Fall Roundtables to Focus on SAFETEA-LU, Community Building , and Media
There’s nothing like getting the
scoop from “insiders.” With that in mind, the Metropolitan Planning Council is
pleased to present its 2005 Fall Roundtable Series, featuring three distinct
sessions at each of which a panel of speakers – chosen because they work closely
to the issue at hand – will present their thoughts, followed by a moderated
question-and-answer session. Breakfast or lunch will be served. Fall roundtables
are:
-
“SAFETEA Begins at Home: Greasing the Wheels for Full
Funding,” Monday, Oct. 31, 8:00 to 9:30 a.m., Union League Club of Chicago, 65
W. Jackson Blvd., Fifth Floor, Crystal Room, Chicago.
-
“Unconventional Wisdom: Bucking Trends to Address
Community Challenges,” Wednesday, Nov. 9, noon to 1:30 p.m., Gardner Carton
& Douglas, 191 N. Wacker Dr., 37 th Floor, Chicago.
-
“Full Court Press: How
Reporters Plan to Keep the Heat on Candidates,” Friday, Nov. 18, noon to 1:30
p.m., Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw, 71 S. Wacker Dr.,
33rd
Floor,
Chicago.
Media may attend free of charge, but a reservation is
appreciated for catering purposes. The Union League Club of Chicago requires
business or business casual attire. For more details, including information on
speakers, and standard registration and costs, please visit metroplanning.org/calendar.asp.
MPC Contact: Peter Skosey, Vice President of External
Relations, 312.863.6004, pskosey@metroplanning.org
Parking Subsidies Cost Americans Billions; One Man Says There’s a Better Way
Cities across America, including Chicago, heavily
subsidize street parking because retailers maintain they’ll lose shoppers if
meters are too expensive. On the contrary, says Donald Shoup, author of The
High Cost of Free Parking
, who
will
present his
radical views on what’s wrong with parking subsidies to a
downtown
Chicago audience
on Wednesday, Nov. 2, noon to 1:30 p.m, at the University Club of
Chicago, 76 E.
Monroe
St., Ninth Floor, Cathedral Room.
In his book, Shoup
argues that “wrong-headed”
parking policies are generating possibly the “most costly subsidy American cities
provide to their citizens.” Instead of subsidized parking – which often leads to a
lack of available parking spots, forcing drivers to “circle” or give up
and shop elsewhere – Shoup promotes market pricing at the meters
to
keep
about 20 percent of spots open at all times, thereby increasing traffic and
money spent in that area. He also points to cities
such
as Pasadena, Cali., where a combination of
market pricing and local control of parking revenues has revitalized retail
centers. In 2006, MPC
will conduct a feasibility study on implementing local control of parking
revenues, also known as parking improvement districts,
in
Chicago.
Media may attend Shoup’s talk free of charge, but a reservation is
appreciated to plan for lunch. The University Club of Chicago requires business
or business casual attire. For more details, including information on standard
registration and costs, visit metroplanning.org/calendar.asp.
MPC Contact: Peter Skosey, Vice
President of External Relations, 312.863.6004, pskosey@metroplanning.org
Contact: Jacky Grimshaw, Vice President of Policy,
Transportation & Community Development, Center for Neighborhood Technology,
773.278.4800 ext. 133, jacky@cnt.org.
MPC President to Respond to State of Latino Chicago Report at Regional Forum
To highlight the
status of the Latino community in the Chicago metropolitan area and suggest
a framework to address the implications of the projected demographic shift,
University of Notre Dame’s Institute for Latino Studies, Metropolitan Chicago
Initiative – in collaboration with Latinos United and other regional partners –
will release the report “The State of Latino Chicago” on Tuesday, Nov. 1, from 8:30
a.m. to 2 p.m. at Federal
Reserve
Bank
of Chicago ,
230
S.
LaSalle
St.,
Chicago.
At the regional policy forum, a
particular emphasis will be placed on suburban expansion as areas outside of
Chicago
have
seen a larger share of Latino population growth in recent years. After a
presentation on key findings from the report, MPC President
MarySue Barrett
will respond as part of a diverse
panel, including Ill. Sen. Miguel del Valle (D-Chicago); Terry Mazany, president
and CEO, Chicago Community Trust; Consul General of Mexico Carlos Sada Salona;
and
Village
of
Palatine Mayor Rita L.
Mullins
.
“With more than 225,000 Latinos coming to the Chicago area between 2000 and 2004,
it’s clear that Latino migration is and will continue to be a key driver in
regional growth,” said Barrett. “All told, our region is expected to add some two million
people by 2030 and, like all of these new residents, Latino residents will need
good schools, and quality housing and transit options near job opportunities. We
must work to meet these needs, as well as channel the many assets Latinos bring,
including purchasing power, entrepreneurship, and desire for homeownership.”
MPC contact: MarySue Barrett, President, Metropolitan
Planning Council, 312.863.6001, msbarrett@metroplanning.org
Contact:
Sylvia Puente, Director, University of Notre Dame’s Institute for Latino
Studies, Metropolitan Chicago Initiative, 708-788-6109 or spuente@nd.edu.
Building
homes is one thing; making sure people can afford to purchase them is another.
To help bring the American dream of homeownership within reach for families in
the Chicago metropolitan region, real estate firms such as The John Buck
Company, MB Real Estate, and Draper and Kramer are offering employer-assisted
housing (EAH) to provide employees with homeownership counseling and downpayment
assistance toward their first homes.
“We’ve been developing and managing property in this
region for more than 20 years, so we are acutely aware that increasing home
values is placing
homeownership out of reach
even for many middle-income families,” said John Buck, chairman & CEO, The John Buck Company.
“The high cost of housing cannot be overcome by any one solution, but
the public and private sectors working together can address the growing
need for housing.”
Indeed, MPC launched EAH in the
Chicago
region
as a public-private solution to the state’s workforce housing shortage. Today,
Illinois
companies offering EAH can take advantage of state tax credits, while homebuyers
in the program can leverage state funds to match their employer’s downpayment
assistance, which is usually in the form of a forgivable loan. The region’s
leading nonprofit housing experts administer EAH programs for companies, as well
as provide confidential counseling to homebuyers.
For more information about employer-assisted housing,
visit reachillinois.org
.
MPC contact: Robin Snyderman, Housing
Director, 312.863.6007, rsnyderman@metroplanning.org
Contact:
John Buck, Chairman & CEO, The John Buck Company; and Chair, MPC Board of
Governors, 312.441.4138, jabuck@tjbc.com
.