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Online registration is open for the 2007 National Planning Conference in Philadelphia. Click here to find out more about the conference and to register.

Comment on Metra's STAR Line Plan

Metra is seeking comments on its STAR Plan Alternatives Analysis. Please visit the STAR Line website to read about the Plan and then leave your feedback.

Teska Associates Community Planning | Site Design | Development Economics | Landscape Architecture

EDRA/Places Awards

The Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA), together with Places Magazine, is hosting its annual awards program to recognize projects in design, research and planning. Winning entries are published in Places, with an extended commentary, jury comments, and essays by jurors reflecting on the issues raised by the competition. Awards are presented at EDRA'a annual conference, which will be in Sacramento May 30th - June 3rd, 2007. The submission date is January 30, 2007. Click here for more information.

2007 Planning Award Winners Named

APA announced the recipients of the 2007 National Planning Excellence, Achievement, and Leadership Awards. Read more here about the 13 winners.








	Coming, Going and Moving Up
	Changing Jobs? Share the big news about your latest career move! Send the Editor the particulars and we’ll announce it in the next issue.


	Volunteers Needed
	Would you like to get involved in ILAPA? If so, send an e-mail to Kate Lockerby at secretary@ilapa.org with your contact information.

Gary R. Weber Associates, Inc. Land Planning | Landscape Architecture

The Lannert Group Planning | Community Consulting | Landscape Architecture

Did you know?

In Chicago's Pullman area, it is illegal to drink beer out of a bucket while sitting on the curb.

If the Rushville, IL city council doesn't have a quorum, police can be sent to arrest absent members and bring them to the meeting.

Hitchcock Design Group Planning | Urban Design | Landscape Architecture

S.B. Friedman & Company Real Estate Advisors and Development Consultants

Advertise you business with us!

Advertise your business in an upcoming News BLAST! and/or on the ILAPA website. Contact Michael Jacobs at treasurer@ilapa.org with questions and advertising rates.

Happy New Year!...
This month's newsletter features one of the 2006 ILAPA Chapter Award winners: Kane County Farmland Preservation Program. Another article provides information on the new APA Latinos and Planning Division.

One day left to submit comment on the AICP Certification Maintenance Proposal. Mark Koplin's President's Greeting highlights the proposal but you can get all the details & leave comments at APA's website.

There is plenty of news from around the U.S. and state with highlighted articles on this page. Don't forget to scroll all the way down to check out the calendar and job postings.

					Kane County Farmland Preservation by Janice Hill 2006 ILAPA Chapter Silver Award for Implementation of a Plan Category. A model program that is preserving the agricultural land of Kane County, and balancing community growth and resource protection.

					New APA Division: Latinos and Planning by Leonardo Vazquez, AICP,PP The American Planning Association is now home to the Latinos and Planning Division; The only national entity focusing on urban planning issues in Latino communities and career challenges facing Hispanic planners.


	President's Greeting Mark Koplin, AICP, ILAPA Past President Chicago Metro Section Report Allison Laff, AICP, CMS Director

City of Chicago Receives 2006 National Award for Smart Growth
The City of Chicago was recognized for funding the development of Bethel Center, which provides employment services, child care, retail space, and banking in a “green” building erected on a former Brownfield site.
UofI News Bureau, November 9, 2006

Stunning new prescription for America's Great Lakes Megaregion
A recent Brookings Institute report names the Midwest as an aging Rust Belt. Part of the strategy to reverse this trend is outlined in the article.
The Washington Post, November 5, 2006

Potential Highway Routes to be Studied for Illinois-Indiana Link
Illinois and Indiana have signed an agreement to study potential routes for the long-discussed Illiana Expy.
Chicago Tribune, December 14, 2006

America's Worst Commutes
Chicago rates 7th in the nation with an annual average delay of 58 hours per commuter.
Forbes, December 19, 2006

Many cities changing one-way streets back
(Danville, IL) In order to revitalize downtown, one-way streets are being changed to two-way streets. People slow down and are more likely to stop.
USA Today, 12/20/2006

Rural battle: Who should control water?
A fight rages in the northwest burbs over the establishment of the Kishwaukee Valley Water Authority.
Chicago Tribune, December 21, 2006
UPDATE: KVWA debate begins to flow

Natural Connections, Green Infrastructure in Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana
This website, a joint project by Openlands Project and the Center for Neighborhood Technology, allows users to interactively map the interconnected network of open spaces and natural areas that provides wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities.

Cell Phone Towers In Disguise
A news report detailing how some cities have hidden their cell towers.
(CBS News)/YouTube.com

Bruce Katz: The 2% Solution – Drawing A Critical Mass of Residents Downtown Is Key to Urban Revival
“To compete in today's innovative, knowledge-based economy, Upstate metros need to rebuild their city centers, creating a critical mass of highly educated residents and workers, enterprise, urban amenities and vibrant public space.”

European Cities Do Away with Traffic Signs
Are streets without traffic signs conceivable? Seven cities and regions in Europe are giving it a try -- with good results.
Spiegel Magazine, November 16, 2006

Is any corner safe from a drugstore?
Where you find one drugstore, you're likely to find another, and another...Will they face the same fate as movie theaters or will they act more like gas stations in the long run?
The Buffalo News, January 2, 2007

Commuter Rail's False Promise
The assumption that transit oriented development is good for us may be wrong.
The Boston Globe, December 31, 2006

American By the Numbers
A multimedia map on race, income, etc. The bottom of the page provides links to the entire article & other maps.
Time Magazine, October 22, 2006

The American Community Survey: Trading Precision For Timeliness?
The first data from the new annual American Community Survey was published to complement the decennial Census. Planners should recognize that while the data is more up-to-date, the margin of error is much wider.
Planetizen, December 18, 2006

Planetizen’s Top 10 Planning Books of the Year
Planetizen has released its list of top books related to the planning field. This year’s titles include Green Cities: Urban Growth And the Environment by Matthew Kahn, and Planet of Slums by Mike Davis.

For details and more events, click here

January 9, 2007
The World’s Most Ecological Communities: Shanghai’s Commitment for New Urban Settlements

January 9, 2007
Comments on AICP Certification Maintenance Proposal Due

January 10, 2007
Fourth Annual DuPage Environmental Summit

January 12, 2007
Deadline for submitting AICP Journalism Award

January 16, 2006
Tuesdays at APA. LISC Chicago’s New Communities Program

January 16, 2007
Deadline for submitting AICP Outstanding Student Award.

January 17, 2006
Chicago Green Drinks, "Cultivating Green Chicago: Local sustainability organizations, who they are, what they do, and how you can get involved".

January 17, 2007
APA 2006-2007 Audio/Web Conference Training Series — Introduction to the Planning Commission: Part Two

January 22, 2007
Deadline to Submit Nominations for CNU’s Charter Awards

January 25, 2007
Real Estate From Beginning to End in Illinois

January 26, 2007
Green Building: The Nuts and Bolts for Contractors

January 30, 2007
UIC CUPPA Alumni Association, The American Planning Association's Chicago Metro Section, University of Illinois at Chicago and DePaul University are pleased to host: "Views on Urban Sprawl". To be followed by: A Planner's Networking Session. Event runs from 5:30-8:30 p.m. This reception is also an opportunity for members participating in the APA - Illinois Chapter Mentoring program to meet with students. For more details click here

January 31, 2007
Chaddick Institute Technical Workshop: "The "New" Housing Consumer: Dealing with the Effects of Demographic Change in Municipal Planning and Development." http://condor.depaul.edu/~chaddick/Workshops.htm

February 6, 2007
Deadline to apply for the May AICP Exam. Click here for more information.

February 6, 2007
Innovation + Integration A Summit on the Economic Impact of Linking Jobs, Housing and Transportation Planning.

February 9, 2007
2007 Urban Land Institute Awards for Excellence Submissions Due

February 14, 2007
APA 2006-2007 Audio/Web Conference Training Series — Complete Streets

March 1-2, 2007
2007 Planning Institute "Imagining Communities: Plan, Design, Implement". To be held at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Department of Urban and Regional Planning. For more information, contact Pattsi Petrie at pattsi@uiuc.edu.

May 7-21, 2007
May AICP Exam testing. For more information go to the ILAPA AICP Certification website here

Land Development Manager - City of Champaign, IL
Director of Community Development - Village of Montgomery, IL
Assistant Community Development Director - City of Elgin, IL
Planning & Zoning Official - Winnebago County, IL
Development Services Director - City of Mercer Island, WA
TED Transportation Planner - City of Naperville, IL
Community Planner - City of Beloit, WI
Long-Range Transportation Planner - Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission
Village Planner/GIS Coordinator - Village of Bourbonnais, IL
GRANTS COORDINATOR II - City of Urbana, IL

Ten Noteworthy Trends of 2006
From the Metropolitan Policy Program

6% of the population of large U.S. metropolitan areas lives in exurbs.

From 2000-2005 more than 1/3 of the nation's manufacturing jobs lost occurred in 7 Great Lakes states: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

America's older, inner-ring first suburbs make up 20% of the nation's population and are more diverse and older than the nation as a whole.

The average U.S. household spends 19% of its budget on transportation, rendering household location a key component of housing affordability.

Nationwide, more than 4.2M lower income homeowners pay a higher than average APR for their mortgage.

Over the past 20 years, the leading refugee destinations have shifted away from traditional immigrant gateways, like New York & Los Angeles, to newer gateways: Atlanta, Seattle, and Portland.

The fastest growing metropolitan areas for minority populations from 2000-2004 now closely parallel the fastest growing areas in the nation.

Middle-income neighborhoods as a proportion of all metropolitan neighborhoods declined from 58% in 1970 to 41% in 2000, disappearing faster than the share of middle class households in these metro areas.

Of the $109B in federal appropriations dedicated to Gulf Coast funding In the first year, only $35 billion, went to the long-term recovery of the area.