Careers: Phillip D. Peters Regional Planning Fellowship

The Peters Fellowship provides graduate students with a paid and enriching work experience in one of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas.

As one of the only fellowships of its kind across the country, the Phillip D. Peters Regional Planning Fellowship provides graduate students with a paid work and enrichment experience in one of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas at a major regional planning agency — the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP).

About the Peters Fellowship

CMAP awards the Peters Fellowship each year to a qualified master’s degree graduate student in urban and regional planning or a related field.

Selection is based upon a combination of education, relationship of past coursework and employment to CMAP’s current work and needs, and a career interest in regional planning. Priority is given to students who are midway through their graduate program. Fellows are compensated for their time and mentored by a CMAP senior staff member. 

Projects may fall in any of the following topic areas: land use, transportation, environment and natural resources, housing, or economic development. Projects may involve local planning, community engagement, policy analysis, communications, or data research and analysis. CMAP will match the fellow’s education and interest with the agency’s activities, including participation in networking and enrichment opportunities.

About Phillip D. Peters

The Peters Fellowship honors the late Phil Peters, the former executive director of the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission (NIPC) — one of CMAP’s predecessor agencies. He played a major role in the development and implementation of the agency’s innovative, comprehensive, and highly regarded planning for the Chicago metropolitan area.

Phil brought a unique perspective to the newly emerging field of regional planning. He saw the delicate balance required to achieve growth and prosperity, while maintaining responsible land-use, transportation planning, and environmental protection.

Phil first joined NIPC in 1963 and played a fundamental role in the development and execution of the commission’s innovative planning program for the region. Regarded as a planning pioneer, his strong advocacy for natural resource planning and intergovernmental cooperation helped change the very process by which regional planning was perceived and carried out. Phil retired in 1999 after more than 30 years of extraordinary service to NIPC.

Learn more about Phil Peters

Apply for the fellowship

Planning for a region as large and complex as northeastern Illinois requires hard work and a talented staff. Every year, CMAP works with partners on many local and regional projects to help bring the vision of ON TO 2050 to life. As the Peters Fellow, you can help carry out that vision by working on interesting local and regional projects, learning about the value of regional planning, and growing your professional skills.

Applications are open and close on Monday, February 2, at 5:00 p.m.

Eligibility

Applicants must be enrolled in a master’s program in urban and regional planning; public policy and administration; environmental science or engineering; or a related field. Priority will be given to students midway through their graduate program.

Through the Peters Fellowship program, we hope the best and brightest students will consider regional planning as a career and view northeastern Illinois as a place to apply their talents. CMAP welcomes and appreciates your contribution to help make that happen.

All donations to the program will go toward supporting future Peters Fellowship positions. CMAP is an Illinois state agency and your donation is a charitable contribution in accordance with U.S. Code, Title 26, 170(c)(1).

Please include a name and address where we can send a receipt for your tax-deductible donation. Checks should be made out to “CMAP” and sent to:

CMAP
Attn: Finance
433 West Van Buren Street, Suite 450
Chicago, Illinois 60607

Thank you for your continued support of this valuable program.