CHICAGO PARTNERSHIP FOR FEDERAL-REGIONAL COOPERATION

The Context

The Chicago Partnership for Federal-Regional Cooperation will be one of four pilot programs established throughout the nation with the purpose of strengthening the federal response to local regional initiatives. By working to ensure that federal time, attention, knowledge and resources are dedicated to locally designed regional initiatives, it is the goal of the pilot projects to test More effective, efficient and equitable regional outcomes.

The Chicago region has a number of initiatives that address the issue of regional cooperation with a focus on policy changes at the local and state levels. It is increasingly clear that federal resources can also play a role in regional initiatives. Over the next three to five years, government agencies, foundation leaders and regional practitioners will work together on a number of policy areas, under the umbrella of 'smart growth.' These may include environmental issues, transportation, housing, workforce development, human services delivery, economic development, and other specific regional issues, with the specific goals of:

Helping model how federal programs and policies can support and enhance locally originated regional initiative.

Helping to connect the best practices and policy innovations developed in regions across the country in a learning network.

During an initial four-month planning period, the Chicago region is identifying two to four key projects on which to focus. In order to take advantage of existing regional knowledge, these issues will be ones that have already been identified as important and relevant in the region. Particularly important will be a focus on the Chicago region as a whole, including parts of Wisconsin and Indiana, as well as Northeastern Illinois. This initial planning period will be coordinated jointly by Judith Stockdale, Executive Director of the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation and Wim Wiewel, Dean of the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The Chicago Partnership for Federal-Regional Collaboration will be affiliated with the Campaign for Sensible Growth.

The Process

The planning process is being launched with three informal luncheons of diverse regional stakeholders to explore a range of possible issues, March 19, March 31, and April 14. More than 80 people have been invited, representing housing, transportation, and environmental organizations, among others. Following these initial discussions, there will be a subsequent process to narrow and develop two to four ideas on which Chicago will focus. This process will be refined after more of the meetings have taken place.

At the first session, three clusters of issues were identified as being particularly appropriate for a regional/federal partnership:

1. Workforce Training/Transportation

Current job training strategies focus on "work first," individuals getting a job no matter what its future prospects. The region needs to develop a long-term job strategy which encourages and supports continuing education for people already in jobs so as to permit upward mobility. A broader perspective on job training and placement would also factor in job access through transportation, so that new workers can get to their jobs through public transit, avoiding the cost and pollution from commuting. And there are opportunities to target "green industries," giving training access to job sectors which will experience rapid future growth. There is not now a regional workforce training and transportation dialogue so a focus on this cluster of issues would add value to current regionalism discussions. The large number of existing federal programs in workforce training and transportation offer fertile ground for innovation.

2. Child Care/Transportation/Job Access

As single parents enter the job market, they must successfully solve three problems: first, finding a job, second, finding day care that complements the job’s hours, and third, getting to the job and to day care without having to own a car. This challenge is most daunting for third shift workers who face limited availability of evening/night child care and restricted evening/night public transportation options. This cluster of issues requires a strategy to develop 24 hour daycare at transit stations, thus simplifying transportation problems, and a regional job access strategy which links jobs with public transportation.

3. Intermodal Freight/Air Quality/Job Training

The Chicago Region is hub of the US rail freight system. Historically, it is where rail lines from the East end and those to the West begin. Freight rail, especially intermodal freight, is growing rapidly. This is an important development because the alternative, increased truck traffic is a source of air pollution and traffic congestion. Yet Chicago is not well positioned to take advantage of this growth. There are over 20 intermodal freight facilities in the Region, all privately owned. There is no overall development strategy for the industry, nor a comprehensive plan to restructure rail lines to maximize efficient connections between rail yards.

Moving freight from trucks to rail offers a opportunity to improve regional air quality. There may be a way to generate emissions credits on the avoided air pollution. And this potential growth also offers an opportunity for job training.

The current regional conversation about intermodal freight engages only the freight rail companies and transportation planners. It does not yet engage the business community more broadly, nor environmentalists and affected neighborhoods. Freight rail cuts across many jurisdictions and is heavily regulated by the federal government, so federal participation in this issue is essential.

The complete list if issues raised at the first planning session included:

(1) sustainability (of any program)

(2) water resources

(3) regional workforce training

(4) child care/transportation

(5) freight transportation

(6) transportation planning

(7) asthma/air pollution

(8) home ownership incentives

(9) social equity

10) open space

Who is Involved?

The core participation for this planing process will be drawn from existing regional campaigns and initiatives, including:

Government:

· Metropolitan Mayors Caucus

· Cook County Assessor’s Tax Policy Forum

· Chicago/Cook County Welfare Reform Task Force

· Suburban Mayors and Managers Action Council

Business:

· Metropolis 2020

· Leadership for Quality Education

Civic:

· Campaign for Sensible Growth

· Chicago Wilderness

· Chicagoland Transportation and Air Quality Commission

· Leadership Council for Metropolitan Open Communities

· Metropolitan Alliance of Congregations

· Openlands Project

· Regional Clean Air Dialogue

· United Power for Action and Justice

The planning process will also include individual community and elected officials.

The Chicago Region looks forward to the opportunity to share data and practical tools with the other pilot projects and to the expansion of performance-based regional collaborations nationally. By creating opportunities for shared learning across sectors-foundation, federal and regional-as well as between diverse regions, the project will also help to build a broader national network of regional leaders. A long-term goal is to fashion federal policy in ways that will add value to regional initiatives.

Return to main page.

Last updated March 24, 1999.