By the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning - July 11, 2017
To maintain a thriving regional economy between now and 2050, metropolitan Chicago will need to improve access to education, employment and critical resources. In developing the next comprehensive regional plan, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) is prioritizing inclusive growth, in which all residents have access to these assets, as an essential factor for the region’s future economic success.
This topic will be the focus of the next CMAP Alternative Futures Forum, “The Future of Economic Opportunity,” on Wednesday, July 19, from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m., in Homewood. Register for this free event today.
Each forum in this ongoing series highlights one of five Alternative Futures that CMAP anticipates will shape the seven-county Chicago metropolitan region for decades to come. CMAP will carefully consider participants’ feedback while drafting the ON TO 2050 comprehensive regional plan, due to be adopted in October 2018.
The July 19 forum will focus on the Transformed Economy future, which projects major regional economic shifts by 2050, some of which are already taking place.
Today, metropolitan Chicago’s service sector is thriving, including jobs in retail, food and professional services; by 2050, the region’s economy will be primarily service-based. Technological innovation will continue requiring higher-skilled workers at all job levels across economic sectors. This trend will make it more difficult for people to acquire and maintain the education and skills necessary to perform many jobs—which, in turn, may exacerbate skill and employment gaps, displacing more people from the region’s economy.
At the forum, panelists will discuss how to provide all its residents with access to opportunity for greater economic growth region wide. Today, metropolitan Chicago’s economic recovery is lagging behind other comparable metropolitan areas. A more inclusive approach to economic growth would not only improve the lives of marginalized people and communities, but also strengthen the region as a whole, improving our economic competitiveness and fostering sustained economic growth.
At the July 19 forum, panelists Dr. Lazaro Lopez of the Illinois Community College Board, Marie Trzupek Lynch of Skills for Chicagoland’s Future and Bhash Mazumder of the Chicago Census Research Data Center at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago will discuss strategies for achieving inclusive economic growth in our region by 2050.
Alden Loury, director of research and planning at the Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC), will moderate the forum. MPC recently released The Cost of Segregation report, which examines how our region pays a price for its economic and racial polarization.
Register today to join us for this important conversation on July 19! And take this Metroquest survey to tell CMAP what you think about these issues.
Learn more about CMAP’s ON TO 2050 plan and the Transformed Economy Alternative Future. Weigh in on the region’s future through forums, kiosks, videos, workshops, web surveys and the hashtag #2050BigIdeas on Twitter and Facebook.