Helping Communities Overcome Development Dilemmas
The Community Building Initiative (CBI) works with community partners throughout greater metropolitan Chicago to tackle development challenges that demand a creative vision for the future, consistent with MPC’s mission for a more equitable, sustainable, and competitive region. The initiative draws on MPC’s core strengths in planning and policy development to assist communities as they respond to local issues related to housing, transportation, environment, and sustainable economic development. These community success stories demonstrate the local and regional impact of MPC’s policy goals and inform our regional, state and federal advocacy.
Free Toolkit for Communities
MPC co-produced a series of workbooks designed to help communities overcome a variety of development challenges. Each workbook offers step-by-step guidance, as well as examples of best practices and policies from communities in metropolitan Chicago, Illinois, and nationwide.
Download your free copies today.
Housing 1-2-3 (2008) A guidebook for local housing development and policies
Retail 1-2-3 (2007) A guidebook for retail development
Planning 1-2-3 (2006) A guidebook for comprehensive planning
Sensible Tools for Healthy Communities (2004) A guidebook for sustainable development
MPC also offers workshops to bring these books to life in your community.
Learn more in the1-2-3 Workbook Series fact sheet
Articles
- MPC by the Numbers: 2012 Edition
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- What a year 2012 has been! Just as news outlets look back at the year in headlines, here at MPC we think there's value in taking a moment to reflect on the milestones we've reached over the past 12 months. MPC by the Numbers is a numeric snapshot of these accomplishments, drawn primarily from data…
Talking Transit: Transit stations as destinations pay economic dividends-
- Published twice a month, MPC’s Talking Transit provides updates about transit-related activities around the world.
Get In the Loop on all the latest local, national, and international transit headlines. >>
Did you Know? Washington, D.C.’s Union Station is a destination featuring…
Developing vibrant retail in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood-
- When the Bronzeville Alliance, a coalition of local community organizations, invited the Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) to help staff and provide recommendations to its Bronzeville Retail Initiative in 2010, MPC jumped at the opportunity to support coordinated retail planning, retention, and…
CMAP announces technical assistance grantees-
- The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning’s (CMAP) comprehensive plan for northeastern Illinois, GO TO 2040, was approved in October 2010. Now the region’s collective challenge is how to implement it.
With a $4.25 million grant from the Sustainable Communities Initiative, CMAP will…
Southern suburbs awarded $2.4 million Sustainable Communities Challenge Grant-
- Today, the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association (SSMMA) was awarded a $2.4 million Sustainable Communities Challenge Grant from the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to strengthen the Southland through a redevelopment strategy that builds off existing and planned rail…
More related articles »
Multimedia
Recommendations for Integrated Water Resources Planning in Lake Zurich-
- Publication
- (2 MB)
- Jun 6, 2012
- Water itself knows no political boundaries. Rivers flow from one community to another, aquifers span entire regions, rain falls where it will. Yet water resources management is inherently political.
Northeastern Illinois’ 284 municipalities plan and implement many facets of water supply,…
Developing Vibrant Retail in Bronzeville-
- Publication
- (1 MB)
- Mar 9, 2012
- When the Bronzeville Alliance, a coalition of local community organizations, invited the Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) to help staff and provide recommendations to its Bronzeville Retail Initiative, MPC jumped at the opportunity to support coordinated retail planning, retention, and…
2012 Plan for Prosperity: Innovative Solutions for the New Normal-
- Publication
- (1 MB)
- Jan 12, 2012
- To read MPC's 2012 Plan for Prosperity, download the file. The following is MPC President MarySue Barrett's introductory letter.
Sometimes, things aren’t what they seem. For decades, the United States enjoyed what appeared to be boundless economic expansion. Consumers spent and borrowed…
Improving Health Through Planning-
- On Dec. 7, 2011, MPC hosted Improving Health Through Planning, a roundtable addressing the assumptions planners make about the health impacts of planning decisions. Read the full event recap.
Placemaking Chicago-
- A short video on Placemaking, produced in August 2008 by Metropolitan Planning Council and Tu Multimedia.
More related multimedia »
Recent Community Building Initiative Reports
2012: Developing Vibrant Retail in Bronzeville - Final report from MPC's collaboration with the Bronzeville Alliance to recommend strategies for supporting coordinated retail planning, retention, and recruitment efforts in the community.
2010: Placemaking at the Polish Triangle - Final report from MPC's collaboration with local residents and WPB (the Special Service Area for Wicker Park and Bucktown) to transform the Polish Triangle into a well-used public space.
2010: Vision Driving Development: Logan Square - The MPC Corridor Development Initiative report for the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago
2009: Discover "Asia on Argyle" - Final report from the Urban Land Institute-Chicago and MPC Technical Assistance Panel for the Argyle Street business district in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago.
2009: Robbins: Economic Development Vision and Strategy - Final report from the MPC Task Force for the Village of Robbins in support of the seven-community Calumet River Economic Development Vision and Strategy initiative.
2008: Vision Driving Development - The MPC Corridor Development Initiative report for the North Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago, done in partnership with the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning.
Collaborators
Partners
Center for Neighborhood Technology
Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning
Metropolitan Mayors Caucus
Urban Land Institute, Chicago
Funders
Bank of America
The Chicago Community Trust
Grand Victoria Foundation