News Updates

The Century Plan: Where are we today, and where are we going?

Hundreds of leaders across government, business, and civic spheres came together earlier this month at the State of the Region event to celebrate the launch of The Century Plan — northeastern Illinois’ next comprehensive regional plan. The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) will continue to convene regional leaders, experts, and communities over the next year to shape The Century Plan and build consensus around bold solutions that deliver a high quality of life in our region, decades into the future.

Before we embark on this planning journey, we need to take a look at where our region has been, where we are today, and where we’re heading. For example, how has our population changed? Will we remain a global economic center? Does housing supply meet residents’ needs? What is the state of our transportation assets?

These questions and more were previewed as “State of the Region Snapshots” at the November 4 event as an exhibit experience highlighting notable trends that we will collectively need to address in the coming decades. A full report exploring these data trends — and more! — will be available in early 2026.

We invite you to explore the exhibit virtually:

The Century Plan is a shared, overarching vision for northeastern Illinois that will guide policies for transportation, the environment, and the economy for decades into the future.