2013 National Planning Excellence Awards: Planning Agency

Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning

Northeastern Illinois

Prior to the formation of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP), regional planning was fragmented with separate, uncoordinated organizations for transportation and land use and lacked stable funding and implementation authority. CMAP is the regional planning organization for the northeastern Illinois counties of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will, and is responsible for producing the region's comprehensive plan. With the creation of CMAP, the efforts of multitude of local governmental agencies are coordinated and afforded the best technical assistance and analysis to improve land use and transportation decision-making for the region.

CMAP's GO TO 2040 regional comprehensive plan is designed to help seven counties and 284 municipalities coordinate policies and investment decisions. It includes strategies to shape the region's transportation system and development patterns, while also addressing the natural environment, economic development, housing, education, human services, and other quality-of-life factors. In the two years since GO TO 2040's adoption, CMAP has advanced its implementation by providing technical assistance to local government, and pursuing policy initiatives that address key plan priorities.

GO TO 2040 addresses the diverse factors that together shape quality of life in terms of 'livability' - what attracts people to a particular community.