Chicago Climate Action Plan Focuses on Greener Buildings, Transportation
The Chicago Climate Action
Plan, released last week, is the city
of
Chicago’s new roadmap for reducing greenhouse
gas emissions to reverse the alarming trend of global warming. With specific
actions grouped under five over-arching strategies – energy efficient buildings,
clean and renewable energy sources, improved transportation options, reduced
wasted and industrial pollution, and adaptation – the plan is a coordinated
guide for dozens of city and suburban agencies and organizations working to
lower the entire region’s emissions.
The plan was based on
extensive scientific research, showing energy consumed by buildings accounts for
70 percent
of
Chicago’s emissions, and transportation 21
percent. Giving people better travel options so they can drive less, by
expanding and connecting transit routes and bike lanes, fixing sidewalks, and
developing neighborhoods around transit hubs, is on the agenda at city agencies,
Chicago Transit Authority, Regional Transportation Authority, and
MPC.
None of this work will be easy,
but as the plan astutely points out, “Cities, by their very nature, have a great
potential to be green.” People consume less energy when they have more access to
transit, smaller living spaces and shared walls (characteristic of condos and
apartments). To help city residents further decrease their energy consumption
and costs, the plan offers a checklist for individuals. And, as communities
around the region do their part to counter climate change, Mayor Daley is urging
suburban leaders to adapt the plan’s strategies for their own
use.
The Chicago Climate Action Plan is available at www.chicagoclimateaction.org. For more information about the
environmental and economic benefits of developing near transit, contact MarySue
Barrett, MPC president, at 312.863.6001, or msbarrett@metroplanning.org
.
Learn about City’s New Bus Rapid Transit Plan at Public Meetings Sept. 24
and 25
This week, at three public meetings on Chicago’s South,
West and North sides, Chicagoans can learn more about the city and Chicago
Transit Authority’s proposed bus rapid transit pilot, which is funded by a $153
million federal grant and promises to help meet Chicagoans’ growing demand for
more and faster public transit. Visit MPC’s Web
calendar
for times and locations of the three
meetings.
Bus rapid transit is thriving in at least a dozen cities around the globe,
in part because it’s not your typical bus service. A key difference is bus
rapid transit systems have fixed stations that attract new storefronts, increase
the land value around stations, and bring new residential and retail life to
streets
and
neighborhoods.
Cleveland,
Ohio’s, 6.7-mile
Healthline
sparked 7.9 million square
feet of new commercial development and 9,000 jobs. Bus rapid transit also is 25
to 30 percent more on time than other transit services, and is faster than
buses, due to its dedicated lanes, traffic signal priority, and pre-boarding
payment.
Even for Chicagoans who won’t ride bus rapid transit,
developing a system has benefits. According to MPC’s recent report Moving at the Speed of Congestion, traffic congestion
costs metropolitan Chicago $7.3 billion a year. Bus rapid transit can give
Chicagoans an alternative to driving that is three times faster and eight times
cheaper to build than a new rail network, but will take comparable numbers of
people off the roads. Plus, Chicago isn’t the only local municipality looking
into bus rapid transit. The Regional Transportation Authority and Pace also are
exploring bus rapid transit routes to ease traffic and generate economic
development along Golf Road in northern Cook County; on Cermak Road in Cook and
DuPage counties;
and in a north-south corridor connecting communities in Will, DuPage and Cook
counties.
To learn more about bus rapid transit, visit MPC’s Web
site, or contact Peter Skosey, vice president of external relations, at
312.863.6004, or pskosey@metroplanning.org
.
Traffic Congestion a Factor in Illinois Unemployment Rates
Illinois’ unemployment rate spiked to 7.3 percent in
August, marking the fourth month in a row Illinois employers cut jobs and
reduced the overall workforce, according to the Ill. Dept. of
Employment Security
. MPC’s recent
report Moving at the Speed of
Congestion
points to one reason
why
Illinois’ unemployment rate is at its highest
level since June 1992: companies cannot afford to create jobs when they’re
paying for unprecedented traffic congestion on our roads.
The report shows Chicago-area gridlock increases labor
costs for local employers, impeding the creation of some 87,000 jobs
a year in
metropolitan
Chicago. The freight
industry alone loses $1 billion a year due to congestion. Solving the region’s
traffic woes starts with identifying a new state capital plan to fund roads,
bridges, transit and schools, and basing that plan on a criteria-based system
for selecting projects that will provide the biggest bang for the
buck.
Learn more about regional congestion and its effects on
our economy and quality of life by reading Moving at the Speed of
Congestion. Proposals for solving the region’s congestion dilemma are
outlined in the companion report, Putting Illinois Back on the Map
. Contact
Peter Skosey, vice president of
external relations, at 312.863.6004, or
pskosey@metroplanning.org
.
New Housing 1-2-3 Workbook Helps Community Leaders Meet Housing Goals
From sky-high foreclosure rates to falling home values,
communities across the region are struggling to maintain and diversify their
housing stocks. Housing 1-2-3 can help. The free workbook is the fourth
installment in the award-winning 1-2-3 community planning series, from the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus
and MPC. The book will debut Friday, Sept. 26, at
the Illinois Municipal Conference. The workbook offers local case studies and
expert advice to help local officials and community leaders looking to:
• Assess local housing stock,
determine community housing goals, and identify the strategies and tools needed
to create a healthy mix of housing options at a range or price points.
• Preserve existing affordable
homes, both rental and for-sale, to stabilize and maintain community character.
• Take a pro-active role in
property management
• Build community acceptance and
understanding of affordable housing options.
• Find the right resources and
information to pursue community goals.
• Attract market-rate housing in
low-cost communities.
Like the other three books in the 1-2-3 series
– Planning 1-2-3, Retail 1-2-3, and Sensible Tools for
Healthy Communities – Housing 1-2-3 includes real examples of
northeastern Illinois communities. To learn more about how communities are using
these books to grow and develop, contact Mandy Burrell Booth, 312-863-6018 or mburrell@metroplanning.org
.