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CMAP earns national recognition, shares regional expertise at AMPO conference

The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) earned national recognition and shared regional expertise this week at the 2026 Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (AMPO) annual conference in Sacramento, California.

AMPO brings together metropolitan planning organizations from across the country to exchange ideas, share innovative approaches, and strengthen the practice of regional transportation planning. . CMAP staff participated in six conference sessions and panels, while the agency and one of its staff members were recognized for their contributions to the field.

CMAP receives national recognition

CMAP’s Plan of Action for Regional Transit (PART) received an honorable mention for Outstanding Overall Achievement. Developed through extensive analysis and engagement with regional partners, PART provided a roadmap for sustainable transit funding, improved service, and governance reform. The plan became an important resource for regional state leaders working to address the long-term future of northeastern Illinois’ transit system, which has now come to fruition as the new Northern Illinois Transit Authority.

CMAP Senior Policy Analyst Elizabeth Ginsberg also received AMPO’s Rising Professional Award, recognizing her contributions to transportation finance, long-range planning, strategic foresight, and regional policy. Ginsberg played key roles in PART, the financial plan for the 2026 Regional Transportation Plan, The Century Plan, and other research exploring the region’s long-term fiscal and investment needs.

Sharing CMAP expertise with MPOs across the country

CMAP staff members also joined peers from metropolitan planning organizations and partner organizations to lead and participate in sessions on some of the most important issues facing regions today.

CMAP presentations and panel discussions included:

• Making Every Curb Ramp Count: Data-Driven Strategies for the Public Right-of-Way — Principal Planner Jaemi Jackson shared approaches for advancing accessibility and improving the public right-of-way.
• Using MPO Levers to Advance Regional Needs — Director Ryan Thompto and senior policy analysts Julie Reschke and Elizabeth Ginsberg explored how MPOs can use planning, policy, investment, and other tools to advance shared regional priority projects in their long range transportation plans. 
• Beating the Heat: Innovative Strategies for Extreme Heat Resilience — Climate Resilience Program Lead Kate Evasic joined planners from other regions to discuss strategies for preparing communities and transportation systems for extreme heat.
• Building a National Community for Integrated Planning — Principal Elizabeth Scott joined MPO leaders from across the country to discuss opportunities for connecting transportation with broader regional planning efforts. 
• Advancing Transportation Options for ALICE Families — Director Ryan Thompto joined a national panel focused on expanding transportation options and addressing mobility challenges facing working households.
• Managing Fiscal Uncertainty in Long-Range Transportation Planning — Elizabeth Ginsberg joined planning practitioners from across the country to examine how MPOs can better account for revenue, cost, economic, and implementation uncertainty in long-range transportation planning. 

The conference offered CMAP an opportunity not only to share lessons and approaches developed in northeastern Illinois, but also to learn from peer regions and bring new ideas and practices back to CMAP’s work.