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 Greetings Members of the Illinois Chapter of CNU:
During 2009 CNU-IL made modest gains in spite of the down economy. Board members were active in outreach programs designed to educate community leaders and citizens across the state about the fundamental principles of New Urbanism through two programs: New Urbanism 101, and Regional & Neighborhood Growth; the Evolution of our Suburbs.
Last October our Third Annual Statewide Conference tackled the issues of Context Sensitive Street Design culminating in a workshop focusing on Opportunities for Peoria's Main Street Corridor. You can view the results of the workshop on our website.
At our board retreat in January we developed several initiatives for 2010 including:
- Engaging the Metropolitan Mayor's Caucus on issues such as density, separation of uses, sustainable development practices, and context sensitive street design.
- Extending beyond the idea of Form-based Codes to the idea of Sustainable Development Coding that covers a broader range of development practices. We are pursuing a grant from the Graham Foundation to document sustainable development practices using LEED-ND Pilot Projects in Illinois as case studies. If we are successful the grant work will take place in the latter half of this year.
- Expanding our efforts at communicating with our members and those who would seek to learn more about new urbanism. We are now active on social media including Face book and LinkedIn. We hope you will become a fan of CNU-IL on Face book, or join our group on LinkedIn.
- We've also set up a Flickr account which will serve as a convenient place to share images of our experiences in new urbanism, and traditional urbanism.
- Expanding our "Week-day Socials". We had two such events in 2009 and plan more in 2010. The purpose is simple......meet and talk with members or friends who are interested in new urbanism issues.
- Creating regional "CNU Small Groups". Two members have taken it upon themselves to meet regularly to discuss topics that interest them. They are in similar fields so encounter issues that need discussion leading to action. We on the board encourage and support this kind of activity. Start your own small group and give us your feedback and chair@cnuillinois.org.
- Continuation of our efforts to engage students in our cause, believing that we need to educate young Americans about what it means to continue our unsustainable policies of sprawl. We have a board seat reserved for students, the position is currently held by a 4th year student from Judson University in Elgin.
Our website remains a work in progress. You will see most if not all of the action items in this message reflected on the website. If you are reading this message via email please visit www.cnuillinois.org.
You should know that board members regularly post information on the various media sites I have mentioned. We monitor commentary regularly with the objective of listening to the dialogue and trying to develop appropriate action when it is called for.
Finally we are planning a "Great Lakes Chapters" Meet-up at CNU-18 in Atlanta which will include members from Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. The event is scheduled for Friday May 21st beginning at 7:30 PM. Details will be posted on our Facebook page and distributed via email.
Please feel free to share any thoughts you might have with me. My email address is chair@cnuillinois.org. I hope to see you in Atlanta, or one of our other local functions.
Thank you for supporting CNU Illinois.
John Peter Barie, AIA, CNUa
Chair 2009-2010
E-mail John Barie: (chair@cnuillinois.org)
Download John Peter Barie's curriculum vita
Waukegan Downtown and Lakefront Master Plan; CNU 2003 Charter Award Winner; Image: SOM
The Congress for New Urbanism Illinois Chapter will undertake the following three-part mission:
1. To promote the importance of New Urbanism in regional planning, community building, and place-making.
2. To raise awareness of the benefits of quality planning, urban design, and sustainable development.
3. To promote the New Urbanist best practices amongst architects, planners, landscape architects, and allied professionals.
In the advancement of this mission, and to address issues of importance to CNU Illinois members, CNU Illinois will focus on two areas of specialization:
1. Community Building
This area of specialization will focus on strengthening communities and neighborhoods across the region, with an emphasis on:
a. Socio-Economic Inclusiveness
b. Infill Development
c. Affordable Housing
d. Transit-Oriented Development
e. Economic Opportunities
f. Traditional Neighborhood Development
2. Environment
This area of specialization will focus on the preservation and enhancement of natural and man-made environments, with an emphasis on:
a. LEED-ND
b. Farmland Conservation
c. Sustainable Landscapes
View CNU-Illinois Charter
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