The Next Plans

Developing responsive and flexible plans for the region

The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) is collaborating with stakeholders to prepare successors to the ON TO 2050 comprehensive plan. CMAP’s planning efforts are shaped by its dual responsibilities under state and federal law.

The Illinois Regional Planning Act requires CMAP to conduct comprehensive planning that integrates land use and transportation, while incorporating the interplay with economic development, the environment, air quality, energy consumption, and other important factors that influence quality of life in northeastern Illinois. Also, federal rules governing all metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) require CMAP to plan for the long-term needs of the regional transportation system, including regular assessment of its function, condition, fiscal health, and capital investment priorities.

Since 2005, CMAP has met these state and federal responsibilities by adopting a single, large-scale regional comprehensive plan along with subsequent updates.

CMAP is pursuing a new approach to fulfill its state and federal responsibilities, which takes advantage of the significant progress and direction provided by ON TO 2050, while shifting away from the agency’s prior model. The current plan was developed with a thirty-year horizon and provides enduring value for guiding many regional decisions. Several of its strategies and recommendations continue to speak to the region’s ongoing needs, while others no longer meet current demands. Acknowledging this reality, CMAP is evolving its regional planning approach to make it more dynamic and responsive to changing conditions.