Chicago Southland’s Green TIME Zone Green Transit, Intermodal, Manufacturing, Environment Zone A Core Element of the Southland Vision 2020 for Sustainable Development © Center for Neighborhood Technology 2010 Table of Contents America’s First Green TIME Zone 1 The Southland Green TIME Zone Strategy 2 Transit-Oriented Development 3 Intermodal: Cargo-Oriented Development 6 Manufacturing for a Green Economy 8 Environment: A Binding Thread 12 A Greener Return on Investment 14 Making It Happen 15 A Model for Livable and Workable Communities 18 The Southland Green TIME Zone Framework 18 America’s First Green TIME Zone The southern suburbs of Chicago (the Southland) The Green TIME Zone of Chicago’s Southland grew up in the nineteenth century with a dual capitalizes on these emerging trends with a strategy identity: as residential communities from which through which older communities can translate people rode the train to downtown jobs and as the value of their established rail infrastructure industrial centers that rose around the nexus of and manufacturing capacity into desirable the nation’s freight rail network. Over the last two neighborhoods, good jobs, and environmental generations, many of these communities endured improvement. The strategy is built on three linked economic hardship as residents and businesses mechanisms for sustainable redevelopment: transit- left for sprawling new suburbs and international oriented development (TOD) to establish livable pressures eroded the industrial base. The communities, cargo-oriented development (COD) environment of the Southland and the entire Chicago region suffered as farmland was paved over at ever freight movements, and green manufacturing to accelerating rates, vehicle miles traveled climbed buildto capture a healthy the economic economy benefitswith a bright of intermodal future. These steadily, and thousands of acres of prime industrial mechanisms lead to the acronym TIME: communities and economies are rebuilt around TRANSIT, INTERMODAL facilities and MANUFACTURING, all Todayland decayed new economic into brownfields. forces are driving development founded on a commitment to preserve and improve trends that the Southland is uniquely poised to the natural ENVIRONMENT. foster. Communities are again being built around rail transit stations, where residents can enjoy Although the following report describes a convenient, walkable neighborhoods and realize savings from reduced driving. At the same time, suburbs, the Southland Green TIME Zone is globalization is causing more freight to move aredevelopment national demonstration plan specific of theto Chicago’s potential southfor through strategic hubs and more manufacturing regional, state, and federal partners to bring people, and logistics companies to locate near intermodal businesses, and good jobs back to an economically terminals, where they can combine reduced shipping distressed region. costs with greater reliability. The south suburbs are redeveloping around existing rail infrastructure, enabling more affordable, efficient and environmentally friendly transportation options. 1 « Chicago Southland’s Green TIME Zone » CNT | SSMMA | © 2010 The Southland Green TIME Zone Strategy The South Suburban Mayors and Managers Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT), the Association (SSMMA) formed the Southland Green Delta Institute, and the Metropolitan Planning TIME Zone strategy through its development Council (MPC). This partnership planned and arms—the Chicago Southland Housing and launched the Southland Green TIME Zone as a way Community Development Collaborative (CSHCDC) to redevelop the southern suburbs by capitalizing on and the Chicago Southland Economic Development their principal economic and environmental assets. Corporation (CSEDC)—in partnership with three The plan is a culmination of six years of research and planning among these groups. national leaders in sustainable development: the not-for-profit organizations that are regional and Southland Green TIME Zone Strategic Overview Transit Intermodal Manufacturing ➜ ➜ ➜ Cargo-Oriented Development Transit-Oriented Development Green Manufacturing (TOD) & Housing (COD) ➜ ➜ ➜ Housing & Community Logistics Park Calumet & Calumet Development Collaborative Sister Developments Manufacturing Center ➜ ➜ ➜ · Community-Corridor Planning · Railroad Investments · Regional Supplier Program · Inter-Municipal Cooperation · Sustainable Development Fund · R&D Support · Neighborhood Stabilization · Road Improvements · Production Capacity Support · Sustainable Development Fund · Environmental Remediation · Alternative Energy Production · Land Bank · Customs Inspection Station · Workforce Development · Coordinated Zoning · Foreign Trade Zone · International Marketing · Energy & Housing Conservation · Sustainable Development Fund ➜ Sustainable Housing & Business Development Center CNT | SSMMA | © 2010 « Chicago Southland’s Green TIME Zone » 2 The economic and environmental assets leveraged in machine tool manufacturers, together employing the Southland Green TIME Zone are common in the over 10,000 workers, can process new orders for wind turbines, low-emission locomotives, energy- cities, but they are especially rich in SSMMA’s 42 memberneighborhoods municipalities: and first suburbs of America’s older Workforce readiness. More than two-thirds ofefficient adult residentscranes and within other three emerging miles technologies. of the CN Exceptional transportation assets. The • Gateway in the heart of the Southland Green TIME Southland connects to regional, national and Zone hold a high school or community college • international markets by two major intermodal diploma, providing a ready industrial workforce. transit lines with 33 stations (plus nine stations These assets are core elements of the Southland alongfreight Metra’s terminals, planned five freight Southeast rail lines,Service four line), rail an Green TIME Zone’s three central mechanisms: extensive inter-suburban bus network, and four transit-oriented development (TOD), cargo-oriented expressways. development (COD) and green manufacturing. Location efficiency. Transit station areas in traditional downtowns offer households Transit-Oriented Development • opportunities to save hundreds of dollars per Transit-oriented development integrates moderately month on transportation, while excellent access dense housing with a mix of retail and service businesses all within a pleasant walk of a public products in the heart of Chicago reduces fuel use transit station. TOD residents typically reduce forto freight carriers corridors and shippers. and markets for finished their transportation costs and carbon footprints Underutilized land. The 42 transit station areas through their ability to make routine trips without contain over a thousand acres of vacant land driving. Older suburban downtowns built around • for new housing and needed stores, while more rail stations are TODs by design. The south suburbs than 3,000 acres in some 200 clusters of vacant contain dozens of TOD communities connected by or underutilized industrial land in prime COD four commuter rail lines, which also carry freight to locations can support many new manufacturing the CODs. These communities function in symbiosis and distribution businesses. with CODs, providing the nearby workforce and retail International logistics access. The Canadian services needed by COD businesses, while CODs supply good jobs and corporate taxpayers that keep • Yard Center intermodal terminals connect the local communities viable. Yet Southland towns suffer regionNational by (CN) rail toGateway Canada, and Mexico, Union and Pacific deepwater (UP) from disinvestment that has weakened their industrial ports on all three coasts, while 171 third-party districts. They need redevelopment planning, housing, and commercial investments to resume commerce. their traditional role as livable communities in which Greenlogistics supply providers chain. create More jobs than from 450 thismetals flow and of working families and companies can thrive. • 3 « Chicago Southland’s Green TIME Zone » CNT | SSMMA | © 2010 Making Smart Choices To support the linkage of job creation with In 2009, CNT released Making Smart Choices: Transit- housing and neighborhood development, Oriented Development Selector Analysis of South SSMMA, its partners, and regional agencies and Suburban Corridors. Using its TOD Selector™ tool, CNT civil organizations are striving to build livable assessed the current conditions and TOD potential of 42 communities by establishing TODs with quality existing and proposed Metra stations in the Green TIME housing options for a range of income levels, Zone. This report served as the foundation for the integrated with retail and civic amenities. Chicago Southland Transit Corridor TOD efforts in the Southland Green TIME Zone Development are spearheaded by the Southland Housing Plan, funded by and Community Development Collaborative, an Chicago’s Regional intergovernmental partnership of more than 20 Transportation southern suburbs. The Collaborative’s focus is to Making Smart Choices: Authority, that will Transit-Oriented Development Selector Analysis of preserve and develop the homes that constitute the South Suburban Corridors lay out a regional bedrock of TOD. Its efforts include: vision for TOD. Ongoing research and planning. The Regional Prepared for: South Suburban Mayors & Managers Association Transportation Authority (RTA) and the Submitted by: Center for Neighborhood Technology • Metropolitan