The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) will receive the 2013 National Planning Excellence Award for a Planning Agency from the American Planning Association, according to a press release from the organization.
Since 2005, CMAP, the regional planning organization for northeastern Illinois counties including Cook County, has been producing the region’s comprehensive development plan.
For decades preceding CMAP’s formation in 2005, regional planning in Chicago was fragmented, with separate, uncoordinated organizations for transportation (Chicago Area Transportation Study) and land use (Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission) that lacked stable funding and implementation authority. One of CMAP’s first major actions was the development of the agency’s innovative GO TO 2040 regional comprehensive plan, which helps the seven counties and 284 municipalities coordinate policies and investment decisions. It includes strategies to shape the region’s transportation system and development patterns, while also addressing the natural environment, economic development, housing, education, human services, and other quality-of-life factors.
The American Planning Association is an independent, not-for-profit educational organization that provides leadership in the development of vital communities.
