Focusing where regional action matters most The challenges and opportunities emerging in The Century Plan are not simple and straightforward. They’re interconnected and systemic, requiring expertise and action from many different players for solutions to succeed. This is why The Century Plan focuses on the “Grand Challenges” that will shape the region’s future and where coordinated action can make a meaningful difference. CMAP convened hundreds of leaders across diverse sectors to help identify these challenges. Together, we asked: Will this challenge shape the region’s long-term trajectory? The Grand Challenges are critical — they cut to the heart of our competitiveness and perpetuate inequalities. Without regional action, they will undercut our long-term quality of life and economic prosperity. Is this challenge structural? The Grand Challenges impact the systems we share — systems that were often designed to meet the needs of the past, not the future. Does it require regional action? No one entity owns a Grand Challenge. It crosses local boundaries and touches multiple sectors. It is unlikely to resolve through existing approaches or individual actions alone. Can working together unlock new opportunities? Addressing the Grand Challenges opens up potential innovation, investment, or shared solutions that produce benefits beyond solving a single problem. With collaboration, we can be better prepared to shape the outcomes we want. The Century Plan Preview The plan preview frames the next phase of conversations for developing The Century Plan. It captures where the region has been in the past, where we are today, and what the future could hold — all informing a selection of Grand Challenges that need system-level solutions at a regional scale. The Century Plan Preview is also an invitation. We invite you to help test these ideas, deepen our understanding of the challenges and opportunities ahead, and begin building the partnerships needed to act on them. Read The Century Plan Preview Grand Challenges Transportation Water Electric grid Housing Open space Transportation Great transportation systems are designed and built with intention, by putting people first. Every day, millions of people in northeastern Illinois rely on roads, rails, and transit to reach work, school, and one another, while nearly 700 million tons of goods worth more than $1 trillion move through the region every year, rivaling entire nations in economic scale. This network was built by generations who turned bold plans into innovative transportation investments that supported a thriving economy. But this network was mostly built in the last century and it needs reinvestment. Travel is becoming harder and more costly for the region’s residents and businesses, limiting our economic potential. The regions that lead the world in economic competitiveness and quality of life got there by reimagining what a system built around people could look like. A shared vision can empower communities and businesses to plan ahead, make strategic investments, and maintain our competitive edge for the century ahead. What we know now The region’s legacy transportation system is colliding with the demands of this century. Our aging infrastructure needs to be reimagined as funding becomes less dependable and costs accelerate. At the same time, demands on the system are changing as extreme weather and new technologies reshape what a future-ready system needs to handle. Transportation expansion is in tension with maintaining existing assets Core regional assets — expressways, bridges, and rail stations — were built in the mid-1900s and need reconstruction. At the same time, development patterns extend our transportation network and bring new, long-term infrastructure and service costs. Funding is not keeping pace Motor fuel taxes — a main source of funding for transportation — are becoming less dependable as vehicles and travel patterns change. Construction costs have also risen for decades, growing 66 percent between 2020 and 2023 alone and outpacing new funding. Extreme weather increasingly impacts the system More frequent and severe rainfall puts roads, rails, and bus stops at growing risk of flooding and downed trees. About a third of the region’s major roads and nearly 1 in 10 bridges face high flood risk. The region is also projected to see more extreme heat and freeze-thaw cycles that can make infrastructure increasingly unsafe and costly to repair. Technology is changing how we get around Electric vehicles, automation, and new mobility options are shaping the future of how people and goods move. Over the last few years alone, electric vehicle registrations in northeastern Illinois have grown nearly fourfold. Our opportunity If northeastern Illinois rises to this moment, we can create a transportation system that better serves everyone — one that reflects the way our residents live, work, and move today — and the future we want to build together. By planning as a region and renewing aging infrastructure, we can shape a future system where traveling is easy, safe, and seamless. Commuters would enjoy predictable, stress‑free trips; families would have more time together instead of sitting in traffic; students could reach schools and libraries more reliably; and neighborhoods would feel more connected across the region. Streets would be designed for safer walking and biking, and transit would connect communities to everyday destinations with integrated, fast, and reliable service. A modern system would also help communities handle extreme storms without major disruptions, keeping emergency vehicles moving and reducing travel delays. With coordinated planning, the region can work together to make transportation investments that strengthen — not strain — our shared future. Aligning growth and transportation decisions would make every dollar go further, ensuring that the regional transportation system can support the demands of local development. A modern system would also benefit the region’s businesses through more reliable travel, better workforce access, and transportation networks that support partnerships and long-term competitiveness. Taken together, these opportunities position northeastern Illinois to compete with leading regions worldwide while making everyday life better for the people that live here. Continuing the conversation The Century Plan will continue to explore how a modern transportation system can meet the region’s needs for decades to come. To advance this conversation, the team will be asking questions like: How can we realign transportation funding to preserve and modernize our system? How we pay for maintaining and building roads is becoming less connected with how we use roads. We largely rely on gas taxes, but vehicles are increasingly more fuel efficient and/or running on electricity. How can communities and regional partners work together, using good data, to make transportation dollars go further and improve access for everyone? Where we build homes, jobs, and destinations directly shapes how much it costs to build and maintain the transportation network that connects them. How should the region build a transportation system that can adapt to change? Our transportation system was built for a different era, and it’s already being tested by more severe weather and faster-changing technology. Water Water is one of our top regional strategic advantages — but its future is not guaranteed. Northeastern Illinois is defined by freshwater, and it can seem like this resource is endlessly abundant. But our water security is not guaranteed. Aging infrastructure, limited groundwater, resource-intensive industries, and rising costs are putting pressure on communities. These issues show up at the kitchen sink and in local boil-water orders, but they are shared across jurisdictions. Nearly half the region relies on shared water infrastructure. 165 municipalities serving 44% of the region’s population buy water from another community or public water supplier. Decisions about water infrastructure, investment, and reliability can affect communities far beyond the supplier’s boundaries. No single institution is charged with considering how shifting water sources, costly repairs and upgrades, and increasing demand play out regionally — or finding ways we can collaborate to unlock progress. Taken together, these pressures put us at risk of squandering one of the region’s strategic advantages — unless we can develop a shared vision and make strategic investments for our water future. What we know now The region’s drinking water system is highly interconnected, but decisions about it are largely made one community at a time. Nearly 250 water systems rely on Lake Michigan, groundwater, and rivers to serve more than 8 million people. In recent years, these local water systems have had to navigate escalating demands, costs, and uncertainty about future needs. Some areas face growing risks to reliable groundwater The region can continue to rely on many of its groundwater sources, but parts of northeastern Illinois are seeing aquifers deplete faster than they can recover. Five communities have switched from groundwater to Lake Michigan since 2017, and ten more plan to do so by 2035. Lake Michigan is a shared and limited resource Access to Lake Michigan is an extraordinary strength, but longstanding legal protections restrict how much lake water Illinois can use. Lake Michigan already serves 172 municipalities and will have to accommodate future homes and businesses in those locations. These constraints mean that Lake Michigan cannot be a universal solution to all regional water challenges. The region faces major infrastructure needs Northeastern Illinois’ drinking water infrastructure requires billions of dollars to preserve and modernize — but the region lacks a complete picture of where the greatest needs are. Local communities have varying resources for maintaining their own pipes, pumps, and treatment systems. With hundreds of independently managed systems, the region has limited capacity to invest strategically or find opportunities to reduce costs. Our opportunity As water becomes more valuable around the world, northeastern Illinois can make freshwater a foundation for healthy communities, economic growth, and a high quality of life. Few regional issues have such tangible benefits. Successfully addressing water challenges would mean trusting each glass of water from the tap. Households would count on safe, reliable water at a cost they can afford. Neighborhoods would see fewer outages and boil-water orders from failing infrastructure, as well as fewer road closures for emergency repairs. Communities would have dependable infrastructure to support schools, businesses, hospitals, playgrounds, and public life. The region would have the physical systems and institutional capacity to compete globally, with freshwater positioned as an advantage, not a vulnerability. A shared vision for our water systems can help us tackle these issues together. Better information about water supplies, infrastructure, costs, and future needs can help communities uncover more options and form stronger partnerships. By coordinating investments, we can ensure that local infrastructure works together as one system and spend limited public dollars where they matter most. Bringing water decisions into focus alongside housing, land use, and economic development can help us balance stewardship and growth for decades to come. Together, we can ensure unrivaled freshwater access remains one of northeastern Illinois’ greatest strengths — supporting healthier people, stronger communities, and a more resilient, prosperous region. This is an extraordinary opportunity: if we work across boundaries and invest wisely, we can secure the region’s water future. Continuing the conversation The Century Plan will continue to explore how a modern water system can meet the region’s needs for decades to come. To advance this conversation, the region will be asking questions like: How can water stakeholders work together to make better decisions about the water resources and infrastructure we share? Communities manage their own water systems, but their decisions can affect water supplies and costs beyond their borders. How can we plan for growth together so the region can meet today’s water needs and prepare for the future? More communities are turning to Lake Michigan as groundwater supplies come under pressure. At the same time, new homes and businesses are adding demand in places that already rely on the lake. How can we make limited public dollars go further while keeping water reliable and affordable? Communities need to replace aging pipes, remove lead service lines, meet new treatment needs, and keep water systems running. But not every community has the same resources to pay for this work. Electric grid Modernizing the grid can power a stronger, cleaner economy. Northeastern Illinois’ electric grid powers our homes, businesses, and ambitions. For generations, reliable and affordable electricity has been one of our competitive advantages, and it remains essential to driving the next century of growth. But much of the physical grid — the wires, transformers, and substations — was built for a different era. The grid is one system, with three interconnected parts. Generation produces electricity. Transmission moves it long distances. Distribution delivers it to homes and businesses. Different organizations plan for and manage each part, often on different timelines. Changes in one segment affect the others. Building a cleaner, more reliable grid requires coordinated decisions across all three. Demand is surging as new technologies reshape our economy and as industries and transportation increasingly shift away from fossil fuels. Beyond generating more electricity, the system will need targeted upgrades to run more efficiently, integrate and store clean energy, and withstand more severe weather, while keeping infrastructure costs down to ensure affordable power for households and businesses. This is more than an infrastructure constraint. It is a chance to determine whether the region will thrive in a more electricity-dependent future. What we know now Northeastern Illinois is entering a period of rapid change in how power is produced, stored, delivered, and used. Modernizing the grid is increasingly important to the region’s growth and climate goals, and local choices will play a major role in getting this clean-energy transition right. Demand could double State estimates suggest summertime peak electricity use could increase 36 percent by 2035 and double by 2050 — driven by energy-intensive industries and the need to electrify buildings, vehicles, and industries. The shift is already underway: More than one-third of Illinois freight carriers expect to operate electric trucks within the next decade. Without action, greater demand could strain the system, risking rolling blackouts, higher energy bills, and less capacity for future growth. Grid capacity is increasingly shaping economic activity Communities can only attract new industries and jobs if their local electric system can deliver enough reliable, affordable power. For example, a single high-volume truck charging hub could use as much electricity as Woodstock, a city of 25,000 people. That’s more than many communities could handle without costly upgrades. Illinois is planning ahead State policies have set ambitious emission-reductions goals and created a new, statewide process to plan for future electricity needs. These decisions will determine how new capacity, infrastructure costs, and customers’ energy bills evolve. With input, these processes can also better align grid planning and spending with local and regional goals. Local governments need better information Communities make critical decisions about land use and development but lack clear information about grid capacity, planned upgrades, and emerging constraints. Better resources and new partnerships can help communities prepare for growth and understand its impact on electricity needs or costs. Our opportunity If northeastern Illinois gets the clean-energy transition right, we can build a modern electric grid that supports lasting economic growth and helps address climate change. With coordinated action, the region can make sure the grid can deliver reliable, affordable power as demand grows. Households would have the confidence to choose electric cars and appliances, knowing the grid and their budgets can keep up. Greater resilience would ensure communities have reliable power during dangerous heat and severe storms to keep temperatures safe, food fresh, and medical equipment running. Businesses would have more investment and operational options without years of delay or costly upgrades. Communities would breathe easier near cleaner truck routes and industrial areas. Local governments would have the information to understand their electric capacity and attract jobs and investment. Regional collaboration can help make this vision a reality. By coordinating investments, we can prepare for new demand while avoiding unnecessary upgrade costs. New strategies — including greater efficiency, batteries, and flexible electricity use — can unlock additional capacity from the infrastructure we already have. Planning for the interactions of economic growth, transportation, land use, and the electric grid can help us balance ongoing economic needs, new development opportunities, and climate action. A future-ready grid would enable the region to compete and thrive without infrastructure becoming a barrier to progress. With shared action, we can build a grid that is more reliable, more resilient, and ready to power a stronger, cleaner economy. Continuing the conversation The Century Plan will continue to explore how a modern electric grid can meet the region’s needs for decades to come. To advance this conversation, the region will be asking questions like: How can northeastern Illinois bring local knowledge and regional priorities into state, utility, and multistate grid planning? Illinois is now setting a long-term roadmap to meet growing energy demand while lowering emissions and protecting reliability and affordability. But many choices that shape those needs are made locally. How can the region reimagine our electric system to increase available power and reliability during winter storms or on blistering summer days? The risks of climate change mean northeastern Illinois needs to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase the grid’s resilience to extreme weather. How can the region control infrastructure costs and ensure every community benefits from a modern grid? Modernizing the grid will require major investment that can drive up monthly bills if we overbuild, but many households already struggle with energy costs. Housing Attainable housing options are central to thriving communities and a vibrant economy. For generations, attainable housing has made northeastern Illinois a place where people can find opportunity and put down roots. Average housing costs here have increased less and remained lower than in other large metros, giving us a strong foundation. Today, however, too many residents struggle to find homes that fit their needs, budgets, and lifestyles — and businesses feel the impact when they can’t attract the talent they need. Decades of slow construction activity, a shrinking range of housing options, and growing affordability issues are threatening the region’s ability to remain welcoming, economically competitive, and responsive to changing needs. The scale and complexity of the housing supply challenges facing northeastern Illinois are too great to address one community or one project at a time. Local decisions shape what gets built, but their effects extend beyond municipal boundaries — influencing where people can live, how easily employers can find workers, and where growth and investment can occur. The region has an opportunity to work together to expand housing options, improve affordability, and ensure housing remains a regional strength. What we know now The region is building fewer homes than it did two decades ago, before the Great Recession; lagging supply is driving up prices. At the same time, an aging population, smaller households, and remote work are reshaping demand. Simply put, we do not have the houses people need, in the locations they want to live, at the prices they can afford. Rising costs are straining budgets One in four homeowners and nearly half of renters spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing costs. Housing prices are growing faster than incomes, which makes it harder for people to build their lives here. Demand is changing faster than the market Despite a slight population loss of 50,000 people between 2010 and 2023, the region added nearly 240,000 additional households — meaning that more, smaller households are driving demand for additional housing units. The fastest growing household types are those with unrelated roommates and nonmarried couples, but development trends favor large single-family homes and one-bedroom or studio apartments, with few options in between. The homes people need are changing Nearly half of workers telecommuted at least once per week in 2025. The region is projected to have 685 more residents over age 60 by 2050. As these trends affect the housing market, the region will need a wider range of housing types, at more price points, and in different communities to better meet residents’ needs. New home construction has fallen The region is not building enough housing to meet growing demand. Between 2010 and 2023, only three housing units were built for every four new households. Many factors — construction costs, labor shortages, financing hurdles, and regulations — are impeding development. Because new housing is not being added, what is available is often more expensive than most residents can afford. Aging homes need reinvestment Nearly two-thirds of homes in northeastern Illinois were built before 1980, including many of the homes that make up the region’s most attainable housing. Maintaining and modernizing this stock is essential to preserving housing choice, but many repairs can be difficult for owners to afford. Our opportunity Ensuring everyone can find a place to thrive — by providing the right types of housing, at the right prices, in the right places — has far-reaching benefits. More choices that are connected to services, amenities, and transportation options can mean a young adult can afford to stay in the community where they grew up, a family can find a home that fits as its needs change, and older adults can remain close to the people and places they know as their needs evolve. It can mean shorter trips to work, school, and everyday needs — and less financial strain. Homes local workers can afford also boost our competitiveness for business investment because employers can feel confident that the workforce they need can afford to live in the region. Building more homes in places already connected to jobs, services, and transportation can also make better use of existing infrastructure and give people more options for getting around, supporting the region’s climate goals along the way. Together, we can make housing a foundation for people, communities, and the region to thrive. Continuing the conversation The Century Plan will continue to explore how to meet the region’s housing needs for decades to come. To advance this conversation, the region will be asking questions like: How can policies that encourage new housing development account for local context and support community planning goals? Improving local regulations can help to expand opportunities for new housing development, but proposals also need to account for local needs and conditions. How can regional stakeholders support a broad range of housing types for different life stages and economic circumstances? National and regional socioeconomic trends are reshaping housing demand — both where and what types of new housing will be needed. How can the region make homebuilding more viable in existing communities to support residents’ affordability and mobility needs? As housing becomes less attainable, new growth is projected to occur mostly along the region’s edges, where greenfield sites can offer easier development but fewer amenities and transportation connections. What is the role for publicly subsidized and affordable housing in a healthy market? Market-led housing supply can provide households with more choices to find a home that fits their needs and budget, but many residents will still struggle to pay for housing. How can the region improve the resiliency of the region’s housing stock while mitigating the upfront investment costs that could dampen development activity? With more frequent and severe storms, property owners and local governments could face higher insurance and recovery costs that exacerbate unaffordability. Open space Great regions do not leave the health of their land and water to chance. Open space — from our prairies, woodlands, and wetlands to playgrounds, parks, and farms — are central to daily life in northeastern Illinois by supporting cleaner air and water, better health, and deeper pride in the places we call home. That legacy is under pressure. As the region continues to grow, development decisions can make room for new homes or jobs while encroaching on the land and water resources that make our communities strong — and the benefits they provide are not reaching every community equally. Left unaddressed, this is not just a loss of land. It is a loss of the natural infrastructure that gives us access to green space, reduces temperatures, manages stormwater, and supports agriculture and the open space economy. With a shared approach, the region can grow in ways that protect natural resources and expand access for everyone. What we know now Several forces are leading communities to take a new approach to growth — one that embraces how protecting open space and building vibrant communities can reinforce each other. Development outpaces conservation Despite slower population growth, the region’s developed footprint keeps expanding faster than land is set aside for conservation. For every acre protected as open space in recent years, two are newly developed. These patterns reflect choices about how and where we build; two thirds of new development since 2010 has been on greenfield, as opposed to infill in areas that are already developed. Local decisions impact the natural systems that extend beyond manmade boundaries Individual community decisions about development and open space preservation can fragment ecosystems and water resources, making it harder to protect these natural systems that span jurisdictions. Without a shared regional vision, we risk the broader health of northeastern Illinois’ ecosystems and the Great Lakes region. Climate impacts are increasing the value of open space The region is experiencing more frequent and severe flooding — damaging homes, businesses, and infrastructure — and more days of extreme heat, which threatens public health. Trees, parks, and preserves are among the best defenses against the impacts of climate change. They absorb greenhouse gases, reduce heat-islands, and recharge groundwater aquifers. Protecting natural assets is critical to the region’s resilience. Local leadership is crucia Federal and state resources for conservation have contracted, but communities still want to steward natural assets and expand open space. Since 2022, voter-approved tax measures in five counties — along with a $50 million bond in Will County — have shown a strong commitment to conservation. Key questions remain about where growth occurs, how development is designed, and how communities connect protected lands. Our opportunity The 1909 Plan of Chicago envisioned an extensive network of public parks and forest preserves, boulevards that bring nature into the city, and a lakefront forever open, clear, and free. The region has built on that legacy for more than a century: county conservation districts now steward thousands of acres of natural land, and a broad network of land trusts, foundations, and civic partners advocate for its protection and expansion. Today, we have an opportunity to renew that legacy and embody a 21st century vision for conservation and stewardship. What will this generation’s investment in open space look like? Regional coordination can create an expanded network of natural lands — with parks and preserves connected by trails, waterways, and natural corridors — that is greater than the sum of its parts. That same coordination can guide new investment, like planting trees where shade is needed most, turning vacant industrial land into new parks and habitat, and completing the trails and greenways that connect communities to nature. A shared vision can bring more nature into daily life while accommodating future growth, so growth and green space reinforce each other instead of competing — helping both dollars and landscapes go further. Strong green spaces can protect biodiversity and water quality, strengthen resilience to flooding and heat, and make the region an even more competitive place to live, work, and invest. Continuing the conversation The Century Plan will continue to explore how greater stewardship and open space can meet the region’s needs for decades to come. To advance this conversation, the team will be asking questions like: How can local, county, regional, and state partners work together to find approaches that support both at once? Communities want both economic growth and access to nature, but the actions that support one can work against the other. How can the region scale up investments to close the gap and broaden access to green space? Voter-approved measures for conservation show what’s possible when communities invest in green space. The region has conserved about 268,000 acres of land, well short of the 400,000-acre goal set in ON TO 2050. How can communities and regional partners help working lands stay economically viable, so the region keeps these benefits in place? Farmland supports the region’s economy and, unlike paved development, helps recharge groundwater, manage stormwater, and keep habitat connected across the landscape. Yet the first land to convert as development pushes outward, closing off options for future conservation. How can partners at every level work together toward developing and implementing a regional approach? Decisions about natural lands and open space are made at many different levels of government and don’t always add up to a shared vision. How can the region prioritize equitable investment, so every community benefits from a greener, more connected region? Some communities have far more tree canopy coverage, parks, and green space than others, and much of the region’s planned trail and greenway network remains unfinished.