You can always tell when you’re in a community that "gets it;" a community
that has a vision of what it wants to be and goes for it. There’s an energy in
these places that’s almost palpable.
This is true of established communities like St. Charles, whose leaders
recognize that things are going so well, they’re actually in danger of losing
what makes the city so desirable in the first place. It’s also true of
developing communities like those within the Trim Creek watershed in Will and
Kankakee counties. Growth is coming, that’s a certainty. What isn’t set in stone
is how these towns will grow. So, local leaders are seizing the opportunity now
to ensure they are not looking back in 20 years asking "what happened to our
water supply?" It’s also true of neighborhoods like North Lawndale. Located on
Chicago’s West Side, next door to the Medical District and in the shadow of the
Loop, there are signs of new life in this long-neglected area. Ald. Michael
Chandler and local community groups are using whatever tools and resources they
have available to them – including zoning -- to shape their vision. MPC is
fortunate to be involved in community building partnerships in all three
communities.
The creation of the Regional Planning Board is a good sign that northeastern
Illinois is a region that "gets it" as well. The new board will allow us to
unify planning for all forms of land use – housing, open space and natural
resources, industrial and commercial, and transportation – literally and
figuratively under one roof. This will be critical to prioritizing investments
in the next state capital investment package and the update to the 2030 regional
transportation plan. More importantly, this will be essential to shaping the
future of metropolitan Chicago in a way that considers both what local
communities envision for themselves and what we need for the entire regional to
thrive.