Chicago's Common Ground process sought to develop a comprehensive regional vision that was rooted in local perspectives. Through community workshops and forums, Chicago's 2040 Regional Framework Plan was created and adopted.
This project was conceived as part of a growing movement called “community-based regionalism,” which allows local jurisdictions to remain the primary unit of planning and management, while stressing the importance of considering all issues from both local and regional perspectives. Given that, the Common Ground process sought to develop a comprehensive regional vision that was rooted in local perspectives and would be implemented locally.
The process involved workshops to introduce civic leaders who had not previously worked together, and to identify issues and challenges; youth forums; a Regional Forum that brought together 850 citizens and used electronic meeting tools; geographically-oriented workshops; goal-writing workshops for 20 working groups; goal review workshops; local cluster meetings to review effects on communities; technology-enhanced visioning workshops; and creation and adoption of the 2040 Regional Framework Plan.
The project involved a vast number of people in many different situations to maximize the amount of interaction and cooperation among different ethnic groups. The visioning process included a number of distinct groups and steps, ordered here from start to finish:
Leadership Workshops: Held in twelve different locations throughout the region, these meetings brought together civic organizations and businesses to develop a list of issues and challenges for its part of the region.
Regional Forum: In the fall of 2001, NIPC held its first large-scale public meeting, facilitated by AmericaSpeaks. 850 participants reviewed and prioritized the issues and challenges found in the Leadership Workshops.
Working Groups: Over 275 people volunteered to serve in working groups which met monthly for a year to produce mission statements, research relevant options, and conduct SWOT analyses.
Youth Forum: NIPC established a separate meeting for Teenagers during the 2002 APA National Conference. Almost 100 youth attended, conducting their own SWOT analyses.
Goal Review Workshops: After the working groups provided feedback and revised the goal statements, they were then presented for feedback to a wider audience. Meetings tackled issues of diversity and representation, farmland, youth, and cooperation with elected officials.
Commission Endorsement and Planning: The Commission voted in March to approve the 52 major goals established for the project.
Cluster Workshops: Workshops in thirteen clusters of municipalities were used to gain the expertise of local planners and officials in setting specific local visions and directions and creating maps to illustrate the desired framework for future growth and planning.
Building the Map: NIPC staff combined the multiple maps created by each cluster group, and then combined those into a single map of centers, corridors, and green spaces for the 2040 plan.
NIPC took primary responsibility for developing the Common Ground process and producing the 2040 Regional Framework Plan. The primary financial sponsor was the Illinois Department of Transportation, with assistance from the Chicago Community Trust.
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