Who Doesn't Want to Fast Forward to 2040?

By: Yvonne A. Jones, CPM, CCIM
Zifkin Realty Group, LLC

In difficult economic times, many of us are anxious to look forward to better things. Looking forward, however, is more meaningful if we consider what went right and what went wrong in the past. At the January 27th CREW Chicago luncheon, members and guests learned about the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning’s (CMAP) Go To 2040 plan for our region.

CMAP was created in 2005 by combining two predecessor agencies into one. The Go To 2040 plan is our region’s first real comprehensive plan since Daniel Burnham’s vision a century ago. CMAP projects that population and jobs in Chicago’s metropolitan area will increase by approximately 2.8 million and 1.5 million, respectively, by 2040. The counties included in the forecast are Cook, Lake, DuPage, McHenry, Will and Kendall. CMAP also projects that much of this growth will be in dense urban areas, as opposed to wide-open rural areas.

Randall Blankenhorn, Executive Director of CMAP, observed that the 2040 plan is bold, and can only be successfully implemented if both government and citizens begin to think comprehensively about the future. What do we need to do to remain competitive in the years to come? Where will jobs be created? What type of education should we provide to our children so they are ready for tomorrow’s jobs? What type of transportation and/or infrastructure needs do we have? How can we better use and/or conserve our natural resources? Will our cities be wireless? Is our tax structure effective or should it be changed? These are all important questions that CMAP is discussing and asking communities and their residents to share their opinions.

CMAP is engaging and communicating with communities and their residents through their website, MetroQuest(www.metroquest.com). There, one has the opportunity to learn about the agency, keep up with its efforts, and even see the impact that specific policy choices would have on future planning. The website is fun and designed to spark a dialogue which CMAP hopes will foster a “partnership for growth”.

CREW Chicago members who are interested in learning more about CMAP and their Go To 2040 plan are encouraged to visit the website and sign up for Mr. Blankenhorn’s blog at http://www.cmap.illinois.gov/updates/.

We extend our special thanks to Jeanne Peck with @ Properties for interviewing Randall S. Blankenhorn,
the executive director of CMAP.

Fun Fact:
Why is the plan named Go To 2040 and not Go To 2030 or Go To 2050? Randy Blankenhorn, Executive Director of CMAP, stated that the federal government requires regional plans to have at least a 20- year horizon. He observed that “2030 was too close and 2050 was too far”, so they decided on 2040.