MPC encourages city, Chicago 2016 to undertake projects that will improve quality of life, equity of opportunity, and economic redevelopment in metropolitan Chicago
(Chicago) The Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC), a
nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that promotes and implements sensible
development policies and practices in metropolitan Chicago, congratulates the City of Chicago and Chicago 2016 Committee
for their effort to
earn the nod as the U.S. Olympic Committee’s choice to host the 2016 Summer
Games.
During
the next
two-and-a-half
years, Chicago
will compete against an elite class of global
metropolises,
including
Madrid,
Tokyo
and Rio de
Janeiro,
to win over the International Olympics Committee (IOC) in 2009. Efforts by the
city and Chicago 2016 must be focused not only on the short-term goal of winning
the IOC bid, but also on a critical long-term goal: maintaining and building
upon
Chicago
’s
world-class status to keep our region competitive in an increasingly global
economy. As Olympics plans continue to evolve, MPC recommends prioritizing
initiatives that improve quality of life, equity of opportunity, and economic
redevelopment in metropolitan
Chicago
– today, in 2016, and for generations
to come.
“The Metropolitan Planning Council – which made its public
debut
73 years ago at the 1934 Century of
Progress World’s Fair – urges Chicago leaders to internalize best practices from
recent host cities, and learn from their successes and their mistakes to truly
leave a 'lasting legacy' for metropolitan Chicago,” said MPC President MarySue
Barrett.
MPC respectfully sets forth
this initial list of recommended priorities:
Priority #1: Improve transportation options in
metropolitan Chicago.
During the Games, some 2 million visitors –
in addition to the region’s 8 million residents – must be able to move about
swiftly and efficiently using public transportation, bicycling, and walking.
Driving will be near-impossible and discouraged. Improvements to public transit,
bike lanes, streets and sidewalks will have lasting benefits for the city and
region and should be based on plans already developed by city and regional
planning agencies, maximizing the use of the region’s existing infrastructure
and expanding our transit network where necessary. To jumpstart these plans, MPC
urges the Illinois General Assembly to take action this session
and pass a
state capital plan with
selection
criteria.
Priority #2: Coordinate pre-Games development
with the revitalization of Chicago’s mid-South and West Side communities
currently underway.
Many of
the proposed Olympics venues , including
the Olympic Stadium and Olympic Aquatics Center, are located in South and West
Side neighborhoods undergoing rapid revitalization. These communities will bear
much of the responsibility for representing Chicago to the world. Coordinating
revitalization initiatives in these neighborhoods is a must. For instance, the
Olympic plans should build on the momentum generated by the Chicago Housing
Authority’s (CHA) Plan for Transformation and its new mixed-income communities
(many of which are located near proposed Olympics venues). Through careful
planning that addresses the concerns and incorporates the input and resources of
local residents, as well as builds on current redevelopment efforts, the city
and Chicago 2016 have a rare opportunity to use the Games to bring new jobs,
shopping opportunities, mixed-income
homes, and improved
public facilities to some of the
city’s
most historic –
and
currently
disinvested – neighborhoods.
Priority #3: Maximize benefits for Chicago ’s low
and moderate income residents.
Without a thriving middle-class and
absent adequate resources to support low-income residents, Chicago cannot
maintain its status as an inclusive global city that offers opportunities to all
its citizens. The Olympics can help expand the earning power of Chicago’s
working poor, by focusing on redevelopment that benefits underserved
communities. Likewise, the Olympics can help the city attract and retain young
professionals and middle-class families. For instance, as plans to develop the
6,000-unit Olympic Village proceed, city leaders and employers located nearby
should plan now to ensure that a significant percentage of those units are
converted immediately after the Games into homes that are affordable – and that
remain affordable
in the long
term –
to
low and moderate income working families.
Priority #4: Grow Chicago ’s reputation as a
green city.
With 29 miles of shoreline parks, a growing number
of LEED-certified buildings (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design),
and green roofs galore – not to mention Lake Michigan and the Chicago River
– Chicago’s green reputation came alive for the U.S. Olympics Committee.
The Olympics can catalyze the next step in Chicago’s “sustainable revolution”
through the development of “green” neighborhoods, featuring pedestrian and
bicycle-friendly streets; compact, mixed-use development; accessible open space
and public transportation; and a mix of housing types. Chicago’s Olympics dreams
can jumpstart the development of energy-saving model neighborhoods, known as
LEED-ND (LEED for Neighborhood Design) communities, which
represent the next
logical
step
in the green building movement.
Already, MPC is advancing policies and plans that will
strengthen Chicago’s bid to host the 2016 Summer Games. For instance, the
Council has been urging Illinois leaders to pass a new state capital plan with selection criteria to fund
much-needed improvements for our regional transportation network; and to approve
SB 135, known as the LEED-ND Green Neighborhood Award, which
will provide economic incentives for the development of sustainably designed,
energy-efficient neighborhoods in Illinois. Since 2000, MPC has been working
with city leaders and the CHA to ensure success for Chicago’s new mixed-income
communities being created by the Plan for Transformation. And through its Community Building Initiative
, MPC is helping local communities
tap best practices to address difficult planning and
development challenges.
“MPC is among a host of
civic groups ready and willing to partner with the city and Chicago 2016 on
plans that will capture the imagination of the IOC and the world, while
contributing to a better region,” said Barrett. “We’re eager to get
started.”
For comment from the Metropolitan Planning Council,
please contact MPC President MarySue Barrett, at 312-863-6001 or msbarrett@metroplanning.org; MPC Vice President of External
Relations Peter Skosey , at 312-863-6004, 312-401-8051, or pskosey@metroplanning.org; or MPC Communications Associate
Mandy Burrell , at 312-863-6018, 773-640-1206, or mburrell@metroplanning.org.