On this page you'll find the latest CMAP weekly updates, press releases, and other related content. Also see our CMAP Media Archive for links to CMAP-related news stories from 2010 that are searchable by topic and date. For older stories, visit CMAP Media Coverage 2007 to 2009.  "News Products" feature CMAP press releases and other related content from past years.  Visit the CMAP YouTube channel for a collection of videos, including news coverage. Please direct any press inquiries to CMAP communications director Tom Garritano (tgarritano@cmap.illinois.gov or 312-386-8609) or communications associate Justine Reisinger (jreisinger@cmap.illinois.gov or 312-386-8802).

Below are some recent CMAP news products.  See the main News Products page for more from the current year and previous ones.

CMAP Weekly Update
See executive director Randy Blankenhorn's latest Weekly Update on the web or subscribe to the email.

CMAP Media Tip Sheet (1-13-12)
For a media-friendly summary of recent newsworthy items from CMAP, please see our tip sheet from January 13, 2012.  It includes information on the potential loss of transportation funding our region faces based on its attainment status, encouraging transportation indicators from 2006 to 2010 American Community Survey data, our Policy Updates series on public-private partnerships and transportation, upcoming Local Technical Assistance program meetings, and the Millennium Reserve project. 

NEWS RELEASE:  Five-year, $411 million transportation program funds 115 projects to reduce congestion, improve air quality in metropolitan Chicago (10-12-11)

The CMAP Board and MPO Policy committee have voted to approve the FY2012-16 Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) program.   Through these transportation projects, residents of metropolitan Chicago will benefit from improved transit, roads, bicycle, and pedestrian facilities.  The $411 million in federal transportation funds are being targeted to The $411 million in federal transportation funds are being targeted to support the GO TO 2040 comprehensive regional plan's goals for reducing congestion and improving air quality.  Read more in the CMAP press release, with related materials that include lists of projects by county.

NEWS RELEASE:  MetroPulse free iPhone app (8-15-11)
On August 15, 2011, CMAP released a free MetroPulse iPhone app that allows users to view quality-of-life indicator data about the region's counties, municipalities, and Chicago community areas.  Find the MetroPulse app on the Apple App Store. Users can either select one location for which to build a dashboard of several indicators, or they can select several locations to compare by one indicator. The data gets displayed as grids or bar charts.  Read more in this press release.  MetroPulse was created by the Regional Indicators Project, a partnership of CMAP and The Chicago Community Trust.

Video Overview of the CMAP Local Technical Assistance Program (7-13-11) 
New in the GO TO 2040 video series is an overview of the Local Technical Assistance (LTA) program begun in March 2011 by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP), with support from a three-year, $4.25 million competitive grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as part of the federal interagency Partnership for Sustainable Communities.

Energy Impact Illinois Debuts Information Hub (6-1-11)
To improve the energy efficiency of residential, commercial, and industrial properties, EnergyImpactIllinois.org was launched this summer as an information hub for residents of the Chicago region and Rockford.  Visitors to the site will find resources to facilitate building improvements for homes or businesses, saving energy and money while reducing the region's carbon footprint.  The hub is an initiative of Energy Impact Illinois, an alliance of CMAP, utility companies, government agencies, and citizen advocacy groups working together to create a long-term market for improving the energy efficiency of the region's buildings.  The effort is made possible through a $25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) BetterBuildings Initiative.  Read more in this press release.