CNT Update, September 2006
CNT UUpdate, September 2006
NEWS AROUND THE REGION
1. RTA’s Project Moves to Reduce Congestion
2. Open Space Planning Gets Creative
3. Seattle’s Alaskan Way Viaduct to be Torn Down
WHAT’S NEW AT CNT?
1. Work to Revitalize Blue Island Gets a Boost
2. I-GO Moves to 3000 Members
3. Staff Hello and Goodbyes
RESOURCES
1. Get Your Election Day Calendars!
2. Want to Start a Rain Garden?
3. CNT in the News
4. New Job Openings
LOCAL EVENTS
1. Chicago Sustainable Convergence
2. Rail-Volution
3. It’s Time for Transit!
Click on More to read the content of the Update.
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NEWS AROUND THE REGION
1. RTA’s Project Moves to Reduce Congestion
It is an important moment in Chicagoland transit history in that the RTA, CTA, Metra and Pace are pooling efforts to modernize one of Chicago’s greatest assets: its transit system. It is definitely time in the region to identify solutions to congestion by recognizing and capturing the benefits that the nation’s second largest transit system has to offer. And what the region and these key players need to decide is if we will modernize the system to keep up with growth or we will ignore this asset and continue to let it deteriorate until it is rendered useless to the majority of the region’s residents.The answer seems obvious: we cannot afford to ignore our regional transit system.
RTA’s new project, called Moving Beyond Congestion, is engaging leaders and stakeholders in the region to participate in the planning that will go into developing a modern transit plan to meet the 21st century needs in our region. To learn more about the project, go to http://movingbeyondcongestion.org/
2. Open Space Planning Gets Creative
The loss of open space in Chicago is not uncommon to other developing cities in the region and country as a whole. In these cases, planners have to expand on their outlooks in creating new open space opportunities. This may involve converting an abandoned railroad right-of-way to a bike trail, for example. Currently, the Chicago Park District is looking at proposals which may have been overlooked as “open space” projects, but when treated a bit more as untraditional ideas of open space can really add benefits to a community that may be seeing less and less green and open areas.
One such project involves a 3-mile former railroad track, the Bloomingdale Line. The trail runs through Bucktown, Logan Square and Humboldt Park and can offer much needed trails for bikers, walker, and runners. The trail is interesting because it is 15-feet above the ground so people using the trail can travel safely in a linear way through the neighborhoods while getting a rare “bird’s-eye view” of the communities they pass through.
CNT works to make communities more walkable and the Bloomingdale Trail proposal is a great way to keep our neighborhoods more accessible to all sorts of travelers. Check out CNT’s website, Walker’s Win for information on CNT’s work at making communities more walkable and livable.
3. Seattle’s Alaskan Way Viaduct to be Torn Down
Seattle’s 53-year old, giant elevated highway is set to be torn down both because of the Nisqually earthquake that damaged it five years ago and because the structure lacks modern safety features. What will replace the Viaduct has been in intense debate at the City Council over the last week. The three options are to build a tunnel, re-build another elevated ’super-highway’ or to not replace the structure and focus on a transit + streets plan.
The third option was studied by Smart Mobility, CNT, and the Congress for the New Urbanism and recognizes that the downtown grid can absorb diverted traffic in addition to a focus on improved transit capacity. The no-replacement option has gotten more attention as revised cost-estimates of the tunnel and replacement viaduct came out with severe increases. The People’s Waterfront Coalition has been the main advocate in pointing out just why there is no need for a new super-highway.
The transit + streets option is more relevant to the direction Seattle wants to grow. Its focus on transit-oriented development will provide the city with a more economical, environmentally-friendly, aesthetically-appealing means to develop the city around the waterfront while focusing on more sustainable measures that make meeting their greenhouse gas reduction targets more possible.
To read Scott Bernstein’s and John Norquist’s, of the Congress for the New Urbanism, recent Op-Ed piece published in Seattle’s Post-Intelligencer, go here. Also check out our blog for more information on the recent happenings in Seattle.
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WHAT’S NEW AT CNT?
1. Work to Revitalize Blue Island Gets a Boost
Our work to develop the “Blue Island Plan for Economic Development”, which outlines strategies to facilitate transit and cargo-oriented development in the southwest community, will get funneled into the a ‘development review’ process, which will serve to discuss Blue Island’s efforts to revitalize three critical areas, including the downtown.
Instilling review will be the focus of the Metropolitan Planning Council’s “Community Building Initiative” workshop. Improving its review process could prove to be the catalyst for Blue Island in achieving long held goals. Blue Island is conveniently located along the Cal Sag Channel, boasts three commuter rail lines, with 80 trains stopping each day, and 150 freight trains running through the town daily. As development trends show a renewed interest in the region’s core, Blue Island is in a prime position to benefit from this new economic growth.
Read more about CNT’s work in Blue Island here.
2. I-GO Moves to 3000 Members
Well it happened. Right now Chicago’s only non-profit car-sharing program is as robust as ever and I-GO now has 3000 members. Growing steadily and adding more than 200 new members every month, I-GO is as big as ever and showing no signs of slowing down. It’s no surprise really given the region’s congestion problems (see above), still-high gas prices and simply the cost of owning, maintaining and parking a car.
To celebrate, I-GO had its “3000th Member Party” at the CAN-TV studios on the set of Chicago’s beloved children’s dance show “Chic-a-go-go”. For this event though, the title was aptly changed to “I-G0-go-go”. The show will air in about 3 weeks so be sure to check out truly one of Chicago’s most bizarre public television shows (cross between Mister Roger’s and Soul Train).
3. CNT Says Goodbye and Hello
In 28 years, CNT has been home to some great thinkers and do’ers and just as the seasons change, so do we. Recently we’ve gone through a “change of seasons”.
Nicholas Woytek was at CNT for 2 years working on the Wireless Community Network project. Nicholas has left CNT for the all-important step of finishing his college degree.
Alex Bystryn is back at the University of Chicago, after helping in CNT’s Transportation and Air Quality Division.
Rachel Scheu, of the Community Energy Cooperative is taking time off after giving birth to a baby girl.
Thanks and good luck!
Welcome back, Anne Evens, who is now serving as General Manager of the Co-op and Manager of CNT’s Energy portfolio.
Harley Cooper joins CNT as the Geographic Information Systems Assistant.
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RESOURCES
1. Get Your Election Day Calendar!
Election season is upon us and as Nov. 7th looms, we suggest refreshing your history of democracy before you make that important move to the polling booth. So until Election Day, CNT will give a thank-you “gift of democracy” to anyone giving a gift of $50 or more. Our gift to you will help you countdown to E-Day with great moments in our electoral history with each day and with each door you open, just like an Advent calendar. And your gift to us will help us continue to promote democracy in our communities, with projects like the Civic Footprint.
And don’t forget to check out CNT’s Civic Footprint now so you can learn more about your political geography like what Ward you live in and who your Alderman is, well before you step out on that brisk November 7th and run, walk, skip or even crawl to the polls.
Support CNT by donating online here.
2. Want to Start a Rain Garden?
CNT is working with Illinois Lt. Governor Pat Quinn’s office, under funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), on researching and developing a “green solutions manual”. The manual is part of an ongoing collaboration with the Lt. Governor’s office on projects that promote the use of green infrastructure through education and outreach. The manual will become an important element of CNT’s web-based Green Values Stormwater Toolbox, currently offering the Green Values calculator.
The green solutions manual will be a pocket-sized field guide that watershed activists and newcomers alike can use in creating innovative stormwater and watershed management projects. Complete with photos and descriptions of existing green infrastructure around the region, the manual will both describe the benefits of certain best management practices as well as be an action-guide for implementation on individual and community scales.
The manual will be released at the Illinois River Coordinating Council meeting in December and will be distributed to ecosystem partnerships and watershed organizations. Anyone interested in green infrastructure practices and copies of the manual should contact CNT or check the Green Values website at http://greenvalues.cnt.org to get the latest schedule for its availability.
3. CNT in the News
The Community Energy Cooperative’s Energy Smart Pricing Plan is getting much attention as Illinois positions itself for energy deregulation to take place next year, especially since Governor Blagojevich signed legislation to make Illinois the first state to make available to consumers hourly-pricing rates.
Check out a recent Sun Times article discussing the hot topic in Illinois right now.
CNT’s Affordability Index continues to draw attention to the combined housing and transportation costs people pay, especially in areas that involve long commutes. Think that cheaper home in Will County will save you money? What about your transportation costs to drive to your job in Chicago?
Read a recent article published by the Next American City magazine here.
Although gas prices are lowering, I-GO is growing at rapid rates. Gas prices still too high to afford?
Check out Pioneer Press’s article on alternatives here.
4. New Job Openings
To view job descriptions, click on the links below.
I-GO Administrative and Outreach Associate
I-GO Marketing and Outreach Intern
Visit www.cnt.org/jobs for more openings
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LOCAL EVENTS
1. Sustainable Convergence ‘06
Sustainable Convergence ‘06 is a community-wide celebration. Attendees will include students, government officials, non-profit organization staff members, designers of all sorts, urban planners, and *lots* of others interested in a wide-variety of sustainability issues.
http://www.foresightdesign.org/converge06/
2. Rail-Volution Conference, November 5-8, Chicago, IL
Rail-Volution is, first and foremost, a conference for passionate practitioners-people from all perspectives who believe strongly in the role of land use and transit as equal partners in the quest for greater livability and greater communities. Jacky Grimshaw, Vice President for Policy, Transportation and Community Development, will be a featured speaker as well as Board Member, Susan Mudd.
http://www.railvolution.com/
3. It’s Time for Transit!, October 3, Chicago, IL
Sponsored by the Regional Transportation Authority, Illinois Department of Transportation/Rural Transit Assistance Center, Illinois Public Transportation Association and Community Transportation Association of America, “It’s Time for Transit!” is a statewide conference on innovation, service and economic benefits of transit. “It’s Time for Transit!” will take place on October 3, 2006 at Northern Illinois University – Naperville, located at 1120 E. Diehl Road, Naperville, IL 60563.
www.workwelfareandfamilies.org
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You can support our efforts in building more sustainable urban communities by making a donation online. Visit: http://www.cnt.org/support. You can also support CNT as part of Earth Share of Illinois workplace campaigns. For more information about workplace giving, contact Nicole at nicoleg@cnt.org. Thank you for your generosity!
Questions about anything you’ve read or interested in learning more? Contact Annette at annette@cnt.org
© 2006 Center for Neighborhood Technology
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