Committee and world, but also make our region more competitive in the global economy."

"Chicago is a city forged by bold plans, from Daniel Burnham's 1909 vision that has shaped our Lakefront and boulevards to the city's dramatic front yard,Millennium Park," said Patrick G. Ryan, chairman and CEO, Chicago 2016. "Bidding for the 2016 Olympics is an opportunity to bring out the best in our city and to build a legacy forChicago's next 100 years."

At the event, MPC also presented its 2007 Burnham Award for Excellence in Planning, including a cash prize of $5,000 underwritten by National City Bank, to five northwest Indiana communities for The Marquette Plan: The Lakeshore Reinvestment Strategy. Together with U.S. Rep. Peter J. Visclosky (D-Ind.), the leaders of East Chicago, Gary, Hammond, Portage and Whiting, Ind., pooled $200,000 in local and federal resources to conduct the initial study to address a difficult challenge: attracting new market investments in communities long-defined by industry. The Marquette Plan outlines a strategy to bring jobs and retail opportunities to the beachfront communities of Northwest Indiana, while protecting and enhancing ourregion's greatestnatural resource,Lake Michigan .

"Our position on Lake Michigan grows more valuable each day, and the Marquette Plan will leverage this tremendous resource to create new jobs, new recreation, and new economicdevelopment in Northwest Indiana," said U.S. Rep. Visclosky. "I applaud the lakefront citiesof EastChicago, Gary,Hammond, Portage and Whiting for their support of the Marquette Plan."

For 19 years, MPC's Burnham Award has recognized forward-thinking plans and projects in the Chicago region. On behalf of the five communities and U.S. Rep. Visclosky, A.J. Monroe, director of community development for the City ofPortage, accepted the award from Joseph A. Gregoire, president and CEO, Illinois Banking, National City Bank; and member, MPC Board of Governors.

"The Marquette Plan represents the power of individual communities working together to make the biggest impact," said Gregoire. "Individual efforts on the part of each of these communities are commendable, but together and with the support of U.S. Rep. Visclosky and the private sector, these five communities have been able to leverage impressive resources to shape a brighter future for the entire region."

Such work exemplifies the power of collaboration, a hallmark of MPC since its founding at the Century of Progress World's Fair in 1934. By working together with a range of partners – from city, suburban and county governments to community organizations and developers – MPC is helping ensure everyone who lives and works in metropolitan Chicago can prosper as part of a world-class region, according to MPC Board Chair Lee M. Mitchell, partner, Thoma Cressy Bravo, Inc. MPC develops, promotes and implements policies and strategies to achieve this goal, such as improving access to transportation options, increasing state funding for education, and assisting communities in developing a range of homes that accommodate people at all stages in life.

Mitchell also shared some of MPC's 2007 highlights, including the following:

• With the International Council of Shopping Centers, Campaign for Sensible Growth, and Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, MPC published Retail 1-2-3 , the third in a series of planning workbooks for local officials and community leaders.
• As part of a broader effort to craft a redevelopment strategy for the City of Joliet 's East Side , MPC recommended ways to strengthen the community's housing and retail markets. This is just one of more than 20 communities MPC has provided hands-on development assistance to in the past few years.
• MPC's Community Building Initiative has launched Reconnecting Neighborhoods to bring access and opportunity to three mixed-income communities in Chicago .
• Five regions across the U.S. , including Mississippi 's Katrina-ravaged Gulf Coast , have engaged MPC in helping them start employer-assisted housing (EAH) programs. This summer, the Chicago area celebrated its 1,000 th EAH homebuyer.
• The MPC-led Good Housing Good Schools Act, signed into law in August, gives a financial boost to school districts that welcome multi-family housing, a practical solution to the jobs-housing mismatch.

Mitchell also welcomed newly elected members of its Board of Governors: Vincent Cordero, vice president and general manager, Univision Television Group; Michael Moore, managing director, head of Chicago capital markets, Lehman Brothers; Stephen M. Porras, vice president, acquisitions, affordable housing, Related Midwest; and James P. Stirling, director, UBS; and newly appointed Resource Board members Christopher B. Burke, president, Christopher B. Burke Engineering, Ltd.; and Karla O. Teasley, president, Illinois American Water.

The MPC 2007 Annual Meeting Luncheon was made possible by Honorary Co-Chairs Mayor Richard M. Daley, City of Chicago; James Clark, Her Majesty's Consul General, Chicago; and Patrick G. Ryan, executive chairman, Aon Corporation; as well as Presenting Event Chair Joseph A. Gregoire, president and CEO, Illinois Banking, National City Bank. National City was Presenting Sponsor for this year's luncheon, with a $50,000 contribution.

MPC also thanks Event Co-Chairs Gail K. Boudreaux, executive vice president of external operations, BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois; Colin Dyer, president and CEO, Jones Lang LaSalle, and Peter Roberts, chief executive officer of the Americas, Jones Lang LaSalle; Miles D. White, chairman and CEO, Abbott; and Thomas Wilson, president and CEO, the Allstate Corporation.

Founded in 1934, the Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan group of business and civic leaders committed to serving the public interest through development, promotion and implementation of sound planning and development policies so all residents have access to opportunity and a good quality of life, the building blocks of a globally competitive greater Chicago region.

]]> http://metroplanning.org/press/press.asp?objectID=4139 11/29/2007 It's a time when the market's uncertainty has many would-be homebuyers sitting tight, sellers worried and prominent developers rethinking sure-fire investments. But with the booming population growth and increasing household incomes in the south and southwest suburbs-and the just-opened I-355 tollway now a reality-there's still a lot of development potential in Will County and beyond.

So said planners, economic developers, architects, and real estate professionals who presented their perspectives on the marketplace and what's underway in South Cook,Will, Kankakee, and Grundy counties at a recent Land Development Conference and Golf Tournament in TinleyPark, Ill. The development community may just be finding it a little slower going than what they've been experiencing in recent times-and realizing they need to respond to a changing demographic, especially in the residential and mixed-use markets.

Yesterday's growth trends may still be driving home sales in the exurban areas, but the fast pace of new rooftops has slowed in response to the overall softening of the market. For residential home builders, that means some developers are walking away from 1,000-acre greenfield options and instead moving on smaller parcels or in-fill sites as the high costs of raw land and infrastructure needs impact the bottom line. It also means they're diversifying their housing stock and developing multifamily projects and apartment buildings as individual buying power has changed. With fewer first-time homebuyers, higher interest rates and a growing number of empty nesters wanting out of their large-lot homes, developers are turning to new products to meet market demand.

That should suit local communities just fine. Many have been inundated with hordes of incom