Trust us: planning is a much more exciting field than
most people realize. Don’t take our word for it: come hear one of your peers
make the case. Veteran journalist Anthony Flint, who covered planning,
development and housing for the Boston Globe for 16 years, will be in Chicago to
discuss his new book, This Land: The Battle over Sprawl and the Future of
America, which “tells the untold story of development in America – how the
landscape is shaped by a furious clash of political, economic and cultural
forces.” Intrigued? Join us for the free event at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, June 20 ,
at the Burnham Conference Center, American Planning Association (APA), 122 S.
Michigan Ave., Suite 1600, Chicago. The event is part of the “Tuesdays at APA”
lecture series, and is co-sponsored by the Metropolitan Planning Council
(MPC) and Campaign
for Sensible Growth
.
While Flint’s themes are broad, planning also shapes the
small but important details that color our daily lives. At an MPC roundtable
luncheon on Thursday, June 22, we’ll explore how a planning innovation called
Context Sensitive Solutions can help create streets that do much more than move
cars. From famous streets to the street where you rode your bike as a kid,
streets are places where commerce and recreation take place, and friends and
neighbors meet. Learn more at the roundtable luncheon, which will begin at noon
at the Union League Club, 65 W. Jackson, Chicago. Media may attend free of
charge, but a reservation is appreciated. The Union League Club requires
business or business casual attire. For details on either event, visit MPC’s Web
calendar
.
Campaign for Sensible Growth Contact: Michael Davidson, Manager,
312.863.6009, mdavidson@growingsensibly.org
MPC
Contact: Peter Skosey, Vice President of External Relations, 312.863.6004,
pskosey@metroplanning.org
As Chicago Prepares Olympic Bid, MPC Anticipates Vigorous Public
Participation
With the help of an Olympics
exploratory committee,
Chicago
officials are hurriedly compiling
details necessary to support a bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, which
they’ll reportedly submit to the U.S. Olympics Committee by Wednesday, June 21.
Though questions remain as to
Chicago
’s ability to host the Games, the
Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) is encouraged by the city’s thoughtful
planning process, and looks forward to public discussion of the
proposal.
“City officials have been clear
on a critical point: the costs of hosting the 2016 Summer Olympic Games must
translate into long-term transportation, housing, and green space improvements
for the entire region,” said Peter Skosey, MPC vice president of external
relations. “By keeping the planning process open to the public, the city will
help ensure that the Games leave a meaningful legacy for
Chicago
and the
metropolitan region.”
MPC first weighed in on Chicago’s Olympic bid in May
with recommendations to guide the pursuit. Read MPC’s Olympic “Rules of the Games”
on our
Web site.
MPC Contact: Peter Skosey, Vice President of External Relations,
312.863.6004, pskosey@metroplanning.org
Contact:
Calvert W. Audrain, Member, MPC Urban Development Committee, 773.947.8227, acaudrain@sbcglobal.net
MPC Seeks Nominations for 2006 Burnham Award for Excellence in Planning
The Metropolitan Planning
Council (MPC) is calling for nominations for the 2006 Burnham Award for
Excellence in Planning, which for 17 years has recognized superior plans that
have resulted in sensible growth and development in the
Chicago
region.
The Council presents the Burnham Award annually to a
plan that promotes and implements sensible growth and development policies,
incorporates active public participation, provides long-term community benefits,
and breaks new ground, inspiring others to adopt best practices. In 2005, MPC
presented the Burnham Award to the City of Waukegan for its
Lakefront-Downtown Urban Design Plan; and in 2004, the Burnham Award
went to the City of Chicago’s Department of Planning and Development for the
Calumet Area Land Use Plan. Award winners receive a $5,000 cash prize –
underwritten this year by National City – and are recognized at MPC’s Annual
Meeting Luncheon. Nominations for the 2006 Burnham Award are due to the Council
by 4 p.m. on Friday, June 23, 2006. Burnham Award nominations forms
are available on MPC’s Web
site.
MPC Contact: Peter Skosey, Vice President of External Relations,
312.863.6004, pskosey@metroplanning.org
Communities That Plan Sensibly Can Help Consumers Cut Their Fuel Budgets
Ariel
Diamond is a self-described “twenty-something in a suit” – who’s also passionate
about sustainability. A recent college graduate, Diamond is an environmental
policy consultant, has a tattoo symbolizing sustainability on her arm, and
dutifully tends to a worm bin in her kitchen, which will provide compost for the
tomato and basil plants sprouting in containers on the back porch of her
Lakeview apartment. And, yes, she recycles. But Diamond says the most
sustainable decision she’s made is to steer clear of car ownership in favor of
walking, riding her bike, and taking public
transit.
Diamond recognizes she’s lucky to live in a place where
not owning a car is possible. In fact, she decided to move here in part because
of the region’s extensive public transit system, which helped rank Chicago among
the Top 10 U.S. cities best prepared for an oil crisis, according to the
national organization SustainLane
.
Still, in the
Chicago
area, our built environment presents
many hurdles to residents trying to reduce t
heir gas
consumption.
“The
way we too-often consume land – thoughtlessly, without carefully planning to
connect homes, jobs and transportation – has very nearly mandated our auto
dependency,” said MarySue Barrett, president of the Metropolitan Planning
Council (MPC). “While more and more individuals earnestly pursue sustainable
lifestyles, local leaders can put more options on the table by creating
pedestrian and bike-friendly streets; ensuring a healthy range of housing
options so families can live near work or transit; and supporting an efficient,
accessible, well-funded transit system.”
Learn more about planning tools communities can use to
help residents curb their auto-dependency by visiting MPC’s Web site
, which currently features parts one
and two in an ongoing series linking land use and fuel consumption. Every other
Thursday throughout the summer, a new article in the series will appear on MPC’s
homepage.
MPC Contact: Mandy Burrell , MPC communications
associate, 312 .863.6018, mburrell@metroplanning.org
(To contact Ariel Diamond,
please call or e-mail Mandy Burrell .)