growing sensibly:     A Guidebook of Best Development Practices in the Chicago Region
Cover photograph left: Naperville's Riverwalk is located in the heart of the city's central business district. It encourages walkers and bicyclists by providing access to and from offices, stores, restaurants and open spaces. 

Cover photograph right: Brantley Place in Wheaton provides a prime example of ÒinfillÓ housing (development within an existing built-up area). It consists of a series of attached town homes that face each other with parking off alleys in the rear. Brantley Place is a short walk to the Metra train station and stores in downtown Wheaton.
 foreword 
Can we improve the economic position of the Chicago region, and:   
  • be good stewards of the land by protecting open space for public use; 
  • use scarce infrastructure dollars wisely by prioritizing reinvestment over expansion; 
  • reduce our almost total dependence on the motor vehicle and create walkable neighborhoods with easy access to shopping, jobs, services and alternative modes of transportation; and 
  • provide a greater choice of housing opportunities throughout the region so that people can have freedom to choose where to live? 
The answer is a resounding yes. In fact, economic goals are not in conflict with objectives for a healthy environment and livable communities. They are mutually reinforcing. In the new global economic order, region competes against region for employers and highly skilled talent. These are the very people who have the luxury of choosing the region in which they wish to live. Increasingly, they are choosing to locate in regions that have figured out both how to provide an entrepreneurial environment and how to grow sensibly and thereby ensure a high quality of life for residents.   

This guidebook points the way to a sensible growth strategy by showcasing some of the best development practices throughout the region. Rather than lamenting the terrible costs of sprawl, as so much of the current literature does, this document offers hope.   

The guidebook does not pretend to address all the issues. But it addresses those which business leaders, planners, municipal officials and developers can do something about under todayÕs policy framework. Complex questions of public policy-reducing reliance on property taxes, education reform, and regional cooperation-will become easier to solve as we make progress toward the principles put forth in this guidebook.   
   

Elmer W. Johnson 
Partner, Kirkland and Ellis  
Vice Chair, Metropolitan Planning Council