Do We Have the Capacity for Transformative Investment?

An Assessment of Northeastern Illinois’ Regional Development Structures and Tools

The Metropolitan Planning Council’s vision for an economically competitive, environmentally sustainable and socially equitable Chicago region requires smarter prioritization of projects and coordinated execution. Many of the structures (i.e. entities) and tools (e.g. bonding, taxing, eminent domain) necessary to implement coordinated and prioritized investments already exist in the Chicago region.

If deployed differently, these existing structures and tools would result in more efficient and effective implementation of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning’s GO TO 2040, World Business Chicago’s economic plan and other regional blueprints. Doing so will require identification and evaluation of appropriate structures and tools, actionable steps for repurposing them and well-coordinated implementation.